Question

Change the following statement into indirect speech.
Ritul said, “Alas! I am ruined.”
a. Ritul said that I am ruined.
b. Ritul cried with grief that I am ruined.
c. Ritul cried with grief that he was ruined.
d. Ritul said with grief that he was ruined.

Answer 1

Hint: Read the given sentence carefully, and try to understand the meaning of the sentence. Then, read the given options. Then, choose the option that you think sounds the most correct and fits perfectly into the given blank.

Complete answer:
 The given sentence is clearly an exclamatory sentence. It is evident due to the fact that there is an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, and it contains a jumbled order of words. The sentence is arranged in such a way that it seems to be expressing extreme grief.
So, there is an extreme emotional factor. In order to convert it into a simple fact, we will need to add another phrase that conveys extreme sadness.

Now, we know exactly which type of sentence we need. Let’s look at the given options-
a. Ritul said that I am ruined. - In this option, an assertive sentence is mentioned. This is
the required kind of sentence, however, it does not express an extreme emotion. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
b. Ritul cried with grief that I am ruined. - This option elaborates on the emotions, however, the pronouns used are incorrect. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.
c. Ritul cried with grief that he was ruined. - This option elaborates on the emotions. This also has the correct pronoun and it is framed correctly. This is the required answer. So, this is the correct option.
d. Ritul said with grief that he was ruined. - This option elaborates on the emotions, however, the verb does not express extreme emotion. This is not the required answer. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Indirect speech sentences are supposed to be assertive statements without any extreme emotions mentioned. Look for pointers suggesting which words and phrases to use. The punctuations that are mentioned in the given sentence suggest extreme grief.