Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Amit exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his grandfather's watch.
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Direct and indirect speech questions in English grammar test your knowledge of how to convert spoken sentences into reported form while preserving tense, emotion, and meaning. The sentence given includes the interjection 'Alas!' expressing sorrow, and it is in the present perfect tense 'I have broken'. While reporting, we must change pronouns, adjust tense according to the reporting verb, and replace the exclamation with an appropriate reporting phrase such as 'exclaimed sorrowfully' to carry the emotional tone.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
When changing from direct to indirect speech with an exclamatory sentence, we generally remove the interjection ('Alas!') and express the emotion through a modified reporting verb phrase such as 'exclaimed sorrowfully' or 'said with sorrow'. Because the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense and the original statement uses present perfect ('have broken'), we normally change the tense to past perfect ('had broken') in reported speech. Pronouns also change: 'I' becomes 'he' (referring to Amit), and 'my' becomes 'his'. The final indirect sentence must correctly combine all these changes.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace the interjection 'Alas!' with an expression of emotion in the reporting verb: 'said' becomes 'exclaimed sorrowfully' to reflect sadness.
Step 2: Change the pronoun 'I' to 'he' because Amit is a male speaker being reported by another person.
Step 3: Change 'my' to 'his' to match the new subject 'he'.
Step 4: Change the tense 'have broken' (present perfect) to 'had broken' (past perfect) because the reporting verb is in the past and standard reported speech rules require backshifting.
Step 5: Combine everything to form: 'Amit exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his grandfather's watch.'
Verification / Alternative check:
Check each option against the rules. Option (d) reads, 'Amit exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his grandfather's watch.' It correctly expresses sorrow, uses past perfect 'had broken', and adjusts pronouns appropriately. Option (b) incorrectly uses 'has broken' instead of 'had broken'. Options (a) and (c) use 'was sorrowful' instead of a proper reporting verb with an object clause; they convert the sentence into a statement about Amit's feelings rather than a direct report of what he said, which is less accurate in reported speech practice used in exams.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option (a): 'Amit was sorrowful that he broke his grandfather's watch.' uses simple past 'broke' instead of past perfect, and it loses the exclamatory reporting verb. Option (b): 'Amit exclaimed sorrowfully that he has broken his grandfather's watch.' keeps present perfect 'has broken', which is incorrect after a past reporting verb. Option (c): 'Amit was sorrowful that he had broken his grandfather's watch.' uses past perfect correctly but still changes the reporting structure unnecessarily and omits the exclamatory flavour. Only option (d) accurately follows the typical rules of reported speech for exclamatory sentences.
Common Pitfalls:
Many students forget to change the tense from present perfect to past perfect and leave 'has broken' unchanged, which is a common error in reported speech questions. Another pitfall is ignoring emotional words like 'Alas!' or 'Hurrah!'. Competitive exams expect you to convert them into descriptive phrases such as 'exclaimed sorrowfully' or 'exclaimed with joy'. Finally, some learners focus only on tense and pronouns and forget that the overall sentence must still sound natural and grammatically complete in indirect form.
Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech is: 'Amit exclaimed sorrowfully that he had broken his grandfather's watch.'
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