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A comma is put after the reporting verb to No comma is put after the reporting
separate it from the reported speech. verb.

The verb in the reported speech remains The verb in the reported speech

unchanged. changes.

Interrogative Sentences

In reporting a question in indirect speech, the reporting verb is changed to:

asked, demanded, inquired, wanted to know, etc.

Direct : Isha’s mother said to her, ‘‘Are you feeling well?’’

Indirect : Isha’s mother asked her if she was feeling well.

When the question begins with is, are, do, has, have, will, shall, can, we use if or
whether to introduce the reported speech. Such questions can be answered in ‘yes’

or ‘no’. That’s why they are called ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.

Direct : The teacher said to the children, ‘‘Have you finished your work?’’

Indirect : The teacher asked the children if they had finished their work.

When the question begins with words like what, who, which, whose, when, where,
how, why, the same words are used to introduce indirect speech. Such questions

are called ‘Wh’-questions. In such questions, no conjunction is used to introduce the
reported speech.

Direct : He said to me, ‘‘What is your name?’’

Indirect : He asked me what my name was.

Direct : I said to my friend Ishita, ‘‘Where have you gone during the winter break?’’

Indirect : I asked my friend Ishita where she had gone during the winter break.

Test Yourself

A. Rewrite these sentences into indirect speech.

1. The man said to the policeman, ‘‘I have lost my luggage.’’

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