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English Grammar - Narration: 138 MCQs with Answers

Narration - English Grammar
English Grammar - Narration

English Grammar- Narration

Learn Narration (Direct and Indirect Speech) in English Grammar with complete explanations, reporting verbs, tense changes, pronoun changes, time and place expressions, punctuation rules, sentence transformation, examples, exercises, and multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This comprehensive guide is ideal for school students and candidates preparing for HTET, CTET, TET, SSC, Banking, UPSC, NDA, CDS, and other competitive examinations.

49 min read 138 Questions

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Q31. Choose the correct indirect speech.

She said, "Never tell a lie."

Right Answer: She advised me never to tell a lie.

Explanation:

This sentence is a negative imperative expressing advice. In indirect speech, negative commands or advice are generally reported using the reporting verb "advised" followed by "not to" or "never to" with the base form of the verb. Here, "Never tell a lie" becomes "She advised me never to tell a lie." The remaining options are grammatically incorrect because they omit essential words or fail to follow the standard structure used for reporting negative imperative sentences.
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Q32. Choose the correct indirect speech.

The boy said, "Good morning, Sir."

Right Answer: Both B and C

Explanation:

Greetings such as "Good morning," "Good evening," or "Good night" are usually reported by using verbs like "greeted" or "wished." Both "The boy wished the Sir good morning" and "The boy greeted the Sir respectfully" correctly express the meaning of the original sentence in indirect speech. Therefore, both options B and C are acceptable. Option A is less natural because the phrase "greeted the Sir" is not idiomatic English, making option D the most appropriate answer.
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Q33. Choose the correct indirect speech.

He said, "Bravo! You have done well."

Right Answer: He applauded me saying that I had done well.

Explanation:

The interjection "Bravo!" expresses praise or appreciation. In indirect speech, such expressions are commonly reported using verbs like "applauded," "praised," or "congratulated," depending on the context. Since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the present perfect tense "have done" changes to the past perfect tense "had done." Therefore, the correct indirect speech is "He applauded me saying that I had done well." The other options are incomplete or fail to convey the intended meaning.
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Q34. Choose the correct indirect speech.

The stranger said to me, "Could you tell me the way to the station?"

Right Answer: The stranger requested me to tell him the way to the station.

Explanation:

Although this sentence is framed as a question, its actual purpose is to make a polite request. Therefore, the reporting verb changes to "requested." The interrogative structure changes into an infinitive construction using "to tell." The pronoun "him" refers to the stranger, while "me" remains the listener. Hence, the correct indirect speech is "The stranger requested me to tell him the way to the station."
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Q35. Choose the correct indirect speech.

She said, "How foolish I have been!"

Right Answer: She exclaimed with regret that she had been very foolish.

Explanation:

The exclamatory sentence expresses regret about one's own action. In indirect speech, the reporting verb changes to "exclaimed with regret." Since the reporting verb is in the past tense, the present perfect tense "have been" changes to the past perfect tense "had been." The adjective is naturally expressed as "very foolish." Therefore, the correct indirect speech is "She exclaimed with regret that she had been very foolish."
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Q36. Select the option which expresses the given sentence in indirect speech : 'Do you know when she will go home ?' I said to him.

Right Answer: I asked him if he knew when she would go home.

Explanation:

The reported sentence is a yes-no question, so the reporting verb becomes ‘asked’ and the question is introduced by ‘if’ or ‘whether’, with the interrogative word order changed to statement order. Because the reporting verb ‘said’ is in the past, the tenses shift back: ‘do you know’ becomes ‘he knew’ and ‘she will go’ becomes ‘she would go’. The pronouns must also be adjusted to the reporter’s point of view, so ‘you’ becomes ‘he’ while ‘she’ remains unchanged. The correct form is therefore ‘I asked him if he knew when she would go home.’

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Q37. A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech: He asked me, "Have you done your homework?"

Right Answer: He asked me if I had done my homework.

Explanation:

When a yes-no question is reported, three changes are needed. The reporting conjunction 'if' or 'whether' must be used, the interrogative word order must revert to the normal subject-verb order, and the tense must be back-shifted because the reporting verb 'asked' is in the past. The present perfect 'have you done' therefore becomes the past perfect 'had done', and the pronoun 'your' becomes 'my'. Option one applies all three rules correctly. Option two keeps the question order, option three fails to back-shift the tense, and option four retains inversion after 'whether'. Hence option one is correct.
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Q38. A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech: He said that he would join the meeting after lunch.

Right Answer: "I will join the meeting after lunch," he said.

Explanation:

To move from indirect to direct speech the back-shifting applied during reporting must be undone. In the reported sentence 'would' is simply the past form of 'will' produced because the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense. Restoring the original words therefore gives 'will', and the pronoun 'he' returns to the first person 'I'. The result is: "I will join the meeting after lunch," he said. Option two keeps the back-shifted 'would', option three substitutes 'shall' which changes the original wording, and option four replaces intention with ability. Hence option one is correct.
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Q39. A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech: She said, "I saw him last night."

Right Answer: She said she had seen him the previous night.

Explanation:

Converting direct speech to indirect requires back-shifting the tense and adjusting time expressions. The simple past 'saw' moves one step back to the past perfect 'had seen'. The time phrase 'last night' must change to 'the previous night', because the reporting is happening at a later moment. The pronoun 'I' becomes 'she'. Option one applies all three changes correctly. Option two fails to back-shift and keeps 'last night'. Option three changes the meaning to a continuous action. Option four uses the incorrect form 'had saw' instead of the past participle 'seen'. Hence option one is correct.
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Q40. A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech: The librarian said that silence must be maintained in the library.

Right Answer: "Maintain silence in the library," said the librarian.

Explanation:

The reported sentence expresses an instruction rather than a statement of fact, since 'must be maintained' conveys an order from the librarian. When a command is turned back into direct speech, it takes the imperative form, giving the words actually spoken: Maintain silence in the library. Option three does this. Option one substitutes the weaker modal 'should', changing the force of the instruction. Option two turns the order into a prediction with 'will'. Option four converts the sentence into a question, which the original was not. Hence option three is correct.
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Published: 16 July 2026 | Last Updated: 08 September 2026 |

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Deepak - Educational Content Creator

Written by Deepak

Educational Content Creator

I am an educational content creator dedicated to making learning simple, engaging, and accessible for students preparing for competitive exams. He specializes in creating high-quality study materials, including notes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), previous year question papers, practice tests, and exam-oriented resources.

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