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Active–Passive & Direct–Indirect Speech

English Comprehension · Grammar — High-yield Advanced

Useful for: SSC CGL

Overview

Voice changes the focus from the doer to the receiver; narration reports someone’s words with changes of tense, pronoun and time words.

Key points

Passive form: object + appropriate form of "be" + past participle + (by + agent).
Continuous passive uses "being": "is being built"; perfect passive uses "been": "has been eaten".
Imperatives: "Open the door" → "Let the door be opened."
Narration back-shift: present → past, past → past perfect, will → would, can → could.
Time words: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the previous day.

Explanation

Universal truths keep the present tense in indirect speech.
Questions: yes/no → "if/whether"; wh-questions keep the wh-word; statement word order.
Requests and commands: "told/requested/ordered + object + to + verb"; negatives use "not to".
Intransitive verbs (sleep, arrive) have no passive.

Step by step

Identify tense and type.
Apply the conversion rules.
Check meaning and tense.

Examples

"They are building a new school." → "A new school is being built by them."
He said, "I am tired." → He said that he was tired.
She said to him, "Don’t be late." → She told him not to be late.

Traps and advanced points

Trap: Forgetting "being" in continuous passives.
Trap: Back-shifting universal truths.
Trap: Keeping question word order in reported questions.

Quick revision

be + V3 for passive.
One step back in tense.
Told + not to for negative commands.

Practice MCQs

Before the Jaipur interview, Pooja said, “I am available.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Pooja said that she is available yesterday.
2. Pooja said that she was available.
3. Pooja said that I am available.
4. Pooja told that she was available.
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Answer: (b) Pooja said that she was available.. “I” changes to match Pooja, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Pooja said that she was available.
Before the Jaipur interview, Ishaan said, “I am ready.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Ishaan said that he was ready.
2. Ishaan said that I am ready.
3. Ishaan said that he is ready yesterday.
4. Ishaan told that he was ready.
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Answer: (a) Ishaan said that he was ready.. “I” changes to match Ishaan, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Ishaan said that he was ready.
Before the Kochi interview, Asha said, “I am tired.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Asha told that she was tired.
2. Asha said that she is tired yesterday.
3. Asha said that I am tired.
4. Asha said that she was tired.
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Answer: (d) Asha said that she was tired.. “I” changes to match Asha, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Asha said that she was tired.
Before the Kochi interview, Ravi said, “I am confident.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Ravi said that he is confident yesterday.
2. Ravi said that he was confident.
3. Ravi told that he was confident.
4. Ravi said that I am confident.
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Answer: (b) Ravi said that he was confident.. “I” changes to match Ravi, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Ravi said that he was confident.
Before the Kochi interview, Meera said, “I am busy.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Meera said that she was busy.
2. Meera told that she was busy.
3. Meera said that she is busy yesterday.
4. Meera said that I am busy.
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Answer: (a) Meera said that she was busy.. “I” changes to match Meera, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Meera said that she was busy.
Before the Kochi interview, Kabir said, “I am careful.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Kabir said that he is careful yesterday.
2. Kabir told that he was careful.
3. Kabir said that I am careful.
4. Kabir said that he was careful.
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Answer: (d) Kabir said that he was careful.. “I” changes to match Kabir, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Kabir said that he was careful.
Before the Kochi interview, Nisha said, “I am optimistic.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Nisha said that I am optimistic.
2. Nisha said that she was optimistic.
3. Nisha told that she was optimistic.
4. Nisha said that she is optimistic yesterday.
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Answer: (b) Nisha said that she was optimistic.. “I” changes to match Nisha, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Nisha said that she was optimistic.
Before the Kochi interview, Arjun said, “I am prepared.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Arjun said that he is prepared yesterday.
2. Arjun said that I am prepared.
3. Arjun told that he was prepared.
4. Arjun said that he was prepared.
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Answer: (d) Arjun said that he was prepared.. “I” changes to match Arjun, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Arjun said that he was prepared.
Before the Kochi interview, Tara said, “I am calm.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Tara told that she was calm.
2. Tara said that she was calm.
3. Tara said that she is calm yesterday.
4. Tara said that I am calm.
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Answer: (b) Tara said that she was calm.. “I” changes to match Tara, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Tara said that she was calm.
Before the Kochi interview, Dev said, “I am late.” Choose the correct indirect form.
1. Dev told that he was late.
2. Dev said that he was late.
3. Dev said that he is late yesterday.
4. Dev said that I am late.
Read chapter notes · Similar questions
Show answer
Answer: (b) Dev said that he was late.. “I” changes to match Dev, and “am” normally backshifts to “was”: Dev said that he was late.