Question

The teacher said, "Is anyone there?"
( Choose the correct indirect speech )

• A. The teacher asked if anyone was there
• B. The teacher will ask if anyone was there
• C. The teacher had said if anyone was there
• D. The teacher will say if anyone was there

Hint:

In indirect speech, questions are usually introduced with "asked if" or "asked whether," and the tenses are generally changed to the past tense.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding Indirect Speech:
In indirect speech, we report what someone has said without quoting their exact words. When the direct speech is in the present tense or future tense, we typically change it to past tense in indirect speech. Questions that start with "Is/Are" in direct speech generally change to "asked if" or "asked whether" in indirect speech.
Step 2: Analyzing the Options:
- The teacher asked if anyone was there: This is the correct form for indirect speech. The verb "said" in direct speech changes to "asked" in indirect speech, and the question "Is anyone there?" becomes "if anyone was there."
- The teacher will ask if anyone was there: This is incorrect because indirect speech doesn't retain the future tense when reporting a past event.
- The teacher had said if anyone was there: This is incorrect because we don't use the past perfect tense when transforming simple present tense questions in indirect speech.
- The teacher will say if anyone was there: This is incorrect for the same reason as option (B) — the future tense is not used in indirect speech for past events.
Step 3: Conclusion:
The correct answer is The teacher asked if anyone was there.