Answer :
Reported speech is a way to express what someone has said by reporting the statement in your own words. It usually involves changing the tense of the original words spoken and adjusting pronouns and time references to fit the reporting context. Let's convert each of the provided direct speech sentences into reported speech:
"Have you heard the weather forecast for tomorrow?" Matt wanted to know.
- Matt wanted to know if I had heard the weather forecast for the following day.
(In this sentence, "tomorrow" changes to "the following day.")
- Matt wanted to know if I had heard the weather forecast for the following day.
"Will we have to evacuate our homes?" she wondered.
- She wondered if they would have to evacuate their homes.
("Will we" is changed to "they would" to match the past tense.)
- She wondered if they would have to evacuate their homes.
"Why didn't you put your raincoat on?" Lou asked Macy.
- Lou asked Macy why she hadn't put her raincoat on.
("Didn't you" becomes "she hadn't" as the sentence shifts to past perfect tense.)
- Lou asked Macy why she hadn't put her raincoat on.
"Do you know when Mr Samuels is coming back?" Stacy inquired.
- Stacy inquired if I knew when Mr Samuels was coming back.
(When using reported speech, we often keep the time reference consistent if it is still true at the time of speaking.)
- Stacy inquired if I knew when Mr Samuels was coming back.
"Where is my umbrella?" Pat asked.
- Pat asked where her umbrella was.
("Is" is changed to "was" to reflect the past tense in reported speech.)
- Pat asked where her umbrella was.
"How strong was the earthquake?" Kelly wanted to know.
- Kelly wanted to know how strong the earthquake had been.
("Was" is changed to "had been" reflecting the past perfect tense in reported speech.)
- Kelly wanted to know how strong the earthquake had been.
When converting to reported speech, it is crucial to change the verb tense, pronouns, and time expressions to fit the perspective of the person doing the reporting.
