Change the following direct speech sentence into indirect (reported) speech: Geetal said, "I bought a Honda City yesterday."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests reported speech, specifically the conversion of a simple past tense statement with a time reference, yesterday, into indirect speech. The original sentence has Geetal as the speaker, I as the first person pronoun inside the quote, and a specific time marker that shifts in indirect speech. The correct answer must handle the change of pronoun, tense, and time expression while keeping the meaning intact.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Direct speech: Geetal said, "I bought a Honda City yesterday." - Reporting verb: said, in the past tense. - Reported clause verb: bought (simple past). - Time expression: yesterday, which must be adjusted in indirect speech.

Concept / Approach:
When the reporting verb is in the past, English usually moves the tense in the reported clause one step back: simple past becomes past perfect. In addition, first person pronouns inside the quote must be changed to match the subject of the reporting clause. Here, I becomes she, referring to Geetal. Time adverbials like yesterday change to the previous day or the day before in indirect speech to keep reference clear. The resulting structure is Geetal said that she had bought a Honda City the previous day.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Replace the quotation structure with a that clause after said: Geetal said that. Step 2: Change the pronoun I to she to reflect that Geetal is speaking about herself. Step 3: Backshift the verb from simple past bought to past perfect had bought, because the reporting verb is in past tense. Step 4: Replace the time word yesterday with the previous day to fit indirect speech conventions. Step 5: Combine all parts: Geetal said that she had bought a Honda City the previous day. Step 6: Confirm that this matches option D exactly.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check whether the final reported sentence accurately reflects the original meaning: at some time one day before the day of speaking, Geetal purchased a Honda City. The backshifted tense and changed time expression preserve this meaning in a grammatically acceptable indirect speech form. This is the pattern that competitive exams expect for such transformations.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses I have bought, which wrongly keeps I and uses present perfect instead of past perfect, and still contains yesterday, which is not normally retained in reported speech. Option B introduces told me, adding a listener not mentioned in the original sentence, and keeps yesterday unchanged. Option C omits that, which is not a serious error, but more importantly it lacks that after said in a formal exam pattern and does not fully mirror the standard expected transformation, although its core structure is close. Option D, however, is the most complete and formally correct answer.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to adjust time adverbials or pronouns and may only change the verb tense. Others insert additional objects like told me without evidence from the original sentence. A useful revision technique is to memorise common change pairs, such as yesterday to the previous day and I to he or she depending on the speaker, and then apply them systematically whenever converting direct to indirect speech.

Final Answer:
Geetal said that she had bought a Honda City the previous day. is the correct indirect speech form.