Question

A customer asked the shopkeeper _____ of tomato sauce.
a. if he can have a small bottle
b. if he could have a small bottle
c. could I have a small bottle
d. could he have a small bottle

Answer 1

Hint: In the given sentence, the verb ‘asked’ indicates past tense. There are two types of speech: Direct Speech, which is as it is as the speaker speaks, and Indirect or reported Speech, in which the exact meaning of the speaker is conveyed but not necessarily in his exact words.

Complete answer:
Let us discuss all the given options in detail to figure out the correct answer.

a. if he can have a small bottle: In this option, the word ‘can’ is a present form, and the phrase is indirect, that is, being reported by a third person, therefore, this is an incorrect option.

b. if he could have a small bottle: In this option, the given phrase is in indirect speech as well as in the past tense. Therefore, this is the correct option.

c. could I have a small bottle: In this option, ‘could’ is in past form, and the speech is direct. If someone asks could I have something, he is grammatically incorrect. Therefore, this is an incorrect option.

d. could he have a small bottle: In this option, the given phrase is grammatically incorrect as ‘if’ is missing which is used in the sense of granting. Therefore, this is an incorrect option.

So, the correct answer is “Option b”.

Note:
Carefully observe what the sentence is trying to convey, and when, has the action taken place.
Choose an option in which the given phrase is correctly framed and is relevant to the tenses used in the sentence. The reporting verb needs to be in the past tense for reported speech. This is why option A was incorrect.