Question

Change the following sentence into indirect narration :
"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

Hint:

When converting questions to indirect speech, remember the acronym 'Q-T-P': change the Question format to a statement, change the Tense, and change the Pronouns.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The task is to convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech.
Step 2: Key Concepts: Rules for Converting Interrogative Sentences:
1. Reporting Verb: Change 'said' or 'said to' to 'asked', 'inquired', etc. Here, 'asked' is already given.
2. Conjunction: For yes/no questions (starting with an auxiliary verb like 'will', 'is', 'do'), use 'if' or 'whether' to connect the reporting clause and the reported speech. Quotation marks are removed.
3. Tense Change: The verb in the reported speech is changed to its corresponding past form. 'Will' changes to 'would'.
4. Pronoun Change: Pronouns are changed according to the speaker and listener. 'you' changes depending on who Della is speaking to. 'my' (referring to the speaker, Della) changes to 'her'.
5. Sentence Structure: The interrogative form (verb before subject) is changed to the assertive form (subject before verb).
Step 3: Applying the Rules:
- Direct Speech: "Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
- Reporting Verb: ... asked Della. (remains the same)
- Conjunction: Use 'if' or 'whether'. -> Della asked if...
- Pronoun Change: 'you' becomes 'he/she/I' (assuming Della is asking someone). 'my' becomes 'her'. -> ...if he would buy her hair.
- Tense and Structure Change: 'Will you buy...' (interrogative) becomes '...he would buy...' (assertive).
Step 4: Final Answer:
The sentence in indirect narration is: Della asked if he/she would buy her hair. (The object 'he' or 'she' can be assumed). A more general answer is Della asked whether the person would buy her hair.