Short answerHard1 mark
4(d)
Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the meaning of each sentence.
The Principal said, "All the prizes will be distributed tomorrow." (Begin: The Principal said that ..................)
Topic: Direct and indirect speech
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
The Principal said that all the prizes would be distributed the next day.
Explanation
Two changes are required, and both are commonly missed:
- TENSE backshift — "will" becomes "WOULD", because the reporting verb "said" is past.
- TIME EXPRESSION shift — "tomorrow" becomes "THE NEXT DAY" (or "the following day").
The second is the one candidates forget. Learn the set, because one of them appears in this question type every year:
today → that day; tomorrow → the next day; yesterday → the previous day; now → then; here → there; this → that; ago → before.
Note that "all the prizes" stays as it is, and that the passive voice of the original ("will be distributed") is retained — reported speech changes the tense, not the voice.
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