Summary
A. The passage describes a conversation between a mother and her daughter, Maria, addressing hunger and school tiffin. The questions posed are transformed into indirect speech, highlighting the reporting of Yes/No questions and 'wh' questions. Key notes clarify that the reporting verb changes to "asked" for questions, and the structure transitions from question to statement without a question mark.
- Mother asked Maria if she was hungry.
- Mother asked whether she had finished her tiffin at school.
- Mother asked if Maria wanted to take a sandwich the next day.
- Maria asked her mother what she was doing then.
- Maria asked why her mother was looking so tired.
B. Convert the following sentences into indirect speech:
- Robi asked Maria why she was crying, what made her upset, if there was anything wrong with her classmates, and if she had received punishment at school.
- Maria asked Robi why he was so anxious.
C. Change the following sentences into indirect speech:
- Maria asked her mother if she always got up early.
- The teacher asked Maria who she was waiting for.
- I asked you what you wanted.
- The policeman asked him if he was in a hurry to cross the road.
- Jaya asked the watchman if he had found the key anywhere.
- Kamal asked the driver if he could take him to the lawyer then.
- You asked me why I was wasting my time.
- She asked you when you would start from New York.
- I asked my brother where he had been that morning.
- He asked me if I liked music.
A. Read the following passage:
Mother said to Maria, "Are you hungry?" She also said, "Did you finish your tiffin at school?" Maria said, "Yes". Then mother asked again, "Do you want to take sandwich tomorrow?" Then Maria said to her mother, "What are you doing now?" She also asked "Why are you looking so tired?"
Now look at the changes of these questions into indirect speeches:
Mother asked Maria if she was hungry.
She also asked her whether she had finished her tiffin at school.
Mother asked again if Maria wanted to take sandwich the next day.
Maria asked her mother what she was doing then.
Maria asked her again why she was looking so tired.
Note: To report a Yes/No question, we use if or whether but in case of 'wh' questions the question word is retained in the indirect speech.
Notes:
i) If the direct speech is a question, the reporting verb in the indirect speech is changed into "asked".
ii) In an indirect speech the question turns into a statement and the verb goes after the subject like she was, she had, she wanted. So use no question mark.
B. Change the following sentence into indirect speech:
Robi said to Maria, "Why are you crying? What makes you so upset? Is there anything wrong with your classmates? Have you got punishment in school?" Maria said, "Why are you so anxious?"
C. Change the following sentences into indirect:
a. Maria said to her mother, "Do you always get up early?"
b. The teacher said to Maria, "Who were you waiting for?"
c. I said to you, "What do you want?"
d. The policeman said to him, "Are you in a hurry to cross the road?"
e. Jaya said to the watchman, "Did you find the key anywhere?"
f. Kamal said to the driver, "Can you take me to the lawyer now?"
g. You said to me, "Why are you wasting your time?"
h. She said to you, "When will you start from New York?"
i. I said to my brother, "Where were you this morning?"
j. He said to me, "Do you like music?"
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