Question

Choose the correct reported form. "Why did you leave the manuscript on the table ?" she asked him.

• A. She asked him why had he left the manuscript on the table.
• B. She asked him why he had left the manuscript on the table.
• C. She asked him why did he leave the manuscript on the table.
• D. She asked him why he has left the manuscript on the table.

Answer 1

Answer:

B. She asked him why he had left the manuscript on the table.

Rules for changing questions into reported speech:

1. Change asked to the reporting verb for a question.

2. Retain the WH-word (why).

3. Change the question structure into statement word order: subject + verb.

4. When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the simple past tense usually changes to the past perfect tense.

Tense change:

- did leave (Simple Past) → had left (Past Perfect)

Therefore, the correct reported sentence is: She asked him why he had left the manuscript on the table.