Hey learners! In this post, we will master how to change direct speech to indirect speech when the reported speech in the direct speech is an interrogative sentence. Before we do that, we must know what direct and indirect speech is.
What is a direct speech?
Direct speech definition: It is a way to narrate what someone said using the speaker’s exact words. The reported speech (the speaker’s words) is placed in quotation marks and is offset using a comma.
What is an indirect speech?
Indirect speech definition: it is a way to narrate what someone said but not using the speaker’s exact words. Unlike a direct speech, it is not placed in quotation marks and separated by a comma.
Direct speech: She said to me, “Do you love me?”
Indirect speech: She told me if I loved her.
Important things to understand:
1. Directing speech: It is the part (clause) that you (the person who narrates the speaker’s original words) say. In the above examples, “She said to me” and “She told me” are reporting speeches. These are the parts the narrator of the reported speech says.
2. Directed speech: it is the part that comes from the original speaker. In the above examples, “Do you love me?“ and “if I loved her“ are reported speeches.
Interrogative sentences in the reported speech
Interrogative sentence definition: Sentences that are used to ask questions are called interrogative sentences. They end with a question mark.
There are two types of interrogative sentences:
- Ones that can be answered in YES or NO.
- Ones that can not be answered in YES or NO. They need to be explained.
- Direct speech: My uncle said to me, “What are you studying?”
- Direct speech: She asked me, “Do you still love me?”
- Indirect speech: My uncle asked me what I was studying.
- Indirect speech: She asked me if I still loved her.
| Type | Direct Speech Example | Indirect Speech Transformation |
|---|
| Yes/No Questions | He asked, “Are you free today?” | He asked if/whether I was free that day. |
| WH-Questions | She asked, “Where are you going?” | She asked where I was going. |
| Multiple Questions | He asked, “What did you say and why did you leave?” | He asked what I had said and why I had left. |
NOTE: Interrogative sentences in direct speech are changed into assertive sentences.
Process/steps of changing Interrogative sentences (reported speech) into indirect speech:
- Remove the quotation marks and the comma from the reported speech.
- Put the question word (WH family word) at the beginning of the reported speech when the question can’t be answered in YES or NO. If the question can be answered in YES/NO, replace the helping verb (auxiliary) with IF or WHETHER.
- Put the subject of the reported speech after it.
- Put the verb after the subject.
- Replace the question mark with a period/full stop.
- The reporting verb SAY in the direct speech is changed into ASK/INQUIRE.
NOTE: Interrogative sentences that can be answered in YES/NO start with auxiliary verbs (is/am/are/do/does/has/have/will/shall/can/could/may/might/should/would…). And interrogative sentences that can’t be answered in simple YES/NO start with WH family words (what/why/where/when/how/who/whom).
Examples:-
Direct speech structure:
Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + subject complement?
Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object/modifier?
Indirect speech structure:
If/whether + subject + main verb + subject complement.
If/whether + subject + main verb + object/modifier.
- Direct speech: I asked her, “Will you go out with me?”
Indirect speech: I asked her if/whether she would go out with me.
- Direct speech: The guy on the street said to me, ” Do you know whom you are messing with?”
Indirect speech: The guy on the street asked me if I knew whom I was messing with.
- Direct speech: On the very first date, she asked me, “Have you kissed a girl?”
Indirect speech: On the very first date, she asked me if I had kissed a girl.
- Direct speech: The other night, Jon asked me, “Are you taking drugs?”
Indirect speech: The other night, Jon asked me if I was taking drugs.
- Direct speech: She said, “Can you kiss me right now?”
Indirect speech: She asked if I could kiss her right then.
In the indirect speech of the reported part, we replace the auxiliary verb with IF or WHETHER. The subject is put before the verb so that the interrogative sentence changes into an assertive sentence.
All these questions can be answered in YES/NO. If the questions can’t be answered in YES/NO, don’t use if/whether. Let’s look at the following examples:
Direct speech structure:
WH family word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object/modifier (optional)?
Indirect speech structure:
WH family word + subject + main verb + object/modifier.
- Direct speech: The police asked, “What were you doing when the incident happened?”
Indirect speech: The police asked what I had been doing when the incident had happened.
- Direct speech: He said, “What can I do for you?”
Indirect speech: He asked what he could do for me.
- Direct speech: Ron asked my father, “What do you do?”
Indirect speech: Ron asked my father what he did.
- Direct speech: She said to us, “What do you think of yourselves?”
Indirect speech: She asked us what we thought of ourselves.
- Direct speech: My brother asked, “Who is that girl?”
Indirect speech: My brother asked who that girl was.
Quick Practice Section: Convert to Reported Speech
Convert the following into indirect speech:
- She asked, “Why are you crying?”
- He said to me, “Do you know her?”
- They asked, “When will you return?”
- He asked me, “Have you completed the assignment?”
- The manager said, “Is the client confirmed?”
The answers to the questions are provided at the end of the article.
How to Report Questions in 4 Steps
Follow these 4 simple steps to report questions in reported speech:
Steps:
- Remove quotation marks and question mark
- Change the reporting verb (“said” → “asked,” “inquired,” etc.)
- Use proper conjunction (“if,” “whether,” or WH-word)
- Apply correct word order (statement form) and backshift tense if needed
Common Errors in Reported Speech (Questions)
| Common Mistake | Why it’s wrong | Correct Form |
|---|---|---|
| She asked me that what time it was. | ❌ Two conjunctions: “that” + “what” | She asked me what time it was. |
| He asked me what was I doing. | ❌ Question word order used instead of statement order | He asked me what I was doing. |
| The teacher asked that where was I going. | ❌ Use of “that” before a WH-word in a question clause | The teacher asked where I was going. |
Answers
- She asked why I was crying.
- He asked me if I knew her.
- They asked when I would return.
- He asked me if I had completed the assignment.
- The manager asked if the client was confirmed.
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FAQs
How do you change a question from direct to indirect speech?
Remove quotation marks and the question mark, use a reporting verb like asked or inquired, choose the correct conjunction (if, whether, or a WH-word), and change the word order to a statement format. Also, backshift the tense if required.
What’s the difference between reporting a WH-question and a Yes/No question?
WH-questions use the same WH-word (who, what, where, etc.) in indirect speech.
Yes/No questions use “if” or “whether” as the connector.
Do I always need to backshift the tense in reported questions?
No. If the reporting verb is in the present or if the original statement is still true or universally valid, backshifting is not required.
Can I use “that” to report a question?
No. “That” is used in reported statements, not questions. Use if, whether, or WH-words when reporting questions.
What’s the correct word order in reported questions?
Reported questions use statement word order, not question word order.
Incorrect: He asked what was I doing.
Correct: He asked what I was doing.
What’s the difference between “said” and “asked” in reported speech?
Use “asked” when reporting a question.
Use “said” when reporting a statement.
Sir in the Wh-question u make wrong indirect speech .
Ex.1
The police asked, “what were you doing when the incident happened..? ”
Ans-The police asked what I had been doing when the incident had happened..
Plz check this ex if I will wrong then plz tell me where I was wrong…
Hello, Ritesh!
Yes, I had forgotten to change the subject of the clause from YOU to I. Thank you for pointing out the mistake!
Sunil said to Sunita, “What was the theme of the story?”
Sunil asked Sunita what the theme of the story was.
Sunita asked sunil that what was the theme of the story. Is it correct or not
It’s not. Correction: Sunita asked Sunil what the theme of the story was.
1) We don’t use two conjunctions together. We can’t.
2) A noun clause does not take a question structure (use inversion in it).
Can it not be,
Sunil asked Sunita what had been the theme of the story.
That’s grammatical incorrect. A verb or a verb phrase can’t come before the subject in a dependent clause. Also, the right verb tense of the reported speech is the Simple Past tense.
“Be not so amazed, daughter Miranda”,said Prospero. change this.
That’s not a question.
Calling Miranda as his daughter Prospero forbade/advised her not to be amazed.
the gate keeper said,” who made this mess?”
The gatekeeper asked whom that mess had been made by.
He said to me,” do you know him kiran”.
He asked if me I knew him/kiran.
Great content. The examples cover the topic.
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