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 reading a book.”

Correct — B. The reporting verb said is past, so the reported verb moves one tense back.

am reading (present continuous) → was reading (past continuous)
I → he, the speaker seen from outside
The quotation marks go, and 'that' may introduce the clause

He said that he was reading a book → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  He said he is reading a book. — Is reading keeps the present tense after the past-tense said. Nothing in the stem shows he is still reading as the report is made, so the standard conversion shifts it to was reading.
• (c)
  He said that he had read a book. — Had read is past perfect, the shifted form of 'I read' or 'I have read', a finished act. The original am reading is an action in progress.
• (d)
  He said he read a book. — Read is past simple and drops the -ing, so it reports a finished act or a habit. A continuous verb stays continuous when shifted: am reading → was reading.

Backshift: after a past reporting verb such as said or told, each tense in the reported words moves one step into the past.

Present simple → past simple
Present continuous → past continuous
Present perfect → past perfect

The aspect stays: a continuous verb stays continuous. Pronouns shift to the reporter's view, so the speaker's I becomes he.

Key facts

• After a past reporting verb, am/is/are + -ing becomes was/were + -ing.
• Present perfect and past simple both shift to past perfect: I have read → he had read.
• That after said is optional: He said he was reading a book is also correct.

Common traps

• Deciding on the word that, which is optional after said — the tense decides this item.
• Shifting the tense but dropping the -ing — continuous stays continuous.

No directly related past PYQ was found.