Indirect Speech — Questions

Yes/No Questions

Questions answered with yes/no: "Is she ready?" / "Have you eaten?"

Indirect form: Use if or whether

Direct: He asked me, "Are you tired?" Indirect: He asked me if/whether I was tired.

Wh- Questions

Questions starting with who, what, when, where, why, how, which.

Indirect form: Use the same Wh- word (no if/whether)

Direct: She asked, "Where does he live?" Indirect: She asked where he lived.

In indirect questions, use statement order (subject + verb), NOT question inversion:

The question mark disappears. The inversion disappears.

Use asked (not "said" or "told"):

• asked (most common)
• enquired
• wanted to know
• demanded (forceful)
• wondered (rhetorical)

Direct: She asked me, "Do you like music?" Indirect: She asked me if I liked music.

Direct: He asked her, "Have you seen your results?" Indirect: He asked her if she had seen her results.

Example 1 (Yes/No):

Direct: He asked me, "Do you know the answer?" Indirect: He asked me if I knew the answer.

Example 2 (Wh-):

Direct: She asked, "Where does he work?" Indirect: She asked where he worked.

Example 3 (Wh- with pronoun change):

Direct: He asked her, "Where have you kept my book?" Indirect: He asked her where she had kept his book.

Example 4 (Yes/No with will):

Direct: She asked, "Will you attend the meeting tomorrow?" Indirect: She asked if I would attend the meeting the next day.

Example 5 (Strong question):

Direct: The teacher asked, "Why did you not submit the homework?" Indirect: The teacher asked why I had not submitted the homework.

1. Change to indirect: "He asked, 'What time does the train leave?'"
2. Change to indirect: "She asked him, 'Have you met my brother?'"
3. Change to indirect: "They asked, 'Why is the road closed?'"
4. Change to indirect: "He asked, 'Will you be free on Saturday?'"
5. Stretch: Convert back to direct: "She asked me why I had not informed her about the change the previous day."