[Grammar] Indirect narration- He said, "If I were a bird!"

[Sahil Dhankhar]

This is not my homework.

He said," If I were a bird!"
What will be the indirect narration of the above sentence?

1- He wished that he were a bird.
2- He wished that he had been a bird.
3- He wished that he would be a bird.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Also, which of the following sentences is correct if I intend to express a unreal wish.
1- I wish they were birds.
2- I wish they would be birds.

 

[emsr2d2]

This is not my homework.

He said, (space here) "If I were a bird!" This is not a complete sentence.
What [STRIKE]will be[/STRIKE] would be/is the indirect [STRIKE]narration[/STRIKE] speech version of the above sentence?

1- He wished that he were a bird. :cross:
2- He wished that he had been a bird. :cross:
3- He wished that he would be a bird. :cross:

See above. The original is not a complete sentence. It needs a comma and then something else such as "If I were a bird, I would fly over the lake". In indirect speech, it would be "He said that if he were a bird, he would fly over the lake".

 

[Rover_KE]

Also, which of the following sentences is correct if I intend to express an unreal wish?

1- I wish they were birds.

2- I wish they would be birds.

I need to know what 'they' are and why you wish they were birds.

#2 makes little sense anyway.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

Here, "they" is for my friends who are humans.
We make such sentences - I wish I were a king. I wish I were a bird.
If I want my human friends to be kings or birds, how would I write it?

1-I wish my friends were birds/kings.
2- I wish my friends would be birds/kings.

 

[Sahil Dhankhar]

He said, "If I were a bird, I would fly over the lake."
When trying to change the above sentence into indirect speech, shouldn't we take care to make "the past of the past" as shown below?
He said that if he had been a bird, he would have flown over the lake.