Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
Kiran said to her brother, “Shall we take the metro to the stadium?”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Kiran asked her brother whether they should take the metro to the stadium.
Changing a “Shall we” question into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to her brother | asked her brother | Kiran puts a question. So “said to” becomes “asked”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | whether | The question is answered with yes or no. So “whether” (or “if”) joins it. |
| Word order | Shall we take | they should take | The question becomes a plain statement. The subject “they” comes before the verb. |
| Tense change | shall | should | “Shall we” asks what to do. In the report “shall” becomes “should” (should + base form (V1)). |
| Pronoun change | we | they | “We” means Kiran and her brother together. So it becomes “they”. |
| Full sentence | Kiran said to her brother, “Shall we take the metro to the stadium?” | Kiran asked her brother whether they should take the metro to the stadium. |
“Shall I” changes in the same way. Example: Arun said to the teacher, “Shall I clean the board?” → Arun asked the teacher whether he should clean the board.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Kiran asked her brother whether they shall take the metro to the stadium. — Incorrect. “Shall” is left unchanged. In the report it must become “should”.
Option 3: Kiran asked her brother whether should they take the metro to the stadium. — Incorrect. “Should they” keeps the question word order. In indirect speech the subject comes first: “they should”.
Option 4: Kiran asked her brother whether we should take the metro to the stadium. — Incorrect. “We” is left unchanged. It means Kiran and her brother, so in the report it becomes “they”.