Question

Change the following statement into indirect speech.

"What shall I say, mother?" she said.

• A. She asked her mother what she should say.
• B. She told her mother what she should say.
• C. She asked her mother that what she should say.
• D. She asked her mother that should she say.

Answer 1

The correct option is A She asked her mother what she should say.

The two ways of relating what a person has said are 1)direct and 2)indirect (reported).

In the direct speech, the exact words of the original speaker are repeated.

In the indirect speech (reported speech), the exact meaning of what the speaker told is expressed but not necessarily in the speaker’s exact words.

Option A is correct as the question in the inverted commas is in the simple future tense, the appropriate introductory verb 'asked' is used, and 'should' is used.

Options B, C, and D are wrong as 'told' cannot be used, 'that' is not required, and, 'what' is missing respectively.

The correct answer is A)She asked her mother what she should say.