Vidyalelo
English · Q10

Direct And Indirect Speech

Competitive Exams · English · question 10

Q10

Pawan said to me, "If I hear any news, I'll phone you."

A.
Pawan told me that if he heard any news, he will phone me.
B.
Pawan told me that if he will hear my news, he will phone me.
C.
Pawan told me that if he had heard any news, he would phone me.
D.
Pawan told me that if he heard any news, he would phone me.
Answer

Answer: Option D

Solution

Answer: Option D
Solution:
Original Sentence (Direct Speech):
Pawan said to me, "If I hear any news, I'll phone you."

Step-by-step Conversion:
1. Identify the sentence type: This is a conditional sentence (Type 1), which talks about a possible future action.
2. Reporting verb: “said to me” changes to “told me” in indirect speech.
3. Tense changes: In indirect speech, present tense becomes past:
“hear” becomes “heard”
“will phone” becomes “would phone”
4. Pronoun changes: “I” becomes “he” (for Pawan), and “you” becomes “me” (as it is said to “me”).

Correct Sentence:
Pawan told me that if he heard any news, he would phone me.

Correct Answer: Option D

Why other options are incorrect:
Option A: “he will phone me” — ❌ wrong tense; “will” should change to “would” in indirect speech.
Option B: “if he will hear my news” — ❌ incorrect tense and unnatural phrasing.
Option C: “if he had heard” — ❌ changes the meaning; this becomes a Type 3 conditional, which is incorrect here.

Final Answer: Option D – Pawan told me that if he heard any news, he would phone me.