Question

Choose the correct option to complete the sentence in indirect speech.
He said, “Suresh needs a new uniform.”
A. Needs
B. Was needing
C. Is needing
D. Needed

Answer 1

Hint:Indirect speech is a means of expressing the content of a statement, questions, or other utterance, without quoting them explicitly as is done in indirect speech.
As the given sentence in the direct speech is in the simple present tense, we need to convert it into simple past tense in the indirect speech.

Complete answer:
Option A - 'Needs' is used to represent the sentence in the simple present tense. Thus, option A is incorrect.

Option B - 'Was needing' is used to represent the sentence in the past continuous tense and not simple past tense. Thus, option B is incorrect.

Option C - 'Is needing' is used to form the sentence in the present continuous tense and not simple past tense. Thus, option C is incorrect.

Option D - 'Needed' is the past form of the verb 'need' which is used to represent the sentence in the simple past tense. Thus, option D is the correct answer.

Hence, the correct answer is Option ‘D’.

Note: Indirect speech is used to report what someone may have said, and so it is always used in the past tense. We must read all the options before selecting an answer. There are various rules that apply to direct and indirect speech. Therefore, one must understand these rules to identify the correct answer.