Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
Aditi said to the hostel warden, “Are the washing machines on the second floor working?”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Aditi asked the hostel warden whether the washing machines on the second floor were working.
Changing a question into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the hostel warden | asked the hostel warden | Aditi puts a question. So “said to” becomes “asked”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | whether | “Are the washing machines ... working?” is answered with yes or no, so “whether” joins it. |
| Word order | Are the washing machines ... working | the washing machines ... were working | The question becomes a plain statement. The subject “the washing machines” comes before the verb, and the “?” goes. |
| Tense change | are working | were working | “Are working” is in the present continuous. The present continuous is formed with am / is / are + V-ing. After the past “said” it becomes the past continuous “were working”. The past continuous is formed with was / were + V-ing. |
| Full sentence | Aditi said to the hostel warden, “Are the washing machines on the second floor working?” | Aditi asked the hostel warden whether the washing machines on the second floor were working. |
A question with “is” changes in the same way, and “is” becomes “was”. Example: Dev said to me, “Is the lift free?” → Dev asked me whether the lift was free.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Aditi asked the hostel warden whether were the washing machines on the second floor working. — Incorrect. “Were the washing machines” keeps the question word order. In indirect speech the subject comes first: “whether the washing machines ... were working”.
Option 2: Aditi asked the hostel warden whether the washing machines on the second floor are working. — Incorrect. The present “are working” is kept. After the past “said” it must become “were working”.
Option 3: Aditi told the hostel warden whether the washing machines on the second floor were working. — Incorrect. “Told” reports a statement, not a question. A reported question needs “asked”.