Final answer:
The correct form for reported speech is 'Joe said he bought a new car,' where the verb 'buy' shifts from 'has bought' to 'bought' in the transition from direct to indirect speech.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question requires converting direct speech into reported speech, also known as indirect speech. When reporting speech, the tense usually shifts back one step in time. Therefore, 'Joe said he bought a new car' is the correct answer, as 'has bought' in the present perfect tense changes to 'bought' in the simple past tense in reported speech.
This shift aligns with the rule indicated in the reference table, which lists buy/bought/bought as the present, past, and past participle forms of the verb 'to buy'.
Examples in literature, as well as in common dialogue, often illustrate the use of the simple past tense when describing past completed actions, such as in the case of listing past purchases of cars or other items.
The correct verb form for Joe's statement 'Joe said he bought a new car.'