In the following section the sentences have been given in Direct or Indirect speech. From the given alternatives, choose the most appropriate sentence that best suits the given sentence in Indirect or Direct speech.
Change into indirect speech: He said to her, “Did you finish the work ?”
Answer: C
Correct answer: He asked her if she had finished the work
A question answerable by yes or no is reported with if or whether, the word order becomes that of a statement, and the question mark is dropped. The simple past finish shifts back to the past perfect had finished.
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She said to him, "Where are you living"?
Answer: B
Correct answer: She asked him where he was living
Said to becomes asked, the inverted question order is straightened out, and are living moves back to was living. Was lived is a passive and has no place here.
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A doctor will say, “A nurse will look after the patient.”
Answer: A
Correct answer: A doctor will say that a nurse will look after the patient
The reporting verb is in the future, not the past, so nothing shifts back: will look after stays exactly as it is. Backshift is triggered by a past reporting verb alone.
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She said to me, "He mostly ignores me"
Answer: C
Correct answer: She said to me that he mostly ignored her
Me in the direct speech is the original speaker, so it becomes her. The present ignores then moves back to ignored. Keeping me would make the reporter the person ignored.
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Ali asked them, "Are you playing with me"?
Answer: C
Correct answer: Ali asked them if they were playing with him
A yes-or-no question needs if or whether; without it the reported clause has no link. You becomes they, me becomes him, and are playing becomes were playing.
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My younger sister says, "I do not tell a lie"
Answer: B
Correct answer: My younger sister says that she does not tell a lie
The reporting verb says is present, so there is no backshift - only the pronoun changes, from I to she. That change then forces do to agree as does.
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Dentist said, "I have seen many patients today".
Answer: B
Correct answer: The dentist said that he had seen many patients that day
The present perfect have seen moves back to had seen, and today becomes that day. Both the tense and the time reference have to move together.
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They said, "They have returned books".
Answer: D
Correct answer: They said that they had returned the books
The present perfect have returned becomes the past perfect had returned. Had return is not a verb form, and the plain past returned loses the completed-before-the-report sense.
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She asked him, "What did you say?"
Answer: B
Correct answer: She asked him what he had said
The past simple did you say moves back to the past perfect had said, and the question order becomes a statement order. What did you say keeps the direct form untouched.
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He said, "Are you doing your job?"
Answer: D
Correct answer: He asked me whether I was doing my job
A yes-or-no question needs whether or if, never that. You becomes I, your becomes my, and are doing becomes was doing.
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