Choose the most appropriate option of indirect construction of the given sentence from the options given below:
Rohit said to me," Did you see the Women's World Cup semifinal cricket match last night?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Rohit asked me if I had seen the women's World Cup semifinal cricket match the previous night.
Yes/no question in indirect speech:
A reply to such a question is joined with "that".
Other standard changes: is/am/are → was/were, do/does → did, has/have → had, will → would, can → could, may → might.
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to | asked | “Said to” becomes asked. |
| Joining word | “ ” (inverted commas) | if | If (or whether) joins the two parts. The question becomes a statement and the question mark is dropped. |
| Tense change | Did ... see | had seen | The reporting verb is in the past, so the simple past “did ... see” moves back to the past perfect had seen. |
| Pronoun change | you | I | “You” becomes I, since Rohit was speaking to the person who now reports. |
| Words of nearness (time and place) | last night | the previous night | “Last night” becomes the previous night. |
| Full sentence | Rohit said to me, “Did you see the Women's World Cup semifinal cricket match last night?” | Rohit asked me if I had seen the women's World Cup semifinal cricket match the previous night. |
Example: She said to me, “Did you call him?” → She asked me if I had called him.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Rohit asked me whether I saw the women's World Cup semifinal cricket match that night. — Incorrect.
- "saw" is not moved back to "had seen".
- "last night" becomes "that night", which changes the meaning. It should be "the previous night".
Option 2: Rohit asked me if I saw the women's World Cup semifinal cricket match last night. — Incorrect. Neither the tense ("saw") nor the time words ("last night") are changed.
Option 4: Rohit told me if I saw the women's World Cup semifinal cricket match before night. — Incorrect.
- "told" cannot report a question. It needs "asked".
- "saw" is not moved back, and "before night" is not standard English for "the previous night".
Contrast: a question is reported with asked ... if/whether. "Told" cannot report a question.