Question

Change the given sentence into indirect speech:
‘Are you coming with us?’ he asked me.
A. He asked me are you coming with us.
B. He asked me was I coming with them.
C. He asked me if I was going with them.
D. He asked me am I going with them.

Answer 1

Hint: Direct Speech – The way of presenting a speech by repeating the actual words of a speaker.

Indirect speech - Indirect speech is presenting the words or phrase of the speaker in an indirect way rather than repeating the same exact words.

Complete step by step answer:
Rules of Direct – Indirect Speech:

1. To Identify Reporting Verb and Reported Speech
A sentence which contains direct speech consists of two parts. The part that is inside the quotation marks is called reported speech. The other is called reporting speech.

2. Punctuation Rules
Inverted commas are excluded
The question mark is replaced into a full stop
The exclamation mark is silenced
Comma, in some cases, is used

3. Use of conjunction
The conjunction is placed between reported and reporting speech.

4. Rules for Changing Pronouns in Indirect Speech
If the reporting speech contains the first-person pronoun, it will be changed as per the pronoun of the speech, if it is a third-person pronoun. If the reported speech consists of the second person, it is changed as per the object of reporting speech. The Third Person in reported speech is not changed in indirect speech.

5. Verb tense change
Simple present changes to simple past
Present continuous to past continuous
Present perfect into past perfect
Simple past into past perfect
Past continuous into past perfect continuous
Past perfect remains unchanged

In option a, the verb doesn’t change its tense in the indirect speech and there is no use of proper conjunction. So, this option is incorrect.

In option b, there is absence of proper conjunction and in indirect speech the main subject comes before the verb. So, this option is also incorrect.

In option c, the sentence fulfils all the rules of the direct indirect speech. The verb tense is correct, the use of conjunction is appropriate, the order of the words is correct. So, this option is correct.

In option d, the positioning of the verb is wrong and the tense of the verb used is also wrong. So, this option is also incorrect.

Note: The tense of the verb and its positioning should be correct.