INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES (NARRATION)

 

The following specific rules should be kept in mind in addition to general rules at the time of changing direct speech to Indirect speech in Interrogative Sentences:-

1.  A change in Reporting verb is made as follows:-

Say/tell	ÛÜ	Ask/ inquire of/demand of
Says/tells	ÛÜ	Asks/ inquires of/demands of
Will/shall say/tell	ÛÜ	Will/shall Ask/ inquire of/demand of
Said /told	ÛÜ	Asked/ inquired of/demanded of

2.  If Indirect speech asks such a question as answered in ‘yes’ or ‘no’, i.e. reported speech begins with a helping verb, comma (,) and inverted comma (“…”) are replaced with ‘if’ or ‘whether’ following reporting verb.

3.  If reported speech begins with a question word like what, when, where, why, which, who, whose, whom, how, etc.  Comma (,) and Inverted comma (“…”) are replaced with the same word following reporting verb.

4.  Full stop is replaced with question mark (?) at the end of the sentence.

a.  Direct     :  “Is tea ready?” said I to my servant.

Indirect  :        I asked my servant if tea was ready.

b.  Direct     :        He said to me, “Do you play football?”

Indirect  : He asked me whether I played football.

c.  Direct     : Portia said to Shylock, “Can you show mercy to Antonio?”

Indirect  : Portia Asked Shylock if he could show mercy to Antonio.

d.  Direct     : He said to me, “Do you know the way?”

Indirect  : He inquired of me if I knew the way.

e.  Direct     : He said to us, “Are you going away today?”

Indirect  : He inquired of us whether we were going away that day.

f.   Direct     : Sunil said, “May I take your book, Prem?”

Indirect  : Sunil asked Prem if he might take his book.

g.  Direct     : He said to me, “Why did you insult my brother?”

Indirect  : He demanded of me why I had insulted his brother.

h.  Direct     : She said to him, “What will you do without me?”

Indirect  : She asked him what he would do without her.

i.  Direct     : Amubi said to me, “When will you return?”

Indirect  : Amubi asked me when I would return.

j.  Direct     : I said to my sister, “Where did you keep my pen last night?”

     Indirect  : I asked my sister where she had kept my pen the previous night.