Select the most appropriate Indirect Speech of the given sentence
My mother said to me, "Are you telling me the truth?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) - My mother asked me if I was telling her the truth.
The correct answer is: "My mother asked me if I was telling her the truth."
To convert Direct Speech to Indirect Speech, follow these steps:
"My mother said to me, 'Are you telling me the truth?'"
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Change the reporting verb:
- "Said to" → "Asked" (since it's a question).
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Use "if" or "whether" for Yes/No questions:
- "Are you telling me the truth?" → "If I was telling her the truth."
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Change pronouns and tense appropriately:
- "You" → "I" (since "me" is reporting the sentence).
- "Me" → "Her" (referring to "mother").
- The present continuous "Are telling" changes to past continuous "was telling" (as per the rule of backshifting in reported speech).
Correct Indirect Speech Sentence: "My mother asked me if I was telling her the truth."
OTHER OPTIONS
- "My mother told me that I was telling her the truth." → "Told" is incorrect because the sentence is a question, not a statement.
- "My mother asked me that I was telling her the truth." → "That" is incorrect; Yes/No questions require "if" or "whether."
- "My mother had asked me if I was telling her the truth." → Incorrect because "had asked" changes the reporting verb to past perfect unnecessarily.