Question

Change the following into reported speech: How do you feel this morning , he asked me

• A. He asked me how I felt this morning
• B. He asked me how I feel that morning
• C. He asked me how I felt that morning
• D. He asked me how I had felt that morning

Answer 1

Answer:

C. He asked me how I felt that morning

Understanding Reported Speech for Questions

• Reported speech, also known as indirect speech, is used to convey what someone else said without quoting their exact words.
• For questions, the reporting verb often changes to verbs like 'asked', 'enquired', 'wondered', or 'demanded', depending on the context.

Rules for Converting Wh-Questions (e.g., How, What, When, Where, Why):

• The Wh-word (e.g., 'how', 'what', 'when') is retained and acts as the conjunction connecting the reporting clause to the reported clause.
• Unlike 'Yes/No' questions, no 'if' or 'whether' is used with Wh-questions in reported speech.
• The interrogative structure of the direct question (e.g., auxiliary verb + subject + main verb: 'do you feel') changes to an assertive sentence structure (subject + verb: 'I felt') in reported speech.
• The question mark (?) is removed, and the reported sentence ends with a full stop (.).

Key Changes in the Given Example:

• Reporting Verb: The sentence starts with 'He asked me', correctly setting up the reported speech.
• Conjunction: The Wh-word 'how' is used directly after the reporting clause to introduce the reported question.
• Pronoun Change: The pronoun 'you' (referring to the person being asked) changes to 'I' in reported speech because the reporting clause specifies 'me' as the recipient of the question.
• Tense Backshift: The tense of the verb typically shifts backward in time.
  • 'do you feel' (Simple Present) changes to 'I felt' (Simple Past).
  • This is a crucial rule for competitive exams: Simple Present Tense in direct speech becomes Simple Past Tense in indirect speech.
• Time Adverbial Change: Time expressions also change to reflect the shift in perspective.
  • 'this morning' in direct speech changes to 'that morning' in reported speech.
  • Other common changes include: 'now' to 'then', 'today' to 'that day', 'yesterday' to 'the previous day', 'tomorrow' to 'the next day' or 'the following day'.