Choose the correct indirect (reported) speech for: She said, “I can swim.”

Explanation

In indirect speech, when the reporting verb is in the past tense, the modal verb ‘can’ typically shifts back to its past form, ‘could.’ This same backshifting pattern applies consistently to other common modal verbs, such as ‘will’ changing to ‘would,’ ‘may’ changing to ‘might,’ and ‘must’ often changing to ‘had to’ depending on context. Explore more English MCQs on mcqstutor to keep practicing.