reported speech interrogative sentences examples

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Reported Speech: Practice Exercises in Interrogative Sentences

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Do practice converting Direct Speech Interrogative sentences into Indirect Speech. The exercises are based on both types of Questions – Starting with an Auxiliary Verb and the other type starting with a Q Word. Try to first attempt yourself then see the answers given in the last of every set of questions.

More exercises are added from time to time, so keep coming here 😊

Click here more English Grammar study materials

I – Interrogative Sentences – Yes/No Type (Questions starts with an auxiliary verb)

See some examples before attempting practice exercises.

Direct speech: “Are you the one who stole the money?”

Indirect speech: He asked if I was the one who had stolen the money.

Direct speech: “What are you doing here at this time?”

Indirect speech: She asked what I was doing there at that time.

Direct speech: “Have you ever been to Europe before?”

Indirect speech: He asked if I had ever been to Europe before.

Direct speech: “Who taught you how to play the guitar so well?”

Indirect speech: She asked me who had taught me how to play the guitar so well.

Direct speech: “Why did you leave your previous job?”

Indirect speech: He asked me why I had left my previous job.

Q. Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech.

1. “Are there any more files?” He asked. “Yes, sir,” said the peon.

2. The teacher said to Rena, “Did you break the window pane?” “No, sir,” said Reena, “I did not.”

3. “If you find my answers satisfactory, will you give me five rupees?” said the astrologer. “No,” replied the customer.

4. I said to him, “Do you want to go to Delhi?” He said, “No, sir.”

5. Rahul said to me, “Does Mohit still play?” I said, “Yes, sir.”

6. Malik said to her, “Has Sara invited you to dinner?”

7. I said to her, “Did you enjoy the film?” She said, “No, sir.”

8. Sachin said, “Sonam, do you see what I see?” Sonam said, “Yes.”

9. He said, “Do you not like it?” She said, “Yes.”

10. She said to me, “Shall we ever see each other again?” I said, “Perhaps, never.”

1. He asked the peon if there were any more files. The peon replied respectfully in the affirmative.

2. The teacher asked Reena if she had broken the window pane. Reena replied respectfully that she had not done it.

3. The astrologer asked the customer if he would give him five rupees if he found his answers satisfactory. The customer replied in negative.

4. I asked him if he wanted to go to Delhi and he replied respectfully in negative.

5. Rahul asked me if Mohit still played and I replied respectfully in positive.

6. Malik asked her if Sara had invited her to dinner.

7. I asked her if she had enjoyed the film. She replied respectfully in negative.

8. Sachin asked Sonam if she saw what he saw. She replied in affirmative.

9. He asked if she did not like that and she replied in affirmative.

10. She asked me if we would ever see each other again but I replied that we would perhaps never.

II – Interrogative Sentences – Q. Word Type (Question begins with a Q. Word)

Q. change the following sentences into indirect speech. .

1. He said to me, “Whom does she want to contact?”

2. They said to her, “Whose house are you purchasing?”

3. You said to him “Why are you making mischief?”

4. They said to us, “How have you solved this sum?”

5. We said to them, “Who has misguided you?”

6. They said to him, “Where have you been wandering since yesterday?”

7. She said to me, “Why were you hiding today?”

8. Raja said to us, “When do you expect to see me again?”

9. He said to her, “What shall I be offering you with tea?”

10. We said to them, “When shall we have paid you a visit?”

1. He asked me whom she wanted to contact.

2. They asked her whose house she was purchasing.

3. You asked him why he was making mischief.

4. They asked us how we had solved that sum.

5. We asked them who had misguided them.

6. They asked him where he had been wandering since the previous day.

7. She asked me why I had been hiding that day.

8. Raja asked us when we expected to see him again.

9. He asked her what he would be offering her with tea.

10. We asked them when we would have paid them a visit.

Miscellaneous Exercises on Interrogative Sentences

I. change the following sentences into indirect speech..

“What is your name?” asked the teacher. Indirect speech:
“Where did you go yesterday?” she asked me. Indirect speech:
“Are you feeling better now?” he asked her. Indirect speech: .
“Will you come with me?” he asked her. Indirect speech: .
“Why did you break the vase?” he asked his son. Indirect speech:
“What are you doing here?” asked John.
“Have you finished your homework?” the teacher asked.
“Why did you leave the party so early?” she asked
“Are you going to the concert tonight?” Tom asked.
“Where did you put my phone?” asked Sarah.
The teacher asked me what my name was.
She asked me where I had gone the previous day.
He asked her if she was feeling better then
He asked her if she would go with him
He asked his son why he had broken the vase.
John asked what I was doing there.
The teacher asked if I had finished my homework.
She asked why I had left the party so early.
Tom asked if I was going to the concert that night.
Sarah asked where I had put her phone.

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Active and passive voice: english grammar school cbse/icse, reported speech: dialogue writing practice questions cbse class 10 grammar, story writing class 10 english grammar, analytical paragraph writing english grammar cbse class 9 & 10, this post has 5 comments.

N Yashvanth 8th C

Sarman Rathore Rath Hamirpur Uttar pradesh

Cool…!!

Hi Safa, we have added a few more questions. You can also see and attempt them.

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Reported Speech /

50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences

Updated on
Jun 21, 2024

50 examples of direct and indirect speech interrogative sentences : Effective communication involves both understanding and the ability to convey questions clearly and coherently. In this blog post, we will learn about the rules of transforming interrogative sentences from direct to indirect speech . This skill is important as it helps to maintain the flow of conversations and narratives. It adds finesse to language proficiency. Continue reading the blog article below to learn more about 50 examples of direct and indirect speech interrogative sentences.

This Blog Includes:

Direct speech interrogative sentences, indirect speech interrogative sentences, rules for changing interrogative sentences into indirect speech, 50 examples of change of interrogative sentences from direct to indirect speech, exercises to practise direct and indirect speech interrogative sentences.

MUST READ! Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples, Tips, Exercises for Students

Understanding Direct And Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences are generally used to ask a question to gather some information.

In direct speech, the actual words spoken by the speaker are enclosed in quotation marks. Whenever you form questions using direct speech, it is important to make note of actual words spoken and punctuation.

For example :

Example 1 He asked, “ Where are you going”?

Example 2 She asked ,” Did you finish your homework”?

In Indirect speech, the questions are not quoted in quotation marks as they are not the actual words of the speaker whereas the speaker tries to quote the meaning of someone’s else words. Transformation of sentences from direct speech to indirect speech involves several changes such as a change in the verb form, the removal of quotation marks, alteration in pronouns, and a change in word order.

For example:

Example 1 He asked where I was going.

Example 2 She asked if I had finished my homework.

Also Read Tenses Rules: Charts, Examples, Types [PDF Available]

One must follow these rules while changing direct speech interrogative sentences to indirect speech

Rule 1: Reporting Verb is changed to ask, inquire, or wonder according to the sentence.

Rule 2 : The question mark is removed thus changing the interrogative form of the sentence to an affirmative sentence. This is done by placing the subject before the verb and if a sentence starts with a helping verb such as do or did they are removed in indirect speech.

Rule 3 : If the sentence begins with the who words such as where, how etc. then we will not use any conjunction in the indirect speech for conversion.

Rule 4 : If the sentence begins with the helping verbs such as do, did, have, etc. then conjunctions “if “ or “whether” are used to transform it into indirect speech.

Must Read: Subject-Verb Agreement: Definition, 12 Rules & Examples

Read the following examples thoroughly to know the changes made while converting direct to indirect speech.

Must Read: Figures of Speech: Types, Usage & Examples [Download PDF]

Also Read: 15+ Active and Passive Voice Exercises With Answers For Competitive Exam

Reported speech often known as indirect speech means conveying someone else’s words or thoughts without quoting them directly.

In reported speech, interrogative sentences are changed by changing the question word order, omitting the question mark, and using appropriate conjunctions.

Indirect speech is when someone says but does not use the person’s actual words.

This was all about “50 examples of direct and indirect speech interrogative sentences.” To advance your grammar knowledge and read more informative blogs, check out our Learn English page and don’t forget to follow Leverage Edu .

Amanpreet Kaur

📚✨ From Classroom Chats Entered Into The Wordy World ….. Yes , If you all Remember that teacher who kept you on your toes with pop quizzes and endless homework? YEP! THAT WAS Me ! 🌟 But with the blessings of almighty and the key motivation of my husband who came across the spark of writing in me has insisted me to pave my way away from chalk dust to creative burst!💫 Being in this new world of writing I can compose pun-tastic content, poetry full of emotions and humorous articles that can even make Shakespeare envious of me 📝🎭.Yippee! from teaching young minds to educating worldwide readers it's an epic career switch. From teaching grammar lessons to grammatically flawless copy, I'm todays' wordsmith on a mission! Let me spin literary magic all around and conquer my exact destination of proving myself as The Best Writer in The World.🚀🏆 My promise is to provide you with valuable insights, solutions to your questions, and a momentary escape from the routine. I believe in the power of words to create connections, provoke thought, and foster growth. Woods are lovely dark and deep But I have promises to keep and Miles to go before I sleep ……..🌳✨🌌

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Reported Speech – Rules, Examples

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

They say gossip is a natural part of human life. That’s why language has evolved to develop grammatical rules about the “he said” and “she said” statements. We call them reported speech.

Every time we use reported speech in English, we are talking about something said by someone else in the past. Thinking about it brings me back to high school, when reported speech was the main form of language!

Learn all about the definition, rules, and examples of reported speech as I go over everything. I also included a worksheet at the end of the article so you can test your knowledge of the topic.

What Does Reported Speech Mean?

Grammarist Article Graphic V3 2022 10 25T162134.388

Reported speech is a term we use when telling someone what another person said. You can do this while speaking or writing.

There are two kinds of reported speech you can use: direct speech and indirect speech. I’ll break each down for you.

A direct speech sentence mentions the exact words the other person said. For example:

Kryz said, “These are all my necklaces.”

Indirect speech changes the original speaker’s words. For example:

Kryz said those were all her necklaces.

When we tell someone what another individual said, we use reporting verbs like told, asked, convinced, persuaded, and said. We also change the first-person figure in the quotation into the third-person speaker.

Reported Speech Examples

We usually talk about the past every time we use reported speech. That’s because the time of speaking is already done. For example:

Direct speech: The employer asked me, “Do you have experience with people in the corporate setting?”

Indirect speech: The employer asked me if I had experience with people in the corporate setting.

Direct speech: “I’m working on my thesis,” I told James.

Indirect speech: I told James that I was working on my thesis.

Reported Speech Structure

A speech report has two parts: the reporting clause and the reported clause. Read the example below:

Harry said, “You need to help me.”

The reporting clause here is William said. Meanwhile, the reported clause is the 2nd clause, which is I need your help.

What are the 4 Types of Reported Speech?

Aside from direct and indirect, reported speech can also be divided into four. The four types of reported speech are similar to the kinds of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative.

Reported Speech Rules

The rules for reported speech can be complex. But with enough practice, you’ll be able to master them all.

Choose Whether to Use That or If

The most common conjunction in reported speech is that. You can say, “My aunt says she’s outside,” or “My aunt says that she’s outside.”

Use if when you’re reporting a yes-no question. For example:

Direct speech: “Are you coming with us?”

Indirect speech: She asked if she was coming with them.

Verb Tense Changes

Change the reporting verb into its past form if the statement is irrelevant now. Remember that some of these words are irregular verbs, meaning they don’t follow the typical -d or -ed pattern. For example:

Direct speech: I dislike fried chicken.

Reported speech: She said she disliked fried chicken.

Note how the main verb in the reported statement is also in the past tense verb form.

Use the simple present tense in your indirect speech if the initial words remain relevant at the time of reporting. This verb tense also works if the report is something someone would repeat. For example:

Slater says they’re opening a restaurant soon.
Maya says she likes dogs.

This rule proves that the choice of verb tense is not a black-and-white question. The reporter needs to analyze the context of the action.

Move the tense backward when the reporting verb is in the past tense. That means:

Present simple becomes past simple.
Present perfect becomes past perfect.
Present continuous becomes past continuous.
Past simple becomes past perfect.
Past continuous becomes past perfect continuous.

Here are some examples:

The singer has left the building. (present perfect)

He said that the singers had left the building. (past perfect)

Her sister gave her new shows. (past simple)
She said that her sister had given her new shoes. (past perfect)

If the original speaker is discussing the future, change the tense of the reporting verb into the past form. There’ll also be a change in the auxiliary verbs.

Will or shall becomes would.
Will be becomes would be.
Will have been becomes would have been.
Will have becomes would have.

For example:

Direct speech: “I will be there in a moment.”

Indirect speech: She said that she would be there in a moment.

Do not change the verb tenses in indirect speech when the sentence has a time clause. This rule applies when the introductory verb is in the future, present, and present perfect. Here are other conditions where you must not change the tense:

If the sentence is a fact or generally true.
If the sentence’s verb is in the unreal past (using second or third conditional).
If the original speaker reports something right away.
Do not change had better, would, used to, could, might, etc.

Changes in Place and Time Reference

Changing the place and time adverb when using indirect speech is essential. For example, now becomes then and today becomes that day. Here are more transformations in adverbs of time and places.

This – that.
These – those.
Now – then.
Here – there.
Tomorrow – the next/following day.
Two weeks ago – two weeks before.
Yesterday – the day before.

Here are some examples.

Direct speech: “I am baking cookies now.”

Indirect speech: He said he was baking cookies then.

Direct speech: “Myra went here yesterday.”

Indirect speech: She said Myra went there the day before.

Direct speech: “I will go to the market tomorrow.”

Indirect speech: She said she would go to the market the next day.

Using Modals

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If the direct speech contains a modal verb, make sure to change them accordingly.

Will becomes would
Can becomes could
Shall becomes should or would.
Direct speech: “Will you come to the ball with me?”

Indirect speech: He asked if he would come to the ball with me.

Direct speech: “Gina can inspect the room tomorrow because she’s free.”

Indirect speech: He said Gina could inspect the room the next day because she’s free.

However, sometimes, the modal verb should does not change grammatically. For example:

Direct speech: “He should go to the park.”

Indirect speech: She said that he should go to the park.

Imperative Sentences

To change an imperative sentence into a reported indirect sentence, use to for imperative and not to for negative sentences. Never use the word that in your indirect speech. Another rule is to remove the word please . Instead, say request or say. For example:

“Please don’t interrupt the event,” said the host.

The host requested them not to interrupt the event.

Jonah told her, “Be careful.”
Jonah ordered her to be careful.

Reported Questions

When reporting a direct question, I would use verbs like inquire, wonder, ask, etc. Remember that we don’t use a question mark or exclamation mark for reports of questions. Below is an example I made of how to change question forms.

Incorrect: He asked me where I live?

Correct: He asked me where I live.

Here’s another example. The first sentence uses direct speech in a present simple question form, while the second is the reported speech.

Where do you live?

She asked me where I live.

Wrapping Up Reported Speech

My guide has shown you an explanation of reported statements in English. Do you have a better grasp on how to use it now?

Reported speech refers to something that someone else said. It contains a subject, reporting verb, and a reported cause.

Don’t forget my rules for using reported speech. Practice the correct verb tense, modal verbs, time expressions, and place references.

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