1. DIRECT SPEECH AND INDIRECT SPEECH
FOR
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
by
A.Poornima Devi, M.A., M.Phil.,

2. Common Rules
• Comma and quotations will be removed.
• The conjunction “that” will not be used.
• In Indirect speech, the question sentence will be
expressed in positive sentences.
• Question mark will not be used.
• The reporting verb “said” and “told’ is replaced with
“asked” in Indirect Speech.

3. Two Types
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions
• The word “if” or “whether” will
be used.
• Question is changed into
positive form.
E.g. David said to me, “Do you like
coffee?”
David asked me if I liked
coffee.
‘Wh’ questions
• “If” or “Whether” will not be
used.
• Question is changed into
positive form.
E.g. She said to me, “What is your
name?”
She asked me what my name
was.

4. Exercise
• They told me, “Have you gone to London?”
• He said to me, “Did you meet your friend?”
• He said to me, “what are you doing?”
• Teacher told her, “Why did you fail the exam?”
• She said, “Are they waiting for me?”