Choose the correct indirect speech form of the following sentence.
Nandini said to Minal, "What shall I give you on your birthday next year?"
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
Nandini asked Minal what she would give her on her birthday the following year.
Explanation
Reporting Verb Rule Since the direct speech sentence is an interrogative sentence (a question), the reporting verb phrase "said to" changes to "asked" in indirect speech.
Wh- Question Conjunction Rule For questions beginning with an interrogative word like "What", no external conjunction (like that or if) is used. The question word "what" itself functions to connect the clauses, and the sentence structure changes from interrogative to assertive (Subject + Verb).
Pronoun Change
The first-person pronoun "I" refers to the speaker, Nandini, and therefore changes to the third-person singular pronoun "she".
The second-person pronouns "you" and "your" refer to the listener, Minal, and change to "her" and "her" respectively.
Modal Verb Shift The modal verb "shall" in the original question is used here to make an offer or future inquiry on behalf of "I". When "I" backshifts to "she" in indirect speech, the future modal shifts from shall to "would" to match the third-person singular subject.
Time Phrase Conversion Specific time expressions must be modified to reflect the shift in perspective. The phrase "next year" accurately converts into "the following year".
Combining these adjustments makes the first option the only grammatically complete conversion.
Key Points
Direct Form Nandini said to Minal, "What shall I give you on your birthday next year?"
Indirect Form Nandini asked Minal what she would give her on her birthday the following year.
Grammatical Role Indirect speech transformation for questions (manages reporting verb modification, pronoun tracking, modal tense backshifting, and time phrase substitution).