Read the dialogue given below and complete the paragraph that follows
father: where are you going?
son: i am going to my friend’s house.
father: have you completed your homework?
son: no, i’ll do it when i will come back.
father: this is not the right way to answer.
father asked his son (a) the
son replied (b)..to his
friend’s house. the father further questioned
(c)his homework. the son said
that he would do it when (d)the
father disapproved of the son’s way to answer.

The blanks in the paragraph can be filled by using indirect narration of son and father's direct speeches.

Explanation:

Father asked his son (a) where he was going. The  son replied (b) that he was going to his  friend’s house. The father further questioned (c) if he had completed his homework. The son said  that he would do it when (d) he would come back. The  father disapproved of the son’s way to answer.

We have to make some changes in the reporting (outside inverted commas) and reported speech (inside the inverted commas).

For the purpose of simplicity, let's learn about rules relevant to only this task (paragraph).

Part A

i) Since the reported speech (inside inverted commas) is a question, we use asked instead of said.

ii) Since the person (subject) in the reported speech is second person (you) it will be changed according to object in the reporting speech (son). Hence you is changed to he.

iii) Since tense of the reported speech is past (we assume it so from the rest of the paragraph, and it usually is past indefinite), we will change the tense (present continuous) of the reported part and make it past (continuous) tense. (are going to was going).

iv) Since the statement is no more interrogative, question mark (?) at the end is replaced by full stop (.).

Part B:

i) Since the reported speech (inside inverted commas) is a reply to a question, we change said to replied.

ii) Since the person (subject) in the reported speech is first person (I) it will be changed according to subject in the reporting speech (son). Hence I is changed to he.

iii) Since tense of the reporting speech is past, we will change the tense (present continuous) of the reported part and make it past (continuous) tense. (am going to was going).

Part C:

i) Since the reported speech (inside inverted commas) is a Yes/No question, we use if/whether before the subject of reported speech in indirect speech.

ii) Since the person (subject) in the reported speech is second person (you) it will be changed according to object in the reporting speech (son). Hence you is changed to he.

iii) Since tense of the reporting speech is past, we will change the tense present perfect of the reported part and make it past perfect) tense. (have done to had done).

iv) Since the statement is no more interrogative, question mark (?) at the end is replaced by full stop (.).

Part D:

i) Since the person (subject) in the reported speech is first person (I) it will be changed according to subject in the reporting speech (son). Hence I is changed to he.

iii) Since tense of the reporting speech is past, we change will to would in reported speech.

Some common rules for changing persons/pronouns of reported speech  when changing direct speech into indirect speech are;

Change first person of reported speech according to Subject or reporting speech.

Change second person of reported speech according to Object of reporting speech.

No change in third person of reported speech.

Here we get an acronym SON (first person according to Subject, second person according to Object, No change for third person).

a. where he was going

b. he was going

c. if he had completed

d. he would come back

Explanation:

When the sentence form direct speech is changing to indirect speech, there are some changes in verbs and pronouns we should follow.

If the reporting verb  is in the past tense, then the reported verb will change, as it follows:

Present continuous will change into Past continuous.

e.g. Father: Where are you going?

Father asked his son where he was going.

Present perfect will change into Past perfect.

e.g. Father: Have you completed your homework?

Father asked the son if he had completed his homework.

In future tense, will is changed to would.

e.g. Son: No, I'll do it when I will come back.

The son said that he would do it when he would come back .

We also have some major pronoun changes:

1st person pronouns in reported speech always change according to the subject of the reporting speech.

e.g. Son: No, I'll do it when I will come back.

The son said that he would do it when he would come back,

2nd person pronouns in reported speech always change according to the object of the reporting speech.

e.g. Father: Where are you going?

Father asked his son where he was going.

a

explanation: