Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:-
The teacher said to the boy, "Why don't you bring your books?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The teacher asked the boy why he didn't bring his books.
Wh-question in indirect speech:
Other standard changes: do/does → did, is/am → was, are → were, will → would, can → could, has/have → had.
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to | asked | “Said to” becomes asked. The question word why joins the two parts (no “that”). |
| Word order | Why don't you bring ...? | why he didn't bring ... | The question becomes a statement, subject before verb (“why he didn't bring”), and the question mark is dropped. |
| Tense change | don't | didn't | The reporting verb is in the past, so the simple present “don't” becomes the simple past didn't. |
| Pronoun change | you, your | he, his | “You” becomes he. “Your” becomes his. |
| Full sentence | The teacher said to the boy, “Why don't you bring your books?” | The teacher asked the boy why he didn't bring his books. |
Example: She said to me, “Why do you come late?” → She asked me why I came late.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The teacher said to the boy that why don't you bring your books? — Incorrect.
- "said to" is kept and "that why" joins the clause. A question is reported with "asked" and the question word only.
- The question order, the tense, the pronouns and the question mark are all left unchanged.
Option 3: The teacher asked the boy, why didn't he bring your books?" — Incorrect.
- It keeps the question order ("why didn't he bring") and the question mark.
- "your" is not changed to "his".
Option 4: The teacher asked the boy, why didn't he bring his books. — Incorrect. The pronouns are right, but it keeps the question order "why didn't he bring" instead of the statement order "why he didn't bring".