Select the option that correctly expresses the given sentence in direct speech.
The coach asked us when we were planning to begin practice.
- A"When will you to begin practice?", the coach asked us.
- B"When do you plan to begin practice?", the coach asked us.
- C"When are you planning to begin practice?", the coach asked us.
- D"When did you planning to begin practice?", the coach asked us.
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
To convert the given indirect speech back to direct speech, let's reverse the changes made:
The reporting verb "asked us" corresponds to "asked us" or "said to us".
The indirect question has an assertive structure: "...when we were planning...". In direct speech, it must become an interrogative question starting with the question word "When".
The pronoun "we" refers to the listeners ("us"), which changes back to the second person pronoun you in direct speech.
The tense in indirect speech is past continuous ("were planning"), which means it must have been present continuous ("are planning") in direct speech.
Combining these rules gives us: "When are you planning to begin practice?", the coach asked us. This perfectly matches option C.
The reporting verb "asked us" corresponds to "asked us" or "said to us".
The indirect question has an assertive structure: "...when we were planning...". In direct speech, it must become an interrogative question starting with the question word "When".
The pronoun "we" refers to the listeners ("us"), which changes back to the second person pronoun you in direct speech.
The tense in indirect speech is past continuous ("were planning"), which means it must have been present continuous ("are planning") in direct speech.
Combining these rules gives us: "When are you planning to begin practice?", the coach asked us. This perfectly matches option C.