Choose the correct indirect speech form of the following sentence.
The labourers said to the contractor, "Did you ask the manager when we are going to receive our remuneration that has been pending for the last three months?"
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Rule for Change from Direct speech to Indirect speech:
Reporting Verb: "Said to" changes to "asked" because the original sentence is a question.
Conjunction: Since it's a yes/no question starting with "Did," the conjunction "if" (or "whether") is used.
Tense Shift (Past Indefinite to Past Perfect): "Did you ask" is in the simple past, which shifts to the past perfect "had asked" in indirect speech.
Tense Shift (Present Continuous to Past Continuous): "Are going" shifts to "were going" to align with the past reporting.
Tense Shift (Present Perfect to Past Perfect): "Has been pending" becomes "had been pending".
Pronoun & Time Changes: "We" and "our" change to "they" and "their".
"Last" changes to "previous".
Indirect Speech:
The labourers asked the contractor if he had asked the manager when they were going to receive their remuneration that had been pending for the previous three months.