Direction: In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct/Indirect…
20252023
Direction: In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct/Indirect speech. Out of the four alternatives choose the one which best expresses the sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.
He said to his wife, “Do you need this dress?”
- A.
He asked his wife if she needed that dress.
- B.
He asked his wife if she needs this dress.
- C.
He asked his wife if she had needed this dress.
- D.
He asked his wife if she need this dress.
Attempted by 436 students.
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Correct answer: A
Solution
Correct indirect speech: He asked his wife if she needed that dress.
Why this is correct:
Change the reporting verb 'said to' to 'asked' when converting a question.
Use 'if' for a yes/no question when turning direct speech into indirect speech.
Backshift the tense: present simple 'need' becomes past simple 'needed' after a past reporting verb.
Change the pronoun 'you' to 'she' to match the object 'wife'.
Change the demonstrative 'this' to 'that', and replace the question mark with a full stop.
Why the other choices are incorrect:
The sentence that keeps 'needs' and 'this' is incorrect because the tense is not backshifted and the demonstrative is not changed.
The sentence using 'had needed' is incorrect because past perfect is not required and it alters the meaning by implying a prior need.
The sentence that uses 'need' (without 's' or past form) is grammatically wrong in reported speech after a past reporting verb.
Therefore, the correct indirect form is: He asked his wife if she needed that dress.
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