MAH-CET 2026 — English PYQ

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:

$$\text{Direct Speech Rule: Reporting Verb (Past Tense)}⟹\text{Change Present Tense inside quotes to Past Tense}$$

Let's break down the transformation step-by-step:

1. Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "said" is in the simple past tense, meaning the tense inside the inverted commas must change.

2. Conjunction: The comma and quotation marks are removed and replaced by the conjunction "that".

3. Pronoun Change: The first-person pronoun "I" changes to correspond with the subject of the reporting verb ("He"), becoming "he".

4. 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:

$$\text{He said}+\text{that}+\text{he}+\text{was tired}⟹\text{"He said that he was tired."}$$