Out of the options given below choose the suitable transformation into Indirect Speech.
She said," Are they just going to repeat what they said today?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → She asked them if they were just going to repeat what they had said that day.
Yes/no question in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said | asked them if | “Said” becomes “asked”, and the question is joined with “if” or “whether”. |
| Word order | Are they | they were | The question becomes a statement, “they were”, and the question mark goes. |
| Tense change | are going, said | were going, had said | The reporting verb is in the past, so the tenses move back: “are going” becomes “were going”. “Said” becomes “had said”. |
| Words of nearness | today | that day | “Today” becomes “that day”. |
| Full sentence | She said, “Are they just going to repeat what they said today?” | She asked them if they were just going to repeat what they had said that day. |
Example: He said, “Are you ready?” → He asked if I was ready.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She asked them to repeat what they said that day. — Incorrect. It turns the question into a request to repeat, which changes the meaning, and "said" is not changed to "had said".
Option 3: She asked them to repeat what they said earlier. — Incorrect. Again a request, not a question, and "today" is lost.
Option 4: She never asked them to repeat their statements. — Incorrect. It says the opposite of the direct speech: she did ask them a question.