Question

Convert the following sentence into reported speech : “How often do you go to the cinema?” Choose the correct answer from the following options.

• A. She asked me how often I went to the cinema.
• B. She asked me how often I would go to the cinema.
• C. She asked me whether I go to the cinema often.
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

Answer:

A. She asked me how often I went to the cinema.

When converting a direct question into reported speech, several changes occur:

1. Reporting Verb: The introductory phrase "She asked me" is used.

2. No Inverted Commas: The quotation marks are removed.

3. Question Word Retained: The question word "how often" is kept.

4. No Auxiliary Verb in Subordinate Clause: The auxiliary verb "do" is removed.

5. Tense Change (Backshift): The present simple tense ("do you go") in the direct speech changes to the past simple tense ("I went") in the reported speech. This is known as "backshift."

6. Pronoun Change: "you" changes to "I" to reflect the perspective of the person reporting the speech.

7. Word Order: The word order changes from interrogative (question) to affirmative (statement) within the reported clause ("how often I went" instead of "how often did I go").