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. He said, "I am not feeling well."

1. A. He said that he is not feeling well.
2. B. He said that he was not feeling well. (Correct answer)
3. C. He said that he didn't felt well.
4. D. He said he not feeling well.

Correct Answer

Option B — He said that he was not feeling well.

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is He said that he was not feeling well.

Key Points

• The reporting verb said is in the past, so the reported clause moves one tense back: present continuous *am not feeling* becomes past continuous was not feeling.
• The pronoun shifts with the speaker: I becomes he.
• Option A leaves the verb in the present (*is*), ignoring the backshift; option C is ungrammatical (*didn't felt*); option D drops the verb altogether.
• The standard backshift chain: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might.
• Backshift is not applied when the reported statement is a universal truth — "He said that water boils at 100 °C" stays in the present.

Additional Information

• Backshift on reporting: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect → past perfect, past simple → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might, must → had to.
• Time and place words shift too: *now* → *then*, *today* → *that day*, *tomorrow* → *the next day*, *here* → *there*, *this* → *that*.
• No backshift is applied when the reporting verb is present, or when the statement is a universal truth or still true at the time of reporting.