Understanding Direct and Indirect Speech Conversion

This question asks us to convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect speech. Direct speech uses the exact words spoken, enclosed in quotation marks. Indirect speech, also known as reported speech, tells us what was said but does not use the exact words; it is typically introduced by a reporting verb like 'asked', 'said', or 'told'.

The given sentence is: "I asked the shopkeeper, "What is the price of this bike?""

Let's break down the elements and the rules for converting this interrogative sentence into indirect speech:

• Reporting Verb: The reporting verb is 'asked', which is already in the past tense. This means the tense of the verb in the reported clause will likely change.
• Type of Sentence: The sentence inside the quotation marks is a question ("What is the price of this bike?"). Specifically, it's a 'wh-question' beginning with 'What'.
• Connector: For 'wh-questions' in indirect speech, we use the 'wh-word' itself (in this case, 'what') as the connector. We do not use 'that'.
• Tense Change: When the reporting verb is in the past tense ('asked'), the tense in the reported clause shifts. 'is' (Present Simple) changes to 'was' (Past Simple).
• Pronoun/Demonstrative Change: Words referring to proximity, like 'this', change to words indicating distance, like 'that'. So, 'this bike' becomes 'that bike'.
• Word Order: In direct questions, the structure is often 'wh-word + verb + subject' (e.g., What is the price?). In indirect speech, the reported clause becomes a statement, so the structure changes to 'wh-word + subject + verb' (e.g., what the price was).

Applying these rules to the sentence:

1. Start with the reporting clause: I asked the shopkeeper
2. Add the connector (the wh-word): what
3. Identify the subject of the question: the price of this bike. Convert 'this' to 'that': the price of that bike
4. Identify the verb: is. Change the tense to Past Simple: was
5. Combine the subject and verb in statement order: the price of that bike was

Putting it all together, the indirect form of the sentence is: I asked the shopkeeper what the price of that bike was.

Now let's examine the given options:

• Option 1: I asked the shopkeeper what is the price of this bike.
  - Incorrect. The tense ('is') and the demonstrative ('this') have not been changed. The word order is also incorrect (verb before subject).
• Option 2: I asked the shopkeeper that what the price of this bike was.
  - Incorrect. Using 'that' before 'what' is wrong for a wh-question. The demonstrative ('this') has not been changed.
• Option 3: I asked the shopkeeper what the price of that bike was.
  - Correct. Uses 'what' as the connector, changes 'is' to 'was', changes 'this bike' to 'that bike', and maintains the correct subject-verb order in the reported clause (the price of that bike was).
• Option 4: I asked the shopkeeper what was the price of that bike.
  - Incorrect. The word order in the reported clause is incorrect (verb 'was' comes before the subject 'the price of that bike'). It should follow the subject-verb order of a statement.

Based on the analysis, option 3 correctly converts the direct speech sentence into indirect speech following the rules for reporting wh-questions.

Revision Table: Key Changes in Indirect Speech

Additional Information: Reporting Questions in English Grammar

When reporting questions in indirect speech, the rules differ slightly depending on whether it is a 'Yes/No' question or a 'Wh-question'.

• Reporting Yes/No Questions:
  • Use 'if' or 'whether' as the connector.
  • Example: Direct – "He asked, "Are you coming?"" → Indirect – "He asked if I was coming." (Note: 'are' changes to 'was', 'you' changes to 'I', verb+subject 'Are you' changes to subject+verb 'I was').
• Reporting Wh-Questions (like the one in this problem):
  • Use the wh-word (what, where, when, why, who, how) as the connector.
  • Do NOT use 'that'.
  • Change the tense and other words (pronouns, demonstratives, adverbs of time/place) as required by the reporting verb's tense.
  • Change the word order from question form (verb + subject) to statement form (subject + verb).
  • Example: Direct – "She asked, "Where do you live?"" → Indirect – "She asked where I lived." (Note: 'do you live' changes to 'I lived', verb+subject 'do you' implicit subject 'you' explicit 'I' verb 'live' changes to 'lived', word order changes).

Mastering these rules is crucial for correctly converting sentences between direct and indirect speech, especially for exam preparation.