Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
The teacher said to the student, “Why were you absent yesterday?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct indirect form of the given sentence is:
The teacher asked the student why he had been absent the previous day.
The other options are incorrect for the following reasons:
- The teacher informed the student that why he had been absent the next day. - The word "that" is not necessary in indirect speech. The phrase "the next day" is also incorrect, as the teacher is asking the student about the previous day.
- The teacher asked the student why had he been absent the previous day. - The verb "had" is missing the helping verb "to".
- The teacher asked the student why had been he absent the previous day. - The word order is incorrect.