Select the most appropriate option to change the sentence from indirect speech to direct speech.
Surender asked Prashant whether he had watched the cricket match on television the previous night.
Last updated May 13, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option C —
Surender said to Prashant, "Did you watch the cricket match on television last night?"
The most appropriate option is C.
Why Option C is Correct
To convert from indirect to direct speech, you essentially "reverse" the standard rules of reported speech. Here is why C fits perfectly:
• Tense Reversion: In the indirect sentence, "had watched" is in the past perfect. When moving back to direct speech, this typically reverts to the simple past ("Did you watch").
• Time Expression: The phrase "the previous night" in indirect speech is the reported version of "last night" in direct speech.
• Pronoun Shift: The "he" in the indirect sentence refers to Prashant (the person being spoken to). Therefore, in the direct quote, Surender would address him as "you."
• Reporting Verb: "Asked" in a question format is often represented as "said to" in direct speech before the quotation marks.
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Why the others don't work
• A: Uses "Have he," which is grammatically incorrect, and keeps the third-person "he" instead of addressing Prashant as "you."
• B: Changes the aspect to past continuous ("Was he watching"), which doesn't match the original "had watched."
• D: Uses "Had you watch," which is ungrammatical (it should be "had watched"), and fails to change "the previous night" back to "last night."
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
