In this reported speech question, the given indirect form is He said, "She had been weeping for an hour", and you must select the correct indirect statement that preserves the tense and meaning of the original sentence. Choose the option that best expresses this report in indirect speech without introducing an incorrect tense shift.

Introduction / Context:
This question deals with reporting a sentence that is already in the past perfect continuous tense. The direct speech is He said, "She had been weeping for an hour". When converting to indirect speech, we must decide whether the tense should remain the same or be shifted further back, and how to introduce the reported clause. The goal is to preserve the meaning that at some time in the past she had already been weeping for a duration of one hour.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Reporting clause is in the simple past: He said.
• Direct quoted clause uses past perfect continuous: She had been weeping for an hour.
• The options give various combinations of reporting verb and reported clause tenses.
• The context does not force any additional time shift beyond what is already encoded.

Concept / Approach:
In reported speech, when the original statement already uses past perfect or past perfect continuous, we normally keep that tense because it already expresses the idea of an action completed or ongoing before another past reference point. There is no need to shift it further back. Therefore, we simply introduce the reported clause with that and keep had been weeping. We do not change it to was weeping or has been weeping, because those changes would alter the time relationship. Our approach is to choose the option that preserves the past perfect continuous after the reporting verb said.

Step-by-Step Solution:
First, identify the tense in the original quoted sentence: had been weeping is past perfect continuous, which describes a continuing action up to a point in the past. Second, recognise that the reporting verb is said in the simple past, which normally causes backshift for present or simple past forms but not for past perfect forms. Third, recall the rule that when the original tense is already past perfect or past perfect continuous, it generally remains unchanged in reported speech. Fourth, add that after said to introduce the reported clause and keep the verb phrase had been weeping as it is. Fifth, select the option He said that she had been weeping for an hour as the correct conversion.

Verification / Alternative check:
To confirm, you can work from indirect to direct speech. Start with He said that she had been weeping for an hour and convert it back to direct speech: He said, "She had been weeping for an hour". The two forms match each other perfectly, showing that no extra tense change was necessary. If we replaced had been weeping with was weeping, the nuance of the duration before the past reference point might be lost. Using has been weeping would incorrectly suggest a present relevance which is not indicated in the original statement.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, He says that she was weeping for an hour, changes the reporting verb to present says and uses was weeping, which describes a past continuous action rather than an action completed before another past point, and also ignores the original tense.

Option B, He said that she was weeping for an hour, shifts the tense from past perfect continuous to past continuous, losing the specific sense of duration before another past point.

Option C, He said that she has been weeping for an hour, uses present perfect continuous, which implies a connection to the present, not supported by the original past context.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often believe that every tense must always be backshifted one step in reported speech, even when the original is already past perfect. This leads to incorrect changes that distort the intended time relationship. Another pitfall is confusing past continuous with past perfect continuous, which have similar forms but different meanings. Remember that past perfect continuous describes an action that was ongoing up to a certain point in the past, which is exactly what had been weeping expresses here.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect form that preserves the original tense and meaning is He said that she had been weeping for an hour.