Explanation
Correct Answer: (b) He said that he was tired
Detailed Explanation
To convert a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect (Reported) Speech, we must follow standard rules for changing pronouns, tenses, and removing punctuation signs:
Direct Speech Rule: Reporting Verb (Past Tense)⟹Change Present Tense inside quotes to Past Tense
Let's break down the transformation step-by-step:
Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "said" is in the simple past tense, meaning the tense inside the inverted commas must change.
Conjunction: The comma and quotation marks are removed and replaced by the conjunction "that".
Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun "I" changes to correspond with the subject of the reporting verb ("He"), becoming "he".
Tense Shift: The simple present verb "am" shifts back into its corresponding simple past form, "was" (to match the singular pronoun "he").
Combining these shifts gives the mathematical structural alignment:
He said+that+he+was tired⟹"He said that he was tired."
