Question

"Is the doctor attending the child ?" the visitor asked. This can be reported as :

• A. The visitor asked if the doctor was attending the child.
• B. The visitor asked whether the doctor is attending the child.
• C. The visitor asked that the doctor is attending the child.
• D. The visitor asked was the doctor attending the child.

Answer 1

Answer:

A. The visitor asked if the doctor was attending the child.

The direct speech is:

“Is the doctor attending the child?” the visitor asked.

This is a Yes/No question, so in reported speech we use if/whether.

Rule:
asked + if/whether + subject + verb

Since the reporting verb “asked” is in the past tense, the present continuous “is attending” changes to past continuous “was attending.”

👉 Direct: Is the doctor attending the child?
👉 Reported: The visitor asked if the doctor was attending the child.

• was attending ✅ Correct.

• is attending ❌ Tense should normally change to was attending.

• that ❌ Not used for a Yes/No question.

• was the doctor attending ❌ Question word order is not used in reported speech.