Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
Mrs D’Souza said to the TTE, “Could you please find me a lower berth in this coach?”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Mrs D’Souza requested the TTE to find her a lower berth in that coach.
Changing a polite request into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the TTE | requested the TTE | “Could you please ...?” looks like a question, but it is a polite request. So “said to” becomes “requested”. The TTE is the ticket checker on a train. |
| To + verb | Could you please find | to find | “Could you”, “please” and the question mark are dropped. The request is reported with “to” + verb, so “find” becomes “to find”. |
| Pronoun change | me | her | Mrs D’Souza is the speaker, so “me” becomes “her”. |
| Place word | this | that | The words are reported later, away from the coach. So “this” becomes “that”. |
| Full sentence | Mrs D’Souza said to the TTE, “Could you please find me a lower berth in this coach?” | Mrs D’Souza requested the TTE to find her a lower berth in that coach. |
“Would you please ...?” changes in the same way. Example: Anil said to his friend, “Would you please lend me your notes?” → Anil requested his friend to lend him his notes.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Mrs D’Souza requested the TTE could he please find her a lower berth in that coach. — Incorrect. “Could he please find” keeps the question form. After “requested” + person, the request must be “to” + verb.
Option 2: Mrs D’Souza requested to the TTE to find her a lower berth in that coach. — Incorrect. “Requested” takes the person straight after it. The “to” before “the TTE” is wrong.
Option 3: Mrs D’Souza requested the TTE to find me a lower berth in that coach. — Incorrect. “Me” is left unchanged. Mrs D’Souza is the speaker, so it must become “her”.