Free Competitive English (Direct and Indirect) Questions and Answers

Question 1

Mike asked me, "Did you see the Cricket match on the television last night?"

Accepted Answer

Mike asked me whether I had see the Cricket match on television the earlier night

Answer

When converting a direct question in the past simple tense ('Did you see?') to reported speech, the tense shifts to the past perfect ('had seen'). Additionally, time expressions like 'last night' change to 'the earlier night' or 'the previous night' to reflect the shift in time perspective. The use of 'whether' is correct for reporting yes/no questions. (Note: The provided correct answer has a typo 'had see' instead of 'had seen').

Question 2

"Janice will leave for her native country tomorrow," Josh informed Janna.

Accepted Answer

Josh told Janna that Janice would leave for her native place the next day

Answer

When converting direct speech to reported speech, the future tense 'will' changes to 'would' because the reporting verb ('informed' or 'told') is in the past tense. Also, time expressions like 'tomorrow' change to 'the next day' or 'the following day' to accurately reflect the shift in time perspective.

Question 3

Why are you working so hard, I asked him.

Accepted Answer

I asked him why he was working so hard

Answer

When converting a direct question to reported speech, the word order changes from interrogative (verb before subject, e.g., 'why are you') to assertive (subject before verb, e.g., 'why he was'). The present continuous tense ('are you working') shifts to the past continuous tense ('he was working') because the reporting verb ('asked') is in the past.

Question 4

It was a chilly day, he told her.

Accepted Answer

He exclaimed that it was a very cold day

Answer

In reported speech, the reporting verb can sometimes be changed to better convey the speaker's emotion or manner, such as 'exclaimed' instead of 'told' to suggest a stronger feeling. While 'chilly' means cold, 'very cold' emphasizes the degree, which aligns with an exclamation. This option interprets the tone and intensity of the original statement.

Question 5

Will you have the suit done by tomorrow evening, the tailor asked him.

Accepted Answer

The tailor asked him if he would have the suit ready by the next evening

Answer

For a yes/no question in reported speech, 'if' or 'whether' is used to introduce the clause. The future tense 'will' changes to 'would' when the reporting verb ('asked') is in the past tense. Additionally, 'tomorrow evening' changes to 'the next evening' to reflect the shift in time perspective.

Competitive English Practice Test

Competitive English Practice Test

Free Competitive English (Direct and Indirect) Questions and Answers