Select the suitable option to convert the following into Indirect Speech:
Philip said to me, "When did you give the parcel to John ?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Philip asked me when I had given the parcel to John.
Question (wh-word) in indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to | asked | “Said to” becomes “asked” (or enquired of). |
| Word order | did you give | I had given | The question becomes a statement: subject before verb, “when I had given”, and the question mark is dropped. |
| Tense change | did give | had given | Simple past “did give” becomes “had given” (past perfect). |
| Pronoun change | you | I | “You” becomes “I”, because the question was put to the narrator (“said to me”). |
| Full sentence | Philip said to me, “When did you give the parcel to John?” | Philip asked me when I had given the parcel to John. |
The question word when joins the clause. No "that" is added.
Example: She said to him, “Where did you buy this pen?” → She asked him where he had bought that pen.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Philip ordered me when I give the parcel to John. — Incorrect.
- "ordered" reports a command, not a question.
- "give" is not changed into the past perfect.
Option 3: Philip told me to gave the parcel to John. — Incorrect.
- "told me to ..." reports an instruction, and the question word "when" is lost.
- "to gave" is wrong. "To" takes the base form.
Option 4: Philip enquired me when I gave John the parcel. — Incorrect.
- "enquired me" is wrong. Enquire takes of before the person ("enquired of me").
- "gave" is not changed into the past perfect "had given".