Change the following statement into indirect speech.
He said to me, "I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."

He said that I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty.

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He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.

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He told that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.

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He asked that he could not help you at present because he was himself in difficulty.

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Solution

The correct option is C He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.
The given sentence is a statement.
According to the rules of narration and reporting, if the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense of the reported verb is changed into its corresponding past form. The reporting verb in the given sentence, 'said', is in the past form. Therefore, the reported verb, 'cannot' will change into 'could not'. The first person pronoun 'I' will change to third person 'he'.
Thus, in indirect speech the sentence must be,
He said that he could not help me at present because he was himself in difficulty.
Thus option B is the correct answer.
Options A,B,D are incorrect as they do not follow the rules of Narration and Reporting.

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Similar questions

Here are some questions in direct speech. Put them into reported speech.

(i) Penny said, “Do you really want it son?”

(ii) Mill-wheel said, “Will he ride back with me?”

(iii) He said to Mill-wheel, “Do you think the fawn is still there?”

(iv) He asked Mill-wheel, “Will you help me find him?”

(v) He said, “Was it up here that Pa got bitten by the snake?”

Q. Identify the literary device in the following passage:

Wherefore Christian was left to tumble in the Slough of Despond alone: but still he endeavoured to struggle to that side of the slough that was still further from his own house, and next to the wicket-gate; the which he did, but could not get out, because of the burden that was upon his back: but I beheld in my dream, that a man came to him, whose name was Help, and asked him, What he did there?
CHR: Sir, said Christian, I was bid go this way by a man called Evangelist, who directed me also to yonder gate, that I might escape the wrath to come; and as I was going thither I fell in here.

HELP: But why did not you look for the steps?

CHR: Fear followed me so hard, that I fled the next way, and fell in.

HELP: Then said he, Give me thy hand: so he gave him his hand, and he drew him out, and set him upon sound ground, and bid him go on his way. [Ps. 40:2]

Q. Put the verb into the most suitable form:
John and I went for a walk. I had difficulty keeping up with him because he ______ (walk) so fast.

Q. Rewrite the following sentence using the correct tense of the verbs given in the brackets:

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A. Would you mind if I sit down.
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Change the following statement into indirect speech.He said to me, "I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."

Change the following statement into indirect speech.
He said to me, "I cannot help you at present because I am myself in difficulty."