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Difficulty: Very hardDirect and Indirect (Reported) Speech

Read the direct speech statement below:

"Why did you not inform me earlier that the board meeting had been rescheduled to today?" the director inquired of her secretary.

Which of the following options correctly renders the sentence in indirect (reported) speech?

  1. The director inquired of her secretary why she had not informed her earlier that the board meeting had been rescheduled to that day.Answer
  2. B
    The director inquired of her secretary why had she not informed her earlier that the board meeting had been rescheduled to today.
  3. C
    The director inquired of her secretary why she did not inform her earlier that the board meeting was rescheduled to that day.
  4. D
    The director inquired of her secretary that why she had not informed her earlier that the board meeting had been rescheduled to that day.

Answer

The director inquired of her secretary why she had not informed her earlier that the board meeting had been rescheduled to that day.
The correct response properly changes the direct WH-question into statement word order ('why she had not informed'), backshifts the past simple tense ('did not inform') to the past perfect tense ('had not informed'), and updates the time adverbial ('today') to 'that day'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the reporting verb and sentence type
The reporting verb 'inquired' is in the past tense, and the direct speech is a WH-question beginning with 'Why did you not...'.
Past reporting verbs require tense backshifting, pronoun realignment, and adverbial changes.
2
Convert word order from interrogative to declarative structure
'why did you not inform' becomes 'why she had not informed'.
Reported questions do not use inverted auxiliary order or the auxiliary 'do/did'.
3
Apply backshifting to the main verb tense
The simple past 'did not inform' shifts back to the past perfect 'had not informed'. The past perfect 'had been rescheduled' remains in the past perfect form.
Simple past tenses shift to past perfect when converted into indirect speech under a past reporting verb.
4
Adjust time and place adverbs
'today' changes to 'that day'.
Time expressions indicating present or immediate context must shift to match the reported perspective.

Key Concept

Direct to Indirect Speech Transformation of WH-Questions with Tense Backshifting and Adverbial Shifts
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Topics

Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech

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