Question : Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.
John said, "I cannot come with you."
Option 1: John says that he cannot come with me.
Option 2: John said that he will not be coming with me.
Option 3: John said that he would not come with me.
Option 4: John said that he could not come with me.
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Correct Answer: John said that he could not come with me.
Solution : The fourth option is correct.
In the transformation from direct to indirect speech, several grammatical changes occur:
- Pronouns : The pronoun I changes to he to match the person reporting the speech.
- Verb Tense : The present tense cannot changes to the past tense could not to reflect the shift from the original speaker's perspective to the reporting speaker's perspective.
Grammatically, the indirect speech version is adjusted to maintain accuracy and coherence while reporting what someone else said.
Therefore, the correct indirect speech is: John said that he could not come with me.
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