Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.

She said to me, 'Are you going to the college?'

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

OSSC Excise SI (Mains) Official Paper (Held On: 17 Oct, 2024 Shift 2)

Answer 1

The correct answer is Option 2.

Key Points

Direct Speech: She said to me, 'Are you going to the college?'
Key Conversions:
- Reporting verb: 'said to' changes to 'asked' because it's a question.
- Conjunction: 'if' or 'whether' is used to introduce the indirect question.
- Pronoun: 'you' changes to 'I' as the question is addressed to 'me'.
- Tense: 'are going' changes to 'was going' as the reporting verb 'said' is in the past tense.
Punctuation and Format:
- Indirect speech does not use quotation marks.
- The question mark is replaced by a period.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option 2.

Correct Sentence: She asked me if I was going to the college.

Additional Information

Option 1: She asked me if I am going to the college.
- Incorrect tense. The present continuous 'am going' should change to past continuous 'was going' when the reporting verb is in the past.
Option 3: She asked me if you are going to the college.
- Incorrect pronoun. 'You' should be changed to 'I' as the speaker is reporting what was asked of them.
Option 4: She told me if I am going to the college.
- Incorrect reporting verb. 'Told' is used for statements, not questions. 'Asked' is the correct reporting verb for questions. Also, the tense is incorrect.