Choose the indirect speech: He said, 'I am tired.'

**The reasoning** When we convert direct speech to indirect (reported) speech, we follow the **backshift rule**: move the tense one step into the past because we're reporting something that was said earlier. Direct: "I **am** tired" (present tense) Indirect: He said he **was** tired (past tense) Also notice: "I" becomes "he" (change of perspective), and we can add "that" after "said" — it's optional but correct. **Why the wrong options tempt you** **A)** "He said he **is** tired" — This keeps the present tense. The trap: it sounds natural in everyday speech, but grammatically, when the reporting verb is past ("said"), you must backshift. **C)** "He said he **am** tired" — Wrong pronoun-verb pairing. "Am" only goes with "I," never "he." **D)** "He **says** he was tired" — Mixed tenses. If you use present "says," the reported clause should stay present too ("is tired"), not "was." **Quick takeaway** When the reporting verb is **past** (said, told, asked), shift the reported tense **one step back** — present becomes past, past becomes past perfect.