A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in…

Question

A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech.

She said, "I saw him last night."

1. A. She said she had seen him the previous night. (Correct answer)
2. B. She said she has seen him last night.
3. C. She said she was seeing him last night.
4. D. She said she had saw him the previous night.

Correct Answer

Option A — She said she had seen him the previous night.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is She said she had seen him the previous night..

Key Points

• In indirect speech the reporting verb *said* is in the past, so the reported verb moves one tense back: simple past *saw* becomes past perfect had seen.
• Time expressions shift as well: last night becomes the previous night.
• This gives: She said she had seen him the previous night.

Additional Information

• Option B keeps the present perfect *has seen* and the unshifted *last night*, option C wrongly uses the past continuous, and option D produces the ungrammatical *had saw*.
• The standard backshifts are: present → past, past → past perfect, present perfect → past perfect, *will* → *would*, and *can* → *could*.
• Time and place words shift in parallel: *now* → *then*, *today* → *that day*, *tomorrow* → *the next day*, *yesterday* → *the previous day*, *here* → *there*, *this* → *that*.