Question

The customs officer looked at me suspiciously and said, "Can you open your bag please?"

Transform the given direct speech into indirect speech:

• A. He asked me if I could open my bag.
• B. He told me to open my bag.
• C. He requested me to open my bag.
• D. He told me if I can open my bag.

Answer 1

The correct option is A He asked me if I could open my bag.

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 present tense and the appropriate introductory verb 'asked' is used with the appropriate preposition 'if'.

Options B,C, and D are wrong as 'told', 'to' and 'can' cannot be used respectively.

The correct answer is A)He asked me if I could open my bag..