reported speech with interrogative sentences

English With Ashish

Interrogative sentences in reported speech: rules and examples

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 .

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 of interrogative sentences in reported speech

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 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.

Now, we know how to change an interrogative sentence into a reported speech. Feel free to share your question, doubt, or feedback in the comment section, and also, share the post with the people that need it.

For one-on-one classes, contact me at [email protected] .

Watch my YouTube lesson on how to change direct speech to indirect when the reported speech is an interrogative sentence:

Ashish Sharma

Ashish found his first love—the English language—a few years back. Since then, he has been immersed in the language, breaking down the language and teaching it to passionate English learners. He has a flair for listening to the English language (podcasts, sitcoms, stories), observing the nuances, and making it easy for English learners. He is known for breaking down complex English topics and making them easy to be understood.

15 thoughts on “Interrogative sentences in reported speech: rules and examples”

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.

Reported Speech: Practice Exercises in Interrogative Sentences

Post last modified: 1 March 2023
Post category: Grammar Exercises / School Grammar

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.

Contact for Paid Online Session to understand more or clear your doubts

Contact Ajeet Sir on Telegram , WhatsApp , Email

want to share! Share this content

Opens in a new window

Unseen comprehension passages practice cbse questions: grammar for schools, reported speech: commands and requests practice exercises, active and passive voice: english grammar school cbse/icse, subject verb concord practice questions for cbse/icse schools, 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.

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Reported speech or indirect speech is the form of speech used to convey what was said by someone at some point of time. This article will help you with all that you need to know about reported speech, its meaning, definition, how and when to use them along with examples. Furthermore, try out the practice questions given to check how far you have understood the topic.

reported speech with interrogative sentences

Definition of reported speech, rules to be followed when using reported speech, table 1 – change of pronouns, table 2 – change of adverbs of place and adverbs of time, table 3 – change of tense, table 4 – change of modal verbs, tips to practise reported speech, examples of reported speech, check your understanding of reported speech, frequently asked questions on reported speech in english, what is reported speech.

Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message.

Now, take a look at the following dictionary definitions for a clearer idea of what it is.

Reported speech, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as “a report of what somebody has said that does not use their exact words.” The Collins Dictionary defines reported speech as “speech which tells you what someone said, but does not use the person’s actual words.” According to the Cambridge Dictionary, reported speech is defined as “the act of reporting something that was said, but not using exactly the same words.” The Macmillan Dictionary defines reported speech as “the words that you use to report what someone else has said.”

Reported speech is a little different from direct speech . As it has been discussed already, reported speech is used to tell what someone said and does not use the exact words of the speaker. Take a look at the following rules so that you can make use of reported speech effectively.

The first thing you have to keep in mind is that you need not use any quotation marks as you are not using the exact words of the speaker.
You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech.
You can use verbs like said, asked, requested, ordered, complained, exclaimed, screamed, told, etc. If you are just reporting a declarative sentence , you can use verbs like told, said, etc. followed by ‘that’ and end the sentence with a full stop . When you are reporting interrogative sentences, you can use the verbs – enquired, inquired, asked, etc. and remove the question mark . In case you are reporting imperative sentences , you can use verbs like requested, commanded, pleaded, ordered, etc. If you are reporting exclamatory sentences , you can use the verb exclaimed and remove the exclamation mark . Remember that the structure of the sentences also changes accordingly.
Furthermore, keep in mind that the sentence structure , tense , pronouns , modal verbs , some specific adverbs of place and adverbs of time change when a sentence is transformed into indirect/reported speech.

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

As discussed earlier, when transforming a sentence from direct speech into reported speech, you will have to change the pronouns, tense and adverbs of time and place used by the speaker. Let us look at the following tables to see how they work.

Here are some tips you can follow to become a pro in using reported speech.

Select a play, a drama or a short story with dialogues and try transforming the sentences in direct speech into reported speech.
Write about an incident or speak about a day in your life using reported speech.
Develop a story by following prompts or on your own using reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written. Check them out.

Santana said that she would be auditioning for the lead role in Funny Girl.
Blaine requested us to help him with the algebraic equations.
Karishma asked me if I knew where her car keys were.
The judges announced that the Warblers were the winners of the annual acapella competition.
Binsha assured that she would reach Bangalore by 8 p.m.
Kumar said that he had gone to the doctor the previous day.
Lakshmi asked Teena if she would accompany her to the railway station.
Jibin told me that he would help me out after lunch.
The police ordered everyone to leave from the bus stop immediately.
Rahul said that he was drawing a caricature.

Transform the following sentences into reported speech by making the necessary changes.

1. Rachel said, “I have an interview tomorrow.”

2. Mahesh said, “What is he doing?”

3. Sherly said, “My daughter is playing the lead role in the skit.”

4. Dinesh said, “It is a wonderful movie!”

5. Suresh said, “My son is getting married next month.”

6. Preetha said, “Can you please help me with the invitations?”

7. Anna said, “I look forward to meeting you.”

8. The teacher said, “Make sure you complete the homework before tomorrow.”

9. Sylvester said, “I am not going to cry anymore.”

10. Jade said, “My sister is moving to Los Angeles.”

Now, find out if you have answered all of them correctly.

1. Rachel said that she had an interview the next day.

2. Mahesh asked what he was doing.

3. Sherly said that her daughter was playing the lead role in the skit.

4. Dinesh exclaimed that it was a wonderful movie.

5. Suresh said that his son was getting married the following month.

6. Preetha asked if I could help her with the invitations.

7. Anna said that she looked forward to meeting me.

8. The teacher told us to make sure we completed the homework before the next day.

9. Sylvester said that he was not going to cry anymore.

10. Jade said that his sister was moving to Los Angeles.

What is reported speech?

What is the definition of reported speech.

What is the formula of reported speech?

You can use the following formula to construct a sentence in the reported speech. Subject said that (report whatever the speaker said)

Give some examples of reported speech.

Given below are a few examples to show you how reported speech can be written.

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Questions in Reported Speech

For pronouns, tenses and place / time expressions see statements in reported speech.

Besides, note that instead of ‚that‘ you use the interrogative. If there is no interrogative, use ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘ .

It is also important that you use an indirect question in reported speech, i.e. after the interrogative or ‚whether‘ / ‚if‘ you continue the sentence as if it were a statement (subject-verb etc.). The auxiliary verb ‚do‘ is not used in indirect questions.

Exercises on reported speech

- Insiders Only -

These resources are available only to Insiders. To access them, log in or join!

Not an Insider yet?

Subscribe for more.

Take advantage of every method, idea, tip, and trick we have to offer teachers. We’ll keep you informed of every new resource we release. Plus, by subscribing you get A FREE GUIDE on bringing Insights into your classroom!

Grammar Topics

Complex Sentences
Fundamentals
Indirect Speech
Modifier Clauses
Noun Phrases
Passive Forms
Question Forms
Unreal Mood

Beyond the Videos

Intros & Prerequisites
Proficiency Levels
Viewing Order
Bonus Notes
Posters & Handouts
Application Instructions
Related Projects
Practice Activities

About Insights

Mission Statement
How It Works
All Resources
About Insider Access
Insider Login
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy

Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences

Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences into statements, maintaining proper punctuation and grammatical rules has been discussed in the following. Explore how to use reporting verbs , change word order , and use appropriate tone to convey the meaning of the original question for the direct indirect speech of interrogative sentences.

Interrogative Sentence in English

An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence that asks a question and requires an answer. We form interrogative sentences by using an auxiliary verb and subject-verb inversion. For example:

“Do you like pizza?”
“What is your name?”
“Where do you live?” etc.

We use these sentences to gather information, express curiosity, or initiate a conversation.

Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentence

Interrogative sentences can be identified by their question structure and the use of question words such as “ what ,” “ when, ” “ where, ” “ why ,” “ who ,” “ whose, ” “ which, ” “ how ,” etc. Interrogative sentences can also be recognized by the use of question marks (?) at the end of the sentence.

(a) Basically, the reported speech in direct narration will be introduced with an auxiliary verb or wh-word. Such as,

He said to me, “Are you ill?”
You said to me, “Why have you failed?”

(b) The sentence is normally ended with a note of interrogation or (?). Such as,

The teacher said to me, “Why are you late?”
He said to me, “Have you done it?”

Rule 1: Identification of Reported Speech in Direct Narration

The first thing to remember, find out which kind of sentence it is in the quotation mark or inverted commas under direct narration.

Direct Indirect speech for Interrogative sentence . Rule 1

From the above example, it is noted that the sentence, ‘Are you ill?’, is in the quotation mark or inverted commas under the direct narration and it begins with a question mark. So, we can identify the sentence and it is an interrogative sentence.

Now, we have to introduce the rules fit to change direct speech to indirect speech of the interrogative sentence.

Direct: He said to me, ‘Will you go there?’

Indirect: He asked me if I would go there.

Direct: I said to him, ‘How did you enjoy the movie?’

Indirect: I asked him how he had enjoyed the movie.

Rule 2: Changes of Reporting Verb

In Indirect Narration, interrogative Verbs such as “ ask ”, “ enquire ”, “ demand ”, “ want to know ” etc are used as reporting Verbs before the reported Speech in place of simple verbs “ say ” or “ tell ”.

Direct Indirect speech for Interrogative sentence . Rule 2

Direct: He said to me, ‘When will the down train arrive?’

Indirect: He inquired o f me when the down train would arrive.

Direct: I said to him, ‘Where is the post office?’

Indirect: I wanted to know where the post office was.

Rule 3: Interrogative sentences with Yes/No answers (non ‘wh-word’)

If the reported speech in Direct Narration is introduced by Verbs like “ be ”, “ have ”, “and do ”, or any other auxiliary Verbs like “ can ”, “ shall ”, or “ will ”, or (in a simpler way, the Questions that can be answered by Yes , or No ,) the connective “ if ”, “ whether ” is used after the reporting verb or object of the reporting verb in the Indirect Narration.

Direct: I asked him, ‘ Have you eaten the cake?’

Indirect: I asked him if/whether he had eaten the cake.

Direct: He asked the boy, ‘ Did you pass the exam?’

Indirect: He asked the boy if/whether he had passed the exam.

Rule 4: Interrogative sentences with ‘wh-word’

If the Reported Speech in Direct Narration is introduced by interrogative pronouns ( who , which ) interrogative adjectives ( what , how much ), or interrogative adverbs ( why, when, where, how ), we can not use the conjunction if ( or whether ). Instead, the Wh-Word with which the reported speech of direct narration begins replaces the ‘ if’ or ‘ whether ‘ by that Wh-Word in indirect narration .

Direct: I said to him, ‘ When will you do it?’

Indirect: I asked him when he would do it.

Direct: He said to her, ‘ What is your name?’

Indirect: He asked her what her name was.

Direct: He said to her, ‘ Whose type-writer are you using?’

Indirect: He inquired of her whose type-writer she was using.

Direct: Father said, ‘ Where have you been so long in the sun, my son?’

Indirect: Father inquired of the son where he had been so long in the sun.

Direct: The king said, ‘ Who is not ready to die for his land, my countrymen?’

Indirect: The king asked his countrymen who were not ready to die for his land.

Rule 5: Change of Punctuation Mark in Indirect speech of Interrogative sentence.

We have to change The Interrogative Form of the Reported Speech in Direct Narration into a Statement or Assertive Sentence in Indirect Narration . At the end of the sentence of Indirect Narration, we must use a full stop ( . ) instead of a question mark ( ? ). So, in Indirect Narration, the Reported Speech will start with the Subject, then the Verb, and then others.

Rule-5-Direct-to-indirect-Speech-interrogative-sentence-5

Direct: He said to me, ‘Did you write to me before ?’

Indirect: He asked me if I had written to him before .

Direct: He said to you, ‘Can you tell me your address?’

Indirect: He asked you if you could tell him your address.

Direct: She said to him, ‘Will you help me lift this luggage?’

Indirect: She asked him if he would help her lift that luggage.

Rule 6: Interrogative Sentences with Modals in Indirect Speech

An Interrogative Sentence beginning with “ Shal l” in the Direct Narration, takes the form “ would ” in the Past Tense in the Indirect Narration. We use “should” only when the statement is a Polite question or involves or implies a matter of propriety or duty.

Rule-6-Direct-to-indirect-Speech-interrogative-sentence-6

Direct: He said to me, ‘ Shall we reach the village before dawn ?’

Indirect: He asked me if they would reach the village before dawn .

Direct: They said, ‘ Shall we contribute to the Poor Fund?’

Indirect: They asked if they should contribute to the Poor Fund. [ polite question ]

Direct: Ridhi said to me, ‘Could I be of any help to you?’

Indirect: Ridhi asked me if I could be of any help to her.

Rule 7: Direct to Indirect Speech with Tag Questions

Sentence with Question Tags: Sometimes an Interrogative sentence is formed in the Direct Narration by adding some Interrogative Tags to an Assertive sentence.

In Indirect Narration, the tag is omitted after the meaning of the sentence(Affirmation or Negation) has been guessed from it. Sometimes different verbs such as “ think ”, “ hope ”, “ believe ”, and “ ask ” may be used to express that idea in an Indirect Form.

Rule-7-Direct-to-indirect-Speech-interrogative-sentence-7

Direct: Robert said, ‘John is a good boy, isn’t it ?’

Indirect: Robert said that he thought that John was a good boy .

Direct: Robin said, ‘The captain did not agree to go, did he?’

Indirect: Robin said that believed that the captain had not agreed to go.

Direct: The teacher said to the boy, ‘You will do the job, won’t you?’

Indirect: The teacher told the boy that he hoped he (the boy) would do the job.

Direct: He said, ‘You are going to market, aren’t you?’

Indirect: He asked me if it was true that I was going to market.

Rule 8: Changes in Persons for Interrogative Sentences

Get the rules on how to make Changes in Persons in indirect narration on the previous page under the General Rules section.

Rule 9: Change the Tense of Reporting Verb for Interrogative Sentences

Study the rules to change the tense of the Reporting Verb in Indirect Narration and the Verb of the reported speech in indirect narration by going to the above link which is the General Rules section on the previous page.

Some Work Out Examples: Interrogative Sentences Direct Indirect Speech:

Note carefully the Changes in Interrogative Sentences from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech.

Direct: I said to the boy, “Did you go to school?”

Indirect: I asked (enquired of) the boy if he had gone to school.

Direct: “Is not poverty a curse?” my father said to me.

Indirect: My father asked me if poverty was (is) not a curse.

Direct: “Are you weeping?” he asked her.

Indirect: He asked her if she was weeping.

Direct: “Have you brought a pen for me?” the girl said to her father.

Indirect: The girl asked her father if he had brought a pen for her.

Direct: “Can you see a woman seated at a table?” he asked her.

Indirect: He asked her if she could see a woman seated at a table.

Direct: Persome said, “Marie, isn’t the soup boiling yet?”

Indirect: Persome asked Marie if the soup was not boiling by that time.

Direct: “Would you sing for our visitors?” my mother said to my sister.

Indirect: My mother asked my sister if she would sing for our visitors.

Direct: He said to me, “What are you doing ?”

Indirect: He asked me what I was doing.

Direct: He said to me, “When will you go home ?”

Indirect: He enquired of me when I would go home.

Direct: You said to me, “Why have you failed ?”

Indirect: You asked me why I had failed.

Direct: He said to me, “Who has gone to the sea ?”

Indirect: He asked me who had gone to the sea.

Exam Questions Answers 2023:

Direct: Reba said, “Which book is mine ?”

Indirect: Reba asked which book was hers.

Direct: He said to me, “When will the down train arrive ?”

Indirect: He inquired of me when the down train would arrive.

Direct: Mina said, “Why must I stay ?”

Indirect: Mina asked why she must stay.

Direct: He said, “Where is the post office?”

Indirect: He wanted to know where the post office was.

Direct: He said, “How will the Sherpa climb the peak ?”

Indirect: He wondered how the Sherpa would climb the peak.

Direct: She said to me, “Maya can’t speak Hindi, can she”?

Indirect: She told me that she didn’t think Maya could speak Hindi.

Direct: Amal said, “They will not go, will they”?

Indirect: Amal hoped they would not go.

Direct: He said to me, “You are going to the playground, aren’t you?”

Indirect: He asked me whether it was true that I was going to the playground.

Solved Worksheet

Change the following sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech:

1. Ram said to his friends, “Do you want to go to Kolkata with me ?”

2.”Shall we send it to your flat ?” he said.

3. Rina said to Samir, “Are you going today ?”

4. Pradeep said to me, “When will you go home ?”

5. “Whom do you want ?” he said to her.

6. He said to Rita “How is your father ?”

7. “Who told you about my success ?” she said to her friend.

8. The lady said to the man, “May I park my car here ?”

9. “Who has dared to wound you ?” cried the Giant.

10. The workers said to the manager, “When do you like to talk to us ?”

11. The poor woman said, “Will none of you help me today ?”

12. “Can you find your way home ? said I to the little boy.

13. “Which way did you see the thief go ?” asked the policeman.

14. He said to the girl, “Don’t you know my sister ?”

Report the following into Indirect Speech

Turn the following sentences from Direct to Indirect Speech

1. “Have you anything to say on behalf of the prisoner ?”. said the judge to the lawyers.

2. The traveller said, “Are you really telling me the truth ?”

3. He said to the strangers, “Who are you ?”

4. Sanat said to Debu, “Where have you kept my pen ?”

5. She said to the boy, “What are you doing here ?”

6. He said, “What do you want ?”

7. He said to John, “Why are you shouting ?”

8. “Who is our master ?” asked William Tell.

9. Babu said to the stranger, “Who are you?”

10. Pompi said, “Which of the pens do you need ?”

11. “Where do you live”, he asked

Frequently asked questions

1. q: what is an example of direct and indirect speech of an interrogative sentence.

Ans: Interrogative sentence Direct Speech Example: I said to the boy, “Did you go to school?”

Interrogative sentence Indirect Speech Example: I asked (enquired of) the boy if he had gone to school.

2. Q: What is an example of an interrogative sentence indirect?

Ans: interrogative sentence indirect: My father asked me if poverty was (is) not a curse.

3. Q: What is an example of a direct speech for an interrogative sentence?

Ans: Interrogative sentence Direct Speech: “Is not poverty a curse?” my father said to me.

4. Q: What are 10 examples of interrogative?

What is your name? How old are you? Why have you done this? When will you go? Which shirt do you like? Whose car is this? Whom do you prefer most? Have you done this before? Did you notice that? Will he make it?

5. Q: What are the 7 interrogative words?

Ans: What, When, Who, Whose, Whom, How, Why.

Interchange of Parts of Speech as do as directed

Grammar Lessons
Grammar Exercises
Grammar Quizzes
Mixed Tests
PDF Worksheets
Beginners Lessons
Easy Worksheets
Beginners Tests
Reading Exercises
Drag & Drop Grammar
English For Kids
Kids Word Games
Picture Vocabulary
Reading Tests
Short Dialogues
Short Sentences
Closest in Meaning
Irrelevant Sentence
ESL Paragraphs
GRE Reading
Text Completion
GRE Equivalence
SAT Sentence
Essay Writing
Vocabulary Exercises
Study Skills Tips
Drag & Drop Vocab

Reported Speech Questions

Questions With Question Words

Yes/no questions (with helping verb).

B1-B2 grammar

Reported speech: statements

Do you know how to report what somebody else said? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person said.

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said. indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films. direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef. direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said. indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

In indirect speech, we often use a tense which is 'further back' in the past (e.g. worked ) than the tense originally used (e.g. work ). This is called 'backshift'. We also may need to change other words that were used, for example pronouns.

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

When we backshift, present simple changes to past simple, present continuous changes to past continuous and present perfect changes to past perfect.

'I travel a lot in my job.' Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job. 'The baby's sleeping!' He told me the baby was sleeping. 'I've hurt my leg.' She said she'd hurt her leg.

Past simple and past continuous

When we backshift, past simple usually changes to past perfect simple, and past continuous usually changes to past perfect continuous.

'We lived in China for five years.' She told me they'd lived in China for five years. 'It was raining all day.' He told me it had been raining all day.

Past perfect

The past perfect doesn't change.

'I'd tried everything without success, but this new medicine is great.' He said he'd tried everything without success, but the new medicine was great.

No backshift

If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. This might happen when the speaker has used a present tense.

'I go to the gym next to your house.' Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her. 'I'm working in Italy for the next six months.' He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him! 'I've broken my arm!' She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

'I enjoy working in my garden,' said Bob. Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden. 'We played tennis for our school,' said Alina. Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

'I'm working on my thesis,' I said. I told her that I was working on my thesis. 'We want our jobs back!' we said. We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

'This is my house.' He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house.] He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.] 'We like it here.' She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.] She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.] 'I'm planning to do it today.' She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.] She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those , now changes to then , yesterday changes to the day before , tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before .

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 2

Language level

Thank you for the information. It states that If what the speaker has said is still true or relevant, it's not always necessary to change the tense. I wonder if it is still correct to change the tense in this example: 'London is in the UK', he said. to He said London was in the UK. Or it has to be the present tense.

Hello Wen1996,

Yes, your version of the sentence is also correct. In this case, the past tense refers to the time the speaker made this statement. But this doesn't mean the statement isn't also true now.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Good evening from Turkey.

Is the following example correct: Question: When did she watch the movie?

She asked me when she had watched the movie. or is it had she watched the movie.

Do Subjects come before the verbs? Thank you.

Hello muratt,

This is a reported question, not an actual question, as you can see from the fact that it has no question mark at the end. Therefore no inversion is needed and the normal subject-verb word order is maintained: ...she had watched... is correct.

You can read more about this here:

https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/b1-b2-grammar/reported-speech-questions

The LearnEnglish Team

Thank you for your response.

Hello Sir, kindly help with the following sentence-

She said, "When I was a child I wasn't afraid of ghosts."

Please tell me how to write this sentence in reported/ indirect speech.

Hello! I was studying reported speech and I didn't really understand the difference between 'need' and 'need to' when we shift them. Could you please explain a little bit about the semi-modal need? I came across to this while I was studying: Backshift Changes need (no change) ‘You needn’t come till six o’clock,’ he said. He said we needn’t come till six o’clock. AND need to (becomes needed to) She said, 'I need to have a party.' She said she needed to have a party. Why do we change 'need to' but not 'need'? Could you also please give a positive indirect reported speech with the word 'need' and a negative indirect speech with the word 'need to'? Thanks in advance!

Hello Meldo,

'need' can be used -- and is most often used -- as an ordinary verb. In the text you copied above, this is the second entry ('need to'). Since it is an ordinary verb, in indirect speech, it backshifts in the way other ordinary verbs do. An example of a negative form here is 'They told me I didn't need to bring my passport'.

Particularly in British English (only very rarely in American English), 'need' can also be used as a modal verb. In this case, it behaves as a modal verb, i.e. no 's' is added to a third person singular form, infinitives after it are used without 'to' and 'do/does/did' is not used to form questions, negatives or past simple forms. This is also why '-ed' is not added for a backshift.

When 'need' is a modal, it's most commonly used in the negative. It is possible to use it in questions (e.g. 'Need I bring my passport?' or 'I asked if I need bring my passport'), but it's generally not used in the affirmative.

You might find this BBC page and this Cambridge Dictionary explanation helpful if you'd like to read more.

Hope this helps.

Do we change 'had better' in indirect reported speech? I think no, but I just wanted to make sure. Can you also give an example with 'had better' in an indirect speech? Thanks a lot! The best English grammar site ever!

Hello Melis_06,

'had better' is not generally changed in reported speech. Here's an example for you:

direct: 'You had better be on time!'
indirect: They told us we had better be on time.

Glad you find our site useful!

Online courses

Group and one-to-one classes with expert teachers.

Learn English in your own time, at your own pace.

One-to-one sessions focused on a personal plan.

Get the score you need with private and group classes.

Reported Speech in English Grammar

Direct speech, changing the tense (backshift), no change of tenses, question sentences, demands/requests, expressions with who/what/how + infinitive, typical changes of time and place.

Lingolia Plus English

Introduction

In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks , this is known as direct speech , or we can use indirect speech . In indirect speech , we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed. Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb or phrase such as ones below.

Learn the rules for writing indirect speech in English with Lingolia’s simple explanation. In the exercises, you can test your grammar skills.

When turning direct speech into indirect speech, we need to pay attention to the following points:

changing the pronouns Example: He said, “ I saw a famous TV presenter.” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter.
changing the information about time and place (see the table at the end of this page) Example: He said, “I saw a famous TV presenter here yesterday .” He said (that) he had seen a famous TV presenter there the day before .
changing the tense (backshift) Example: He said, “She was eating an ice-cream at the table where you are sitting .” He said (that) she had been eating an ice-cream at the table where I was sitting .

If the introductory clause is in the simple past (e.g. He said ), the tense has to be set back by one degree (see the table). The term for this in English is backshift .

The verbs could, should, would, might, must, needn’t, ought to, used to normally do not change.

If the introductory clause is in the simple present , however (e.g. He says ), then the tense remains unchanged, because the introductory clause already indicates that the statement is being immediately repeated (and not at a later point in time).

In some cases, however, we have to change the verb form.

When turning questions into indirect speech, we have to pay attention to the following points:

As in a declarative sentence, we have to change the pronouns, the time and place information, and set the tense back ( backshift ).
Instead of that , we use a question word. If there is no question word, we use whether / if instead. Example: She asked him, “ How often do you work?” → She asked him how often he worked. He asked me, “Do you know any famous people?” → He asked me if/whether I knew any famous people.
We put the subject before the verb in question sentences. (The subject goes after the auxiliary verb in normal questions.) Example: I asked him, “ Have you met any famous people before?” → I asked him if/whether he had met any famous people before.
We don’t use the auxiliary verb do for questions in indirect speech. Therefore, we sometimes have to conjugate the main verb (for third person singular or in the simple past ). Example: I asked him, “What do you want to tell me?” → I asked him what he wanted to tell me.
We put the verb directly after who or what in subject questions. Example: I asked him, “ Who is sitting here?” → I asked him who was sitting there.

We don’t just use indirect questions to report what another person has asked. We also use them to ask questions in a very polite manner.

When turning demands and requests into indirect speech, we only need to change the pronouns and the time and place information. We don’t have to pay attention to the tenses – we simply use an infinitive .

If it is a negative demand, then in indirect speech we use not + infinitive .

To express what someone should or can do in reported speech, we leave out the subject and the modal verb and instead we use the construction who/what/where/how + infinitive.

Say or Tell?

The words say and tell are not interchangeable. say = say something tell = say something to someone

How good is your English?

Find out with Lingolia’s free grammar test

Take the test!

Maybe later

Narration Change of Interrogative Sentences

Back to: Direct and Indirect Speech (Narration)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Interrogative sentence poses question. This type of sentence is very much different from assertive sentence which makes a statement. In interrogative sentence predicate (verb) comes first, then comes the subject. In some cases the helping verb comes before the subject and the main verb remains behind to form question. The entire verb can also be placed before subject in some instances.

Interrogative sentence are two types –

WH – question.
Yes-no question.
WH – question is formed with the use of who, which, when, where, how why.
Yes-no question is formed with the use of auxiliary verbs such as – am, is, are, was, were, do, did, can, shall, will, have, has, may.
A question mark should always be used at the end of interrogative sentence in direct speech.
To convert direct speech to indirect speech quotation marks should be omitted .
Ask is used as reporting verb instead of say, tell, say to.
In narration change, interrogative sentence changes to assertive form [direct to indirect speech]
After the conversion of interrogative sentence from direct to indirect speech, the question mark changes to full stop.
The conjunction ‘ that ’ is not used to connect reporting and reported clause.
Instead ‘ if ’ or ‘ whether ’ is used for the conversion of yes-no question.
‘ If ’, ‘ whether’ , ‘ that ’ are not used in WH – questions.

English Saga

Interrogative Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech

An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence that asks a question. It may either be started with some Interrogative Word (who, when, why, where, how, whom, etc.) or may have a helping verb (is, are, am, do, does, etc.)

Changes in the pronouns, other words, and tenses can be made by following the following rules:

Pronouns Changing Rules
Other Words Changing Rules
Rule # 1, Rule # 2, and Rule # 3 of Changes in the Tenses

However, some extra rules must be followed while converting an Interrogative Sentence from Direct Narration to Indirect Narration.

General Rules for Converting Interrogative Sentences from Direct Narration to Indirect Narration

When there is an Interrogative Sentence in the Reported Speech, the following rules must be followed:

“said to” of the Reporting Speech must be converted to the word, “asked” or “inquired of”, because someone asks a question.
Make the word arrangement as it must take the form of simple Assertive Sentence, i.e; Subject + Verb+ Object.
If the Interrogative Sentence is started with an Interrogative Word, then there is no need to add any word.
But if Interrogative Sentence is started with a helping verb, then add the word “if” or “whether” to connect Reporting and Reported Speech.
Replace the Mark of Interrogation (?) with a full stop (.) mark, so that it must represent the Simple Assertive Sentence.

Examples of the Interrogative Sentences with Interrogative Words

I asked him when he got up.
She asked me where I was going then.
I inquired of him what he had eaten the previous day.
She inquired of him why he had been weeping the previous day.
We asked them who would be visiting their factory the next day.
He asked her which books she had bought from that shop.
He asked me what I was doing there.
She asked him why he had not gone to the doctor that day.
I asked them where they were going then.
I asked them where they were going the previous day.
The policeman asked the taxi driver why he had refused to take those ladies to the railway station.
He asked me why I had been beating his servant the previous day.
He asked me who my father was.
She asked me how many sisters I had.
You asked him when he had bought that house.
She asked us where we had been going the previous day with that man
He inquired of me how far Mecca was from Madina.
The policeman asked him why he had beaten that old man the previous day.
The goldsmith asked the thief how he had broken the lock of that safe.
The doctor asked me why I had not taken that medicine the previous day.
The old man asked his son where he was coming from then.
She asked me what my name was.
I asked him where he lived in that city.
I asked the boy why he was weeping.
She asked him when he was going for the Hajj.
They asked him how he managed to escape from that place.
She asked her brother where he was going with those boys then.
He asked us why we were making noise over there.
The passenger asked the guard why the train had stopped near that bridge.
She asked me when I would return her camera.
He asked us what we would do with that money there.
We asked him when he had returned from London.
Father asked me how I was feeling then.
I asked the teacher respectfully why he had expelled my brother from his class.
I asked her why her baby had been weeping the previous day.
He asked me where my mother was going.
You asked him what Faisal had said there in his ear.
I asked my servant where he was going then.
The policeman asked him why he observed the traffic rules.
She asked her teacher respectfully why he was angry with her.
Father asked him why he had beaten the servant then.
We asked our neighbor why our house had been locked.
She asked her what her sister had been saying to her the previous day.
I asked the carpenter why he had not completed my work the previous day.
Salman’s sister asked Salman why he was sitting there.
The father asked his son, Nadeem, what he was doing there.
The wolf asked the lamb why he had called him names the previous year.
The shopkeeper asked her respectfully how he could give her a short measure.
You asked him where he was coming from.
She asked him why he had been knocking at her door just then.
He asked her respectfully at what time he could see her the next day.
She inquired of Nadeem what he had been doing the previous day.
David said to John where he was going.
He asked me why I had stolen his pen from that box.
She asked them where they had left their servant the previous day.
The passenger asked the guard when that train would reach Peshawar.
She asked the stranger what his name was.
The constable asked the two young men where they were coming from in the dead of night.
A little girl asked the barber what he would charge her for dressing her hair.
He asked the doctor when he should come to him for getting his eyes tested.
He asked me where I had been all those days.

Examples of Interrogative Sentences that Start with a Verb

She asked the principal respectfully if she might come in.
He inquired of me if I was going to school then.
You asked him if he had broken your jug that day.
We inquired of her if she had beaten our servant the previous day.
He asked you whether you would go to the pictures that night.
She asked him if he had lost his pen there.
He asked you whether you would go to Peshawar the next day.
I inquired of the postman if there was any letter for me that day.
She asked him if he had ironed her shirt the previous day.
He inquired of me if it had been raining there since morning.
You asked her if she had bought those cups and saucers the previous day.
He inquired of the stranger if he was in his senses then.
She asked her brother if he had been feeling any pain in his chest the previous day.
He inquired of them if they would be going to Karachi by the morning train the next day.
The old man asked the beggar if he had been knocking at his door just then.
The shopkeeper asked me if I had given him a ten-rupee note for those cakes of soap.
I asked her whether she had consulted any doctor that day.
She asked him if he would lend her his pen for that day.
I inquired of them if they would build a hospital over there.
They asked us whether we had been sleeping in that room the previous day.
Mother asked my friend if he had paid the fine that day.
I asked the beggar if he was suffering from fever then.
She asked us if he had been trying to fire at us.
She asked him if he had seen the snake in the compound of that house.
The guest asked us whether it had been raining very heavily over there at night.
He asked them if they would take the examination that year.
They asked us if we had broken that flower pot.
He asked her respectfully if she was going to Karachi by the Tez Gam the next day.
They asked him if he had been working in that office since 1975.
The doctor asked her if she had taken that medicine the previous day.
He asked me if I was in my senses.
We asked him if that train was running on time then.
He asked his mother if she would go with him to Murree the next day.
The teacher asked the boys if they were fully prepared to take the test that day.
She asked her teacher respectfully if she might go out to see her mother.
They asked the gardener if they might pluck a few flowers from those plots.
He asked us whether we were learning that poem by heart.
She asked her brother if she had posted those letters the previous day.
The policeman asked him if he had his driving license with him.
He asked us if we had solved those sums.
I asked the postman if there was any letter for me that day.
I inquired of the servant if he had told me the truth about that accident.
You asked him if it had rained there the previous day.
You asked him if he had returned your book to you.
She asked him whether he would lend her his camera for that day.
He asked me if I was ready to go with him then.
He asked me if I could spare some money.
He asked me whether the man is the maker of his fate.
Kashif asked his boss if he might tell him something in that connection.
The king enquired of the robber if he was the robber of whom he had heard so much.
She asked me if I had gone out for a walk just then.
He asked me if I did not know that he was my next-door neighbor.
The young man asked her mother if she had milked all those cows.
He asked his brother if that was the way to talk to a stranger.
He asked me if I had been a student of the Government College.
He asked the postman if he had bought any letter for him.
The student asked the Headmaster respectfully if he might come in.

Assertive Sentences-Direct & Indirect Speech

An Assertive Sentence is the type of Sentence that defines some declaration. It may support some type of positivity,…

Other Words Changing Rules-Direct & Indirect speech

Some words must be changed while going from Direct Narration to Indirect Narration to convey the same thing with…

Rule # 3 of Changes in the Tenses| Direct & Indirect Speech

Rule # 3 of the Changes in the Tenses is all about the Future Tense in the Reporting…

Pronouns Changing Rules- Direct & Indirect Speech

Generally, “Personal Pronouns” are changed while converting the Direct Narration into Indirect Narration. These pronouns take their shape according…

Exclamatory Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech

An Exclamatory Sentence is a type of Sentence that must have some strong feelings, e.g; joy, sorrow, grief, wonder,…

Reported speech

Reported speech is how we represent the speech of other people or what we ourselves say. There are two main types of reported speech: direct speech and indirect speech.

Click on a topic to learn more about reported speech.

Word of the Day

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

acting or speaking together, or at the same time

Alike and analogous (Talking about similarities, Part 1)

Learn more with +Plus

Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
English–Dutch Dutch–English
English–French French–English
English–German German–English
English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
English–Italian Italian–English
English–Japanese Japanese–English
English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
English–Polish Polish–English
English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
English–Spanish Spanish–English
English–Swedish Swedish–English
Dictionary +Plus Word Lists

Add ${headword} to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

Changing an Interrogative Sentence into the Indirect Speech

There are two main kinds of interrogative sentences. Those which start with an auxiliary verb and those which start with a question word such as what, why, when, where, how etc.

The following changes occur when an interrogative sentence in the direct speech is changed to the indirect speech.

Interrogative sentences beginning with an auxiliary verb are changed into the indirect speech by using the connective if or whether.

The reporting verb said (or any other word used as the reporting verb) changes to asked, queried, questioned, demanded of or enquired of in the indirect speech. Note that of is used after enquired and demanded only when the reporting verb has an object.

The most common reporting verbs used to report a question are asked and enquired of . The reporting verb queried is somewhat investigative. Demanded of is the strongest of all reporting verbs mentioned above. It is used when an explanation is desired.

Note that the indirect narration is always in the assertive form. In other words, the interrogative sentences in the direct speech will change into assertive sentences in the indirect speech.

Study the following examples carefully to understand the rules mentioned above.

Direct: She said to me, ‘Are you coming with us?’ Indirect: She asked me if I was going with them. OR She asked them if I was coming with them. Direct: She said to me, ‘Are you unwell?’ Indirect: She asked me if I was unwell. Direct: She said to him, ‘ Am I to wait for you till eternity?’ Indirect: She enquired of him if she was to wait for him till eternity. Direct: I said to him, ‘Were you present at the meeting yesterday?’ Indirect: I asked him whether he had been present at the meeting the day before (or the previous day). Direct: The woman asked the stranger, ‘Should I help you?’ Indirect: The woman asked the stranger whether she should help him.

Note that the auxiliary verbs should, could, would, ought to and might do not change in the indirect speech.

Direct: I said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Indirect: I asked him who he was. Direct: The mother said to the daughter, ‘Do you know where John is?’ Indirect: The mother asked the daughter whether she knew where John was. Direct: ‘Have you anything to say on behalf of the accused?,’ said the judge to the lawyer. Indirect: The judge enquired of the lawyer if he had anything to say on behalf of the accused.

Search Articles

My English Tutor

A new Online platform for students

Reported speech in interrogative sentences

Reported speech
Renjit P.S.
January 4, 2016

Interrogative sentences are in two types, that is,

1 Question word beginning interrogative sentences

Pattern – QW. + Aux + S + V + O ?

Eg: When did he give you the book ?

2 Auxiliary beginning interrogative sentences or ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions

Pattern – Aux + S + V + O ?

Eg: Do you know Grammar ?

Here, when we report interrogative sentences, we have to change the reporting verb as ‘ask/asks ’ or ‘ asked’ or ‘will/shall ask’ according to the tense form of the reporting statement.

( reporting object should be written after that)

That is, if the ‘ reporting verb’ is ‘ simple present’ , ‘ ask /asks’ should be written after the subject

If the ‘ reporting verb’ is ‘ simple past’ , ‘ asked’ should be written after the subject

If the ‘ reporting verb’ is ‘ simple future’ , ‘ will/shall ask’ should be written after the subject of the reporting statement.

After writing as mentioned above, we have to change the interrogative sentence into statement form and then report it by applying all the required changes.

But, there is a slight difference between reporting ‘ question word’ beginning and ‘auxiliary beginning’ interrogative sentences.

Question word beginning interrogative sentences are reported by changing the rest of the sentence into statement form ( S + V + O ) after writing the question word , as shown below.

Martin said, “ How has he arrived here?” ( present perfect tense)

As explained above, first of all, we have to change the reporting verb ‘ said’ into ‘asked’ , as the reporting verb is in simple past form .

Then after writing the question word ‘ How’ , we have to change the rest of the sentence “ has he arrived here’’ into statement form as “he has arrived here” and then report it as ‘ he had arrived there’.

So we get the answer as,

Martin asked how he had arrived there.

Here, as the reporting verb is simple past, ‘ asked’ is written and also the ‘ present perfect’ form of the verb in the direct speech is changed into ‘ past perfect’ in the reported speech.

Another example,

Thomas says, “ How do we get rain ?”

( here the reporting verb ‘ says’ and also the ‘ direct speech’ are in simple present form)

Thomas asks how they get rain.

(Here, as the reporting verb ‘ says’ is ‘ simple present’ , ‘ asks’ is written as reporting verb and also the reported speech is written in simple present form .)

The difference in reporting ‘ auxiliary beginning interrogative sentences’ is

To add ‘whether’ or ‘if’ before the sentence and, change the whole sentence into statement form. After doing so, the sentence can be reported.

Eg: John said, “ Will Peter come tomorrow?”

( Reporting verb ‘ said’ is simple past and the Auxiliary beginning interrogative sentence is in simple future)

John asked ‘whether’ Peter would come the next day.

Here ‘ asked’ is written, as the reporting verb ‘ said’ is simple past.

Then ‘ whether’ is added before changing the whole sentence into statement form .

Then the direct speech in auxiliary beginning sentence is reported by changing the modal ‘ will’ into ‘ would’

and the word ‘ tomorrow’ into ‘ the next day’ , as we have studied in the earlier topics, Changes in tenses, modals and be-forms and Change of words in Reported speech .

Mary says to Mathew, “Have you seen operas ?”

( Reporting verb ‘ says’ is ‘ simple present’ and the direct speech is in present perfect form )

Mary asks mathew if he has seen operas.

Here, the reporting verb ‘ says’ is changed into ‘asks’ and then the direct speech is reported by adding ‘ if’ before the sentence and changing the whole sentence into statement form.

But there is no change in the tense , as the reporting verb is in simple present form .

Search here…..

Join us on facebook

SuperWebTricks Loading...

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

Reported Speech /

Exploring the Types of Reported Speech: A Complete Guide

Updated on
Dec 21, 2023

Reported speech is an integral part of English grammar , understanding the nuances of reported speech will help increase language proficiency. In this blog article, you will explore the different types of reported speech based on the types of sentences in English grammar. You will also learn the different rules to be followed to convert different types of sentences from direct speech to indirect speech. You will also find exercises to reinforce your learning and master the art of converting speech from one speech to another.

This Blog Includes:

Four types of reported speech , change of assertive sentences in reported speech, examples of change of assertive sentences in reported speech, change of interrogative sentences in reported speech, examples of change of interrogative sentences in reported speech, change of exclamatory sentences in reported speech, examples of change of exclamatory sentences in reported speech, change of imperative sentences in reported speech, examples of change of imperative sentences in reported speech, exercise on kinds of reported speech.

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

Based on the kinds of sentences in English Grammar reported speech is also changed accordingly keeping in mind the four kinds of sentences. There are four types of reported speech. These include – Exclamatory, Interrogative, Imperative and Assertive/Declarative.

The following rules must be kept in mind before changing the speech of an assertive sentence:

Removal of quotation marks and the sentence will end with a comma.
Reporting verbs are changed accordingly:
Conjunction that is added to remove the quotation marks.

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

Let us comprehend the few examples of Assertive Speech for the proper understanding of the concept.

The following rules must be kept in mind before changing the speech of an interrogative sentence:

Removal of quotation marks and use of question marks (? ) at the end of the sentence.
The Reporting verb changed to ask, inquire, question, or want to know.
The use of connectors such as if or whether to remove the quotation marks.
WHO words are not changed and no use of connectors before them.

Let us comprehend the few examples of Interrogative Speech for a proper understanding of the concept.

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

The interjections and commas are removed with the help of a connector(that).
The reported verb said changes according to the interjection such as exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with sorrow, exclaimed with wonder, exclaimed joyfully, or sorrowfully.
In interjection sentences if beginnings with how or what are removed using very or very great.
The wish sentences may change to might and remove the exclamation that connector is used.

Let us comprehend the few examples of Exclamatory Sentences for a proper understanding of the concept.

The following rules must be kept in mind before changing the speech of an imperative sentence:

To change the imperative sentences from direct to indirect speech infinitive is used before the main verb.
The reported verb said is changed to ordered, requested, commanded, and advised.

Let us comprehend the few examples of Imperative Sentences for a proper understanding of the concept.

Change the following sentences to indirect speech:

He said to him,” What is your name?”
He said to her,” I ate mangoes”.
The mother said to her son,” Put your clothes on the rack.”
The mother said,” Hurrah! My son has won the trophy.”
The old lady said to me,” May you live long!”

Check your answers with solved exercises to analyze the understanding of your concept.

1. He asked him what his name was.

2. He told her that he had eaten mangoes.

3. The mother instructed her son to put his clothes on the rack.

4. The mother exclaimed with joy that her son had won the trophy.

5. The old lady wished me a long life.

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

Direct speech is the actual words spoken by a person and is written in quotation marks, while indirect speech defines the meaning of the original statement without quoting the actual words of the speaker. Indirect speech involves changes in verb tense, pronouns, and other elements.

There are four types of reported speech based on the four kinds of sentences in English Grammar. Statements Questions Exclamations And Wishes Commands and Requests

The four types of reported speech are Assertive/Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative and Exclamatory.

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 ……..🌳✨🌌

8 Universities with higher ROI than IITs and IIMs

Grab this one-time opportunity to download this ebook

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Some Jan. 6 rioters win early release, even before key Supreme Court ruling

The supreme court’s pending review of a key federal charge levied against jan. 6 defendants — and donald trump — is already triggering early releases of some high-profile defendants.

Federal judges have begun ordering the early release pending appeal of Jan. 6 defendants who challenged their sentences even though the Supreme Court is a week away from hearing arguments on whether a key charge brought against them is legally sound.

A Delaware man who carried a Confederate flag into the Capitol will be let go one year into his three-year term. An Ohio man who overran police lines and became one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol will be set free six months into a 19-month term. And a man who entered the just-evacuated Senate chamber with a Trump flag as a cape was released after serving five months of a 14-month term.

If the Supreme Court ultimately determines the charge they faced was legitimate, they and others who are released early pending appeal could be ordered to return to prison — but that is not a certainty.

The truncated sentences are the latest complications in the prosecution of more than 350 Jan. 6 defendants under a federal statute that makes it a crime to obstruct or impede an official proceeding — in this case, Congress’s joint session to confirm Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.

In December, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a consolidated challenge by three men whose lawyers argue that the law — passed by Congress after the Enron scandal to criminalize document shredding by the collapsed company’s accounting firm — is limited to destroying evidence in governmental investigations. Fourteen of 15 trial judges upheld prosecutors’ use of the law to charge rioters who obstructed Congress’s election certification vote, but one judge in the U.S. District Court in Washington — Trump-appointed Judge Carl J. Nichols, who served in George W. Bush’s Justice Department — disagreed, ruling the law applied only to tampering or destruction of evidence such as records or documents.

Julie Rose O’Sullivan, a Georgetown law professor and expert on white-collar criminal law, said it was a potentially bad sign for prosecutors that the Supreme Court took the case when there is such strong support for the law at lower levels, including two split opinions upholding the government’s use of the statute in Jan. 6 cases by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit .

“I think it’s significant that [the] D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals said it applies. But the Supreme Court has disagreed [even] with unanimous Circuit Courts of Appeals before,” said O’Sullivan, a former federal prosecutor who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

O’Sullivan noted that the charge has been used as a catchall provision to prosecute obstruction in “many, many cases,” not just those related Jan. 6, and uniformly upheld by circuit courts around the country. “I’m not sure they’re going to read it narrowly,” she said. “They could, but I’m not sure that’s the best result.”

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case next Tuesday and issue its ruling by the end of the term in late June or early July. A reversal would not affect the majority of the 1,350 Jan. 6 riot defendants, most of whom are charged either with violent felony offenses or with only misdemeanor violations such as trespassing or disorderly conduct at the Capitol. But it could wreak havoc on more than 100 cases in which obstruction — or corruptly impeding — Congress’s lawful certification of the 2020 election is the only felony charge the defendant faces. Currently, about half of 120 sentenced cases fall in that category.

A Supreme Court ruling against the obstruction charge could also impact the election interference case that special counsel Jack Smith has brought against Trump. Two of the four counts the former president and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee faces are conspiring to and actually obstructing the certification of the election, underscoring the stakes of the high-court review.

A full rejection by the court “would have a devastating effect on the prosecution side” in Capitol attack felony cases that don’t otherwise involve violence, recently retired U.S. District judge Thomas F. Hogan, who sentenced 26 Jan. 6 defendants, said in a talk to Georgetown Law School students earlier this year. For some, the obstruction charge brought the stiffest penalty, and removing it would mean they would have to be resentenced or retried and face far less severe consequences. It is punishable under statute by up to 20 years in prison, although first-time offenders convicted in the Capitol riot have received far less time , typically one to four years. A federal appeals court also recently overturned a sentencing enhancement used to help determine the punishments for Jan. 6 defendants convicted of the felony.

Defendants still awaiting trial could take tougher stances with prosecutors in plea talks if the Supreme Court takes the charge off the table. And those who have pleaded guilty to obstruction but have not yet been sentenced could withdraw those pleas.

Some people charged with the offense were accused of the most notorious but nonviolent conduct during the riot, such as occupying the Senate chamber, sitting in the vice president’s chair and targeting government officials . They include Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon shaman who was recorded in the Senate wearing a fur-lined headdress with horns and carrying a spear, shouting expletives about Mike Pence being a “traitor” and leaving a note at Pence’s presiding desk warning, “Justice Is Coming!” Some members of the far-right Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups who were not accused of seditious conspiracy also were convicted of the obstruction charge.

Unlike most Jan. 6 defendants, Trump’s obstruction charges are based on allegations that he propagated a flood of lies claiming the election was stolen; attempted to use false claims of massive fraud to pressure state officials, the Justice Department and Pence to change the results; and schemed with others to submit to Congress slates of phony electors from swing states and to get lawmakers to toss out lawful ballots, culminating in the violent assault at the Capitol.

That means the justices could decide the obstruction charge makes legal sense for him, because of his alleged efforts to get Congress to use fraudulent electoral certifications, but not for the rioters, whose alleged obstruction generally involved entering the Capitol in a way that shut down the vote count.

Trump also faces two other charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States and depriving Americans of their right to have their votes counted. O’Sullivan said the conspiracy charge “is still a very good count and still a potentially winning count as far as I can tell … [with] extremely solid Supreme Court case law” underpinning it.

While several of those charged with obstruction on Jan. 6 have moved to postpone their trials or delay reporting to prison after being convicted while appeals continue, judges began releasing a handful who are already serving time shortly after the Supreme Court in December said it would hear the challenge in a case called Fischer v. United States , a consolidated appeal by three Jan. 6 defendants. Judges said they were acting because the high-court review significantly raised the possibility the felony convictions might be overturned.

Kevin Seefried, Alexander Sheppard and Thomas B. Adams Jr. were among the most recent defendants who have been ordered released.

Seefried, 54 a drywall installer from Delaware, was memorialized carrying a Confederate flag in one of the most indelible photographs taken on Jan. 6 — parading with a symbol of the proslavery Civil War rebels through the halls of the U.S. Capitol. He was not accused of violence and was convicted in June 2022. His other convictions were for misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct at the Capitol, which carry only statutory maximum sentences of up to six months or a year . In Seefried’s and other cases, a judge ordered release effective once each defendant more or less completes his longest misdemeanor sentence.

Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden to deny release pending appeal during “what will likely be another fiercely contested presidential election,” saying that doing so “would be releasing defendant into the same political maelstrom that led him to commit his crimes in the first place.”

But McFadden rejected the idea that “January 6th defendants, as a class, cannot be released during an election year,” as he put it in an 11-page opinion that ordered Seefried to be released May 31. He continued, “If specific facts about Seefried lead the Government to believe that he is imminently likely to engage in criminal conduct, options remain open to the Government. But without those facts, the Court cannot deprive a citizen of his liberty based on guesswork alone.”

In the case of Sheppard, 24, of Powell, Ohio, who also will be released in May, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates wrote that he agreed with the defendant’s contention that the Supreme Court’s review “raises a ‘substantial question’ as to the validity of his … conviction.” However, Bates continued, “the Court may ultimately conclude that a further period of incarceration is warranted upon a potential remand after a decision … that favors Sheppard. And if the Supreme Court affirms [the law], Sheppard will have the remainder of his 19-month sentence yet to serve.”

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, who sentenced Adams, 42, of Springfield, Ill., said it takes four out of nine justices to grant an appeal of any case, which means at least that many members of the court believe there is a reason to examine the lower court’s ruling.

“Although this court will not attempt to read tea leaves, the Supreme Court’s decision … means, at a minimum, that this case poses a ‘close question,’ ” he wrote. Adams was released in January, five months into his 14-month term.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the District declined to comment, saying, “Our opposition to release speaks for itself.”

A federal public defender for Adams, who was the first Jan. 6 defendant to be released in light of the pending Supreme Court decision, declined to comment.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Kevin Seefried is from Maryland. He is from Delaware. This story has been corrected.

The Jan. 6 insurrection

The report: The Jan. 6 committee released its final report , marking the culmination of an 18-month investigation into the violent insurrection. Read The Post’s analysis about the committee’s new findings and conclusions .

The final hearing: The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol held its final public meeting where members referred four criminal charges against former president Donald Trump and others to the Justice Department. Here’s what the criminal referrals mean .

The riot: On Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results. Five people died on that day or in the immediate aftermath, and 140 police officers were assaulted .

Inside the siege: During the rampage, rioters came perilously close to penetrating the inner sanctums of the building while lawmakers were still there, including former vice president Mike Pence . The Washington Post examined text messages, photos and videos to create a video timeline of what happened on Jan. 6. Here’s what we know about what Trump did on Jan. 6 .

Jan. 6 rioters who U.S. says ‘ignited’ path for Capitol attack convicted February 2, 2024 Jan. 6 rioters who U.S. says ‘ignited’ path for Capitol attack convicted February 2, 2024
U.S. to wrap security blanket around D.C. courthouse for Trump trial February 2, 2024 U.S. to wrap security blanket around D.C. courthouse for Trump trial February 2, 2024
Chicago officer given 90 days home detention for entering Capitol on Jan. 6 January 24, 2024 Chicago officer given 90 days home detention for entering Capitol on Jan. 6 January 24, 2024

Livestream replay: James, Jennifer Crumbley sentenced to 10-15 years in prison

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents in America to be held criminally responsible for a school shooting by their child, were sentenced Tuesday in Oakland County Circuit Court to 10-15 years in prison each.

They were convicted by separate juries of four counts of involuntary manslaughter — one for each classmate their son murdered at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021: Tate Myre, 16; Hana St. Juliana, 14; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17. Each count carries a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years, though the sentences are expected to be served concurrently.

The prosecution sought the 10- to 15-year prison sentences for each parent. Both Crumbleys , who have been jailed since their arrest Dec. 4, 2021, asked to be sentenced to time served . Their son Ethan pleaded guilty to his crimes and is serving life in prison without parole.

Prosecution: 10-15 years in prison sought for James, Jennifer Crumbley

The sentences are expected to be handed down by Judge Cheryl Matthews after the court hears victim impact statements. Jennifer Crumbley is represented by Shannon Smith; James Crumbley by Mariell Lehman. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Marc Keast speaks for the prosecution in much of the proceedings. Here's a recap of the day's proceedings, which included statements from Jennifer and James Crumbley.

Madisyn Baldwin's mom: 'You took four beautiful children from this world'

Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of Madisyn Baldwin, was the first to deliver a victim impact statement.

Through tears, and her voice shaking at times, she lambasted the Crumbleys and asked the judge to give them the maximum punishment.

"The lack of compassion you have shown is disgusting ... shaking your head during a verdict," as James Crumbley did, is the worst sign of disrespect "I have ever witnessed," Beausoleil said, blaming the parents for the loss of her beautiful daughter and the neverending pain.

"You created all of this. you created your son's life ... You don't get to look away ... You failed as parents. The punishment that you face will never be enough," she said.

Step by step, the grieving mother took the Crumbleys through the pain she suffered and reminded them of the daughter she lost because of their parenting decisions.

"Madisyn, she was a kind soul," her mother said from the podium, choking up at times. "She lit up a room when she walked in ... Her laugh, I could listen to all day."

"The passion that she had for everything and everyone was remarkable."

Her voice cracking, she talked about how she would often look at her daughter and wonder: "What did I do to deserve a perfect person? I grew up because of her ... I mattered because of her."

"From the moment she was born, I promised myself I would be there no matter what ... I wouldn't miss a thing I would always protect her."

Then she referred to the day of the shooting:

" Nov. 30, 2021 ... made me break my first promise. As her mom, I didn't protect her."

She then talked about an unforgettable moment during trial, when Jennifer Crumbley said: "I wouldn't do anything different."

She then asked the shooter's mom to consider the following:

"While your son was hearing voices and asking for help, I was helping Madisyn pick out classes.

"When you were called to the school over his troubling drawing, I was planning an oil change for my daughter.

"When you were on the phone ... trying to figure out where the gun was ... I was on the phone with her father trying to figure out where she was ... I was trying to get there as soon as possible.

"When you texted 'Ethan don't do it,' I was texting Madysin 'I love you. Please call Mom."

"When you found out about the lives lost that day, I was still waiting for my daughter in the parking lot.

"When you got a chance to speak with your son ... I was waiting for my moment.

"When you asked him why ... I was waiting for the last bus that never came. ...

"When you worried about what people thought of you ... I was learning your son fatally shot her in the head.

"While you were hiding, I was planning her funeral.

"I was forced to do the worst possible thing a parent could do. I was forced to say goodbye to my Madisyn.

"I loved being a mom ... you cared more about your wellbeing ... and because of that you took four beautiful children from this world."

She said she wished she could have taken the bullet that day.

"The loss that you say you have suffered ... does not come close to the life sentence that I was given."

Hana St. Juliana's sister: Instead of quality time, 'you gave him a gun'

Reina St. Juliana brought many in the courtroom to tears as she talked about losing her 14-year-old sister, Hana —how her little sister, best friend and better half would never see prom, graduation or even her 15th, 16th or 17 th birthday.

"I never got to say goodbye," Reina said. "Hana was only 14 ... she took her last breath in a school she hadn't even been in for three months."

She looked at the Crumbleys and said: "The fact is, you did fail as a parent, Jennifer. Both of you ... Instead of giving quality time ... you gave him a gun."

"Your mistakes created our everlasting nightmare," she said before directing her statements to Jennifer Crumbley.

"Jennifer, you stated that you wouldn't do anything different ... I cannot fathom that," the sister said, adding. "You don't have to roll your eyes. It's on video."

"I can never do Hana justice ... she's all I want to talk about," she said, describing her sister as a funny person who made people laugh "and even more importantly, she made you feel seen."

"I miss her with every breath I take," she said. "I have never known pain that is forever until I saw Hana in a casket."

She then looked at the Crumbleys and said that one day, "I hope you live like Hana. I hope you love unconditionally like Hana."

Hana's father: This 'destroyed a large portion of my soul'

Steve St. Juliana said it was the Crumbleys’ choices that enabled their son to carry out the shooting that killed his daughter.

“They chose to stay quiet, they chose to ignore the warning signs,” he said. “They continue to choose to blame everyone but themselves.”

The impact to the father has been devastating, he said.

“It’s impossible for me to truly to convey the complete impact of my daughter’s loss,” he said. “Hana’s murder has destroyed a large portion of my soul ... I remain a shell of the person I used to be.”

All of the dreams St. Juliana had for his daughter have been lost because of the Crumbleys, he said. Like the parents who spoke before him, St. Juliana said the parents continue to fail to take accountability for their actions.

“I will never have the chance to hold her or her future children in my arms,” he said.

Hana’s family has established a memorial fund in her honor , which is raising money to build a garden in her honor.

Justin Shilling's mother: 'If only they had taken him home'

Jill Soave, Justin Shilling’s mother, said her “trauma and devastation is hard to put into words.” She described Justin's achievements in school and said their family would have been celebrating his 20 th birthday soon.

Instead, she is in court.

“The ripple effects of both James’ and Jennifer’s failures to act have devastated us all,” she said. “If only, your honor, they had taken their son to get counseling instead of buying a gun … If only they had checked his backpack, if only they had taken him home or taken him to counseling instead of abandoning him at that school, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”

Like Beausoleil, Soave criticized the Crumbleys for failing to parent, leading to “deadly consequences” and the loss of her son.

“It is devastating and heartbreaking that it doesn’t appear that either of you cherished or ever wanted your son,” she said.

Soave is honoring Justin through the Forever Justin Shilling Foundation , an effort announced last year to honor his love of nature, which promises to use donated funds to help plant trees, host local clean-up events and support clean water and air programs.

“His future was so very bright and full of possibilities,” Soave told the court.

Justin's father: 'Living a life like this is not normal'

Craig Shilling, the father of Justin Shilling, said giving an impact statement was an opportunity for him to describe how the shooter’s actions have impacted not just his life, but everyone in the courtroom.

“Most people will never have to make an impact statement,” he said. “This is not normal. Living a life like this is not normal.”

Shilling said the facts in this case would be strong enough to convince any jury of the Crumbleys' guilt.

“James and Jennifer Crumbley failed at their parental responsibilities,” he said.

He said both James and Jennifer should each receive the maximum sentence.

“I just can’t get over the fact that this tragedy was completely avoidable,” Shilling said. “They failed across the board ... this type of blatant disregard is unacceptable.”

Both Beausoleil and Craig Shilling in their impact statements singled out Jennifer Crumbley’s comment during the trial that she would not do anything differently, pointing to what Beausoleil described as a lack of compassion.

“You say you wouldn’t do anything different, well that really says what type of parents you are, because there’s a lot of things I would do different,” Beausoleil said.

Tate Myre's father: 'It's time to learn from this'

Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre, focused mostly on what believes should happen after Jennifer and James’ sentencing in his victim impact statement.

“This is the low-hanging fruit,” Myre said. “Now it’s time to turn our focus to Oxford Schools, who played a role in this tragedy.”

He said he wants the government to investigate the shooting and the actions taken after.

“cc, from the purchase of the gun to the response,” he said. “That’s when real change happens. When we look at something, evaluate it and apply lessons learned.”

Attorneys battle again over whether Crumbleys were fleeing

The hearing turned heated before any impact statements were read when the defense sought to challenge the prosecution's claim that the Crumbleys were on the run after learning they would be charged.

"What the prosecution has done is put together a false narrative that has been repeated by the media over and over and over," Jennifer Crumbley's attorney Smith argued. "The prosecution claimed they were crouched near a mattress, which just isn't true ... They made it sound like they were crouching and hiding."

"It's complete garbage that the prosecution has been able to carry out this narrative out through trial," Smith said, maintaining she texted Karen McDonald after the Crumbleys hired her in anticipation of being charged, and notified her that the Crumbleys would be turning themselves in.

But McDonald, she said, charged the Crumbleys without ever responding, and then declared them fugitives.

"All she had to do is let me know we are charging," Smith said.

Matthews, though, said that the prosecutor has no duty to notify the defense that charges are coming and that law enforcement can arrest anyone when it wants.

Keast defended the prosecution's handling of these events, noting that during trial, a text message was shown to the jury between Jennifer Crumbley and her lover that stated: "On the run." And when the cops did show up to arrest the Crumbleys, they reached out to their lawyers. One of the lawyers responded: "Oh s---," though it's unclear who sent that message.

The defense maintains the Crumbleys were afraid for their lives and hiding from the public and media — not law enforcement — and had set their alarms for a court appearance, which also was shown to the jury.

The judge, though, concluded that the Crumbleys were properly scored for their fleeing behavior.

"It's unclear to the court, to this day" whether the Crumbleys planned to turn themselves in, said Matthews, who then blamed the Crumbleys for getting arrested in the middle of the night in an art gallery in Detroit. "They brought this circus to Detroit."

Judge agrees that James Crumbley's phone comments were threats

James Crumbley's attorney Lehman sought to spare her client from being penalized in his state sentencing report score over alleged threatening jailhouse calls he made that targeted Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, including: "she’s going to be f------ sucking on a f------ hot rock down in hell soon,” and “I am f------ on a rampage, Karen. Yes, Karen McDonald. Your ass is going down and you better be f------ scared."

Lehman said he was venting about being locked up for 23 hours a day for a crime of which he believes he is innocent.

"He has vented," Lehman argued. "He has been angry ... but he has never physically threatened Karen McDonald ... the statements made by Mr. Crumbley ... he vented his frustrations you're honor. And he never threatened harm,"

Keast disagreed and became agitated during his remarks, stating: "Rarely do we see" someone threatening a prosecutor.

The judge agreed and upheld penalizing James Crumbley over his comments.

Tension between the Crumbleys, who have been jailed separately and tried separately, appears high. Jennifer Crumbley appeared to look with contempt toward her husband many times, especially when his jailhouse calls were brought up.

James Crumbley also was visibly agitated when this came up.

Judge bats down defense objections to sentencing reports

Before victim impact statements, defense attorneys made several objections to the contents of the state's sentencing reports, which call for sentencing the Crumbleys between 43-86 months in prison.

It challenged the scoring system that was used to come up with these guidelines, arguing it penalizes the Crumbleys for a crime that was carried out by a shooter who was charged as an adult, convicted as an adult and sentenced as an adult.

"He made the decision on how many people to shoot. He made intentional choices," Smith argued. "At the end of the day, Mrs. Crumbley shouldn't be sentenced" for four deaths.

Lehman echoed that.

"In this case, it is one grossly negligent act that resulted in four deaths," Lehman said, stressing: "We haven't seen this before."

Jennifer Crumbley: Defense attorney blasts prosecution's narrative, seeks leniency in sentence

The defense objected to various points that were assigned to the Crumbleys and enhanced their punishments.

Keast countered that the Crumbleys engaged in multiple acts of gross negligence — like not locking the gun or storing it in a locked safe.

"Case law is clear ... four children were murdered ... because of that each defendant was charged and convicted," on four counts Keast. "They don't get to have a scoring of zero as if three children weren't killed."

The judge agreed and upheld the scoring system.

More: Why James Crumbley is wearing headphones in court

Jennifer Crumbley's marijuana use stricken from report

"I know this is an emotional day for everyone," Matthews said before starting the sentencing hearing.

The hearing began with the defense objecting to the Crumbleys being labeled as having substance abuse problems in their presentencing report.

The prosecution, in its sentencing memo and in court, argued that the couple has substance abuse problems and cited 18 bottles of alcohol purchased in one month from a liquor store.

The defense has maintained that the Crumbleys entertained for Thanksgiving that year. The prosecution countered that they had only six guests at their Thanksgiving dinner.

The defense also objected to an assertion that Jennifer Crumbley had a marijuana problem. The prosecution said she started smoking pot as a teen.

The judge agreed to take the marijuana reference out of Jennifer Crumbley's report.

Should Crumbleys be barred from contact with each other?

Jennifer Crumbley's attorney Shannon Smith also contested the narrative of the state's presentencing report, which included a claim that Jennifer Crumbley is rarely home.

"That is not a crime," Smith argued.

"I agree," Matthews said. "The same could be said about me."

Smith said she wants it put on the record that the probation department — in her view — included a narrative that is pulled from inaccurate police reports that do not reflect what really happened.

"This is a document that will follow Mrs. Crumbley, so I wanted to make a record," Smith said.

Lehman, made the same objection.

Matthews noted that presentence reports typically rely on police accounts, not trial transcripts, noting that in this case, no one has ordered trial transcripts from either Crumbley trial, which cost about $35,000 each.

James Crumbley: Defense attorney says Crumbley never threatened prosecutor, he was 'venting'

"I believe it to be accurate," Keast told the judge.

The defense also objected to the probation department's recommendation that as part of their sentences, the Crumbleys not be allowed to have any contact with each other or their son.

That's unconstitutional, the defense argued, maintaining the family has a right to keep its ties.

Matthews said she has spoken to state officials about this, and that once the Crumbleys are sentenced, they will be considered "as enemies."

"I've obviously never faced this issue," Matthews said.

Keast argued the Crumbleys, because they are codefendants, should not be allowed to have contact with each other after sentencing because of the nature of this crime and typical policy by the Michigan Department of Corrections.

"We want the Michigan Department of Corrections to do what it would do in any other case," Keast said.

Matthews said she questioned if she has the legal authority to issue a no-contact order for the Crumbley family if they are all in MDOC custody.

Matthews agreed to delay making a decision on this matter. A decision is expected within a week.

IMAGES

interrogative sentences in the reported speech
Reported Speech( Part 2) : Interrogative sentences
ESL Teachers: REPORTED SPEECH
How to Use Reported Speech in English
Reported Speech: A Complete Grammar Guide ~ ENJOY THE JOURNEY
5 Example of Interrogative Sentence in English

VIDEO

Reported Speech
Indirect speech. Interrogative 🙏🙏🌹
reported speech: direct- indirect speech| English grammar| what is reported speech?
REPORTED SPEECH IN ENGLISH |Indirect speech
Direct and Indirect Speech/Narration # Interrogative Sentences || Short Trending
Reported speech on Interrogative Sentences

COMMENTS

interrogative sentences in the reported speech
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.
Reported Speech: Practice Exercises in Interrogative Sentences
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.
Reported Speech Interrogative: Rules, Examples & Exercise
Q2. Convert the following reported speech interrogative sentences into direct speech. She asked if I had finished my homework. He inquired if I could help him with his computer problem. She wondered if I knew the answer to the question. He asked if I was interested in going to the movies with him. She asked if I could give her a ride to the ...
Reported Speech
The four types of reported speech are similar to the kinds of sentences: imperative, interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative. Reported Speech Rules. ... 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. ...
Reported speech: questions
A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech. direct speech: 'Do you like working in sales?' he asked. indirect speech: He asked me if I liked working in sales. In indirect speech, we change the question structure (e.g. Do you like) to a statement structure (e.g.
Reported speech
Reported speech (summary): ... As the sentence) - Roger had given his speech yesterday. He said, their company makes excellent profit every year and your company will sustain for next hundred years.(Can YOUR be used in the sentence) ... Interrogative: Does he live in Rome? (Where does he live?) Reported: She asked if he lives in Rome. ...
Reported Speech
Reported speech is the form in which one can convey a message said by oneself or someone else, mostly in the past. It can also be said to be the third person view of what someone has said. In this form of speech, you need not use quotation marks as you are not quoting the exact words spoken by the speaker, but just conveying the message. Q2.
Reported Speech
It is also important that you use an indirect question in reported speech, i.e. after the interrogative or ‚whether' / ‚if' you continue the sentence as if it were a statement (subject-verb etc.). The auxiliary verb ‚do' is not used in indirect questions.. Example: He asked: Where does she live?
Reported speech: indirect speech
Reported speech: indirect speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Reported Speech
Go to the Indirect Questions section of this guide to see more about reported interrogative sentences. Reported Speech sentences are a type of complex sentences. The first part - which identifies the speaker and introduces the 'speech' - is the main clause. The reported speech clause - starting with 'that' going until the end ...
Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences
Rule 6: Interrogative Sentences with Modals in Indirect Speech. An Interrogative Sentence beginning with " Shal l" in the Direct Narration, takes the form " would " in the Past Tense in the Indirect Narration. We use "should" only when the statement is a Polite question or involves or implies a matter of propriety or duty.
Indirect Speech for Interrogative (Question) Sentences
The basic rules for converting direct speech (question sentence) into indirect speech are as follows: The examples are at the end. 1. Inverted commas are removed in indirect speech. 2. The conjunction 'that' is not used in indirect speech for question sentences. The conjunction 'that' is generally used in indirect speech for other types ...
Reported Speech Questions
Reported Speech Imperatives Exercise -. Reported Mixed Exercise. Reported Questions Grammar: a. We use introductory verbs like ask, wonder, want to know, inquire... b. We change the interrogative word-order to statement word-order. c. All the other changes in indirect speech still apply.
Reported Speech: Definition, Rules, Usage with Examples, Tips
Here are some common rules followed for changing interrogative sentences into reported speech: ️ The reporting verb "say" is transformed into "ask, inquire," ️ By inserting the subject before the verb, the interrogative clause is converted into a declaration and the full stop is inserted at the end of the sentence.
Reported speech: statements
Grammar B1-B2: Reported speech 1: 1. Read the explanation to learn more. Grammar explanation. Reported speech is when we tell someone what another person said. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech. direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel. indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.
Reported Speech in English Grammar
Introduction. In English grammar, we use reported speech to say what another person has said. We can use their exact words with quotation marks, this is known as direct speech, or we can use indirect speech.In indirect speech, we change the tense and pronouns to show that some time has passed.Indirect speech is often introduced by a reporting verb or phrase such as ones below.
Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences Rules and Examples
Yes-no question is formed with the use of auxiliary verbs such as - am, is, are, was, were, do, did, can, shall, will, have, has, may. A question mark should always be used at the end of interrogative sentence in direct speech. To convert direct speech to indirect speech quotation marks should be omitted . Ask is used as reporting verb ...
Interrogative Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech
When there is an Interrogative Sentence in the Reported Speech, the following rules must be followed: "said to" of the Reporting Speech must be converted to the word, "asked" or "inquired of", because someone asks a question. Make the word arrangement as it must take the form of simple Assertive Sentence, i.e; Subject + Verb+ Object.
Reported speech
Reported speech - English Grammar Today - a reference to written and spoken English grammar and usage - Cambridge Dictionary
Changing an Interrogative Sentence into the Indirect Speech
The following changes occur when an interrogative sentence in the direct speech is changed to the indirect speech. Interrogative sentences beginning with an auxiliary verb are changed into the indirect speech by using the connective if or whether. The reporting verb said (or any other word used as the reporting verb) changes to asked, ...
Reported speech in interrogative sentences
Reported speech. Renjit P.S. January 4, 2016. Reported speech in interrogative sentences. Interrogative sentences are in two types, that is, 1 Question word beginning interrogative sentences. Pattern- QW. + Aux + S + V + O ? Eg: When did he give you the book ? 2 Auxiliary beginning interrogative sentences or 'Yes' or 'No' questions.
Exploring the Types of Reported Speech: A Complete Guide
Four Types of Reported Speech. Based on the kinds of sentences in English Grammar reported speech is also changed accordingly keeping in mind the four kinds of sentences. There are four types of reported speech. These include - Exclamatory, Interrogative, Imperative and Assertive/Declarative.
English Grammar Direct and Indirect Sentences: Identify, Rules, Tips
Use of Direct and Indirect Speech in Different Types of Sentences. Here are tips on how to use Direct and Indirect Speech in different sentences form using direct indirect rules. Interrogative Sentences. Those sentences, which ask questions, are called interrogative sentences. Every interrogative sentence ends at a sign of interrogation. Example:
Some Jan. 6 rioters win early release ahead of key Supreme Court
Federal judges have begun ordering the early release pending appeal of Jan. 6 defendants who challenged their sentences even though the Supreme Court is a week away from hearing arguments on ...
Replay: James, Jennifer Crumbley sentenced in Oxford H.S. shooting case
The prosecution sought the 10- to 15-year prison sentences for each parent. Both Crumbleys , who have been jailed since their arrest Dec. 4, 2021, asked to be sentenced to time served .

Interrogative sentences in reported speech: rules and examples

What is a direct speech?

What is an indirect speech?

Important things to understand :

Interrogative sentences in the reported speech

Process/steps of changing Interrogative sentences (reported speech) into indirect speech:

Ashish Sharma

15 thoughts on “Interrogative sentences in reported speech: rules and examples”

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Reported Speech: Practice Exercises in Interrogative Sentences

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

Q. Change the following sentences into Indirect Speech.

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

Miscellaneous Exercises on Interrogative Sentences

want to share! Share this content

You Might Also Like

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Reported Speech - Definition, Rules and Usage with Examples

Table of Contents

Transforming Direct Speech into Reported Speech

What is reported speech?

What is the formula of reported speech?

Give some examples of reported speech.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Questions in Reported Speech

- Insiders Only -

Not an Insider yet?

Grammar Topics

Beyond the Videos

About Insights

Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative Sentence in English

Direct and Indirect Speech of Interrogative Sentence

People also ask

Rule 1: Identification of Reported Speech in Direct Narration

Rule 2: Changes of Reporting Verb

Rule 3: Interrogative sentences with Yes/No answers (non ‘wh-word’)

Rule 4: Interrogative sentences with ‘wh-word’

Rule 5: Change of Punctuation Mark in Indirect speech of Interrogative sentence.

Rule 6: Interrogative Sentences with Modals in Indirect Speech

Rule 7: Direct to Indirect Speech with Tag Questions

Rule 8: Changes in Persons for Interrogative Sentences

Rule 9: Change the Tense of Reporting Verb for Interrogative Sentences

Some Work Out Examples: Interrogative Sentences Direct Indirect Speech:

Exam Questions Answers 2023:

Solved Worksheet

Report the following into Indirect Speech

Frequently asked questions

2. Q: What is an example of an interrogative sentence indirect?

3. Q: What is an example of a direct speech for an interrogative sentence?

4. Q: What are 10 examples of interrogative?

5. Q: What are the 7 interrogative words?

Related posts:

Reported Speech Questions

Questions With Question Words

Reported speech: statements

Grammar explanation

Present simple, present continuous and present perfect

Past simple and past continuous

Past perfect

No backshift

Pronouns, demonstratives and adverbs of time and place

Language level

Online courses

Reported Speech in English Grammar

Introduction

Say or Tell?

Narration Change of Interrogative Sentences

Introduction

Interrogative Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech

General Rules for Converting Interrogative Sentences from Direct Narration to Indirect Narration

Examples of the Interrogative Sentences with Interrogative Words

Examples of Interrogative Sentences that Start with a Verb

Similar Posts

Assertive Sentences-Direct & Indirect Speech

Other Words Changing Rules-Direct & Indirect speech

Rule # 3 of Changes in the Tenses| Direct & Indirect Speech

Pronouns Changing Rules- Direct & Indirect Speech

Exclamatory Sentences-Direct & Indirect speech