Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

English

Chapter

Direct/indirect

Question:

Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.

The traveller said to a passerby, "Can you help me find my way, please?''

Options:

The traveller asked the passerby could you kindly help me find my way?

The traveller requested to the passerby if he can help him find his way.

The traveller asked the passerby that he can kindly help him find his way.

The traveller asked the passerby if he could kindly help him find his way

Correct Answer:

The traveller asked the passerby if he could kindly help him find his way

Explanation:

The correct indirect form of the given sentence is:

The traveller asked the passerby if he could kindly help him find his way.

The other options are incorrect:

  • The traveller asked the passerby could you kindly help me find my way? - This is incorrect because the modal verb "could" is in the present tense, but the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense.
  • The traveller requested to the passerby if he can help him find his way. - This is incorrect because the preposition "to" is unnecessary in this context.
  • The traveller asked the passerby that he can kindly help him find his way. - This is incorrect because the word order in the reported speech is incorrect. The correct word order would be "if he could kindly help him find his way".