He said,"I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."
A. He said that I cannot help you at present because I myself in difficulty.
B. He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.
C. He told that he could not help you at present because he was himself in difficulty.
D. He asked that he could not help you at present because he was himself in difficulty.
Answer: Option B
Solution (By Examveda Team)
Original Sentence (Direct Speech):He said, "I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."
Step-by-step Conversion:
1. Sentence type: This is a statement, so we will use “said that” in indirect speech.
2. Pronoun changes:
“I” becomes “he” (referring to the speaker)
“you” becomes “me” (since the speaker is talking to “me”)
3. Tense changes (as reporting verb 'said' is in past):
“cannot” becomes “could not”
“am” becomes “was”
4. Time expression: “at present” becomes “at that time” (to indicate a past reference)
Correct Sentence:
He said that he could not help me at that time because he was himself in difficulty.
However, since none of the options mention “at that time” and only Option B has the correct tense and pronouns (even though it uses “at present”), it is the best available answer.
Correct Answer: Option B
Why other options are incorrect:
Option A: “I cannot help you…” — ❌ Incorrect tense and pronouns are not changed.
Option C: “told” without an object — ❌ Incorrect structure. We say “told me” or “told him”, but not just “told”.
Option D: “asked” — ❌ Incorrect reporting verb. The sentence is a statement, not a question.
Final Answer: Option B – He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.
This Question Belongs to Competitive English >> Direct And Indirect Speech
in the following Question you given the option "B" is correct but still its wrong in my opinion so plzz look at the below QESTION
He said,"I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."
B. He said that he could not help you at present because he was himself in difficulty. (wrong)
B. He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.(RIGHT)
If there is no object after Reporting verb there it should not be changed.
Why not option C, why is it option B ?
There should be 'me' in the place of 'you'.