Question : In the following question, a sentence has been given in direct/indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in indirect/direct speech.
She told me that she hadn’t known about that the week before.
Option 1: She said to me, “I did not know about this last week.”
Option 2: She said to me, “I had known about this last week.”
Option 3: She said to me, “I did not know about that past week.”
Option 4: She said to me, “I did not know about that the last week.”
Correct Answer: She said to me, “I did not know about this last week.”
Solution : The correct answer is option 1.
She said to me, “I did not know about this last week.”
Explanation:
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the verb's tense in the speech shifts from simple past to past perfect, i.e., did not know to had not known.
In indirect speech, the reporting verb "said to" changes to "told" because an object or listener (me) is present.
Therefore, the proper phrase is She said to me, “I did not know about this last week.”
