Question

EXERCISE - 2
fut the following into Indirect Speech :
Why are you looking through the keyhole?" I said.
Who put salt in my coffee?" he asked.
Which of you know how to make Irish stew?" said the chief cook.
Why did you travel in first class?" I asked him.
* How can I possibly run in this tight skirt?" she inquired.
What is your new house like?" I asked him.
1 He said, "Where am I supposed to go now?"​

Answer 1

Answer:

I asked why he/she was looking through the keyhole

he asked who put salt in his coffee

the chief cook asked which of them knew how to make Irish stew

I asked him why he had travelled in first class

she asked how she could possibly run in that right skit

I asked him what his new house was like

he asked where he was supposed to go then

Answer 2

Answer:

1. I asked them why they were looking through the keyhole.
2. He asked about who put salt in his coffee.
3. The chief cook asked if any of us knew how to make Irish stew.
4. I asked him why would he travel in first class.
5. She inquired about how could she possibly run in that tight skirt.
6. I asked him what his new house was like.
7. He asked where he was supposed to go.

Explanation:

1. Since in the first sentence gender of the subject is not specified we consider it as they/them. Then general rules of indirect speech conversion apply and the first person changes into third person narrative.

2. An additional word "about" is added because it expresses the questioning tone of the first person sentence.

3. The third person of this sentence includes "if" because it expresses the concern of the chef "which one of you know". The which one gets replaced by if any of us and the sentence gets converted.

4. Did you from the first person becomes would you in the third person conversion. Rest is the same conversion.

5. The conversion of can to could indicates change in speech.

6. The is changes to was and the sentence gets converted to indirect speech.

7. The word now gets omitted and am changes to was.

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