Question

Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word.
 "Do you need a pen?" Anne asked me___________ a pen.
A. do you need
B. did I need
C. if I needed
D. whether she needed

Answer 1

Hint: Here the tense in reported speech is in present tense so it has to be converted in past tense for its conversion into indirect speech. Direct speech is a phrase in which speech marks (also known as quotation marks or inverted commas) repeat the exact words spoken whereas indirect speech is a way of communicating, without directly quoting, the content of arguments, questions or other arguments, as is done in direct speech.

Complete answer:
The reporting verb is converted into 'asked' or 'enquired' in an interrogative sentence. 'Asked' is followed by 'if' or 'when' if the question begins with a supporting verb. The issue is transformed into a declaration. In indirect expression, the pronoun "me" will transform into "I." In indirect expression, therefore, the sentence must be, Anne asked me if I needed a pen. Thus option C is the correct answer. Options A, B, D are incorrect as they do not follow the rules of Narration and Reporting.

Additional Information:
Direct To Indirect Speech Conversion – Reporting Verb. When the reporting verb of direct speech is in past tense then all the present tenses are changed to the corresponding past tense in indirect speech.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note: First of all study all the rules of direct to indirect conversion, only then you will be able to answer these types of questions. After reading all the given options thoroughly, assess what the correct answer may be.