Select the option that expresses the given sentence in direct speech.
The ticket collector asked the passengers where their tickets were.
- AThe ticket collector said to the passengers, “Where your tickets were?”
- BThe ticket collector said to the passengers, “Where were your tickets?”
- CThe ticket collector demanded the passengers, “Show me your tickets”
- DThe ticket collector said to the passengers, “Where are your tickets?”
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
To convert the indirect interrogative sentence into direct speech:
The reporting verb "asked" changes back to "said to".
The conjunction 'where' is replaced with quotation marks, and the question structure is restored.
The past tense verb "were" changes back to the present tense "are" because the original question was asked in the present tense.
The pronoun "their" changes back to "your" to address the passengers directly.
This matches option D: The ticket collector said to the passengers, “Where are your tickets?”
The reporting verb "asked" changes back to "said to".
The conjunction 'where' is replaced with quotation marks, and the question structure is restored.
The past tense verb "were" changes back to the present tense "are" because the original question was asked in the present tense.
The pronoun "their" changes back to "your" to address the passengers directly.
This matches option D: The ticket collector said to the passengers, “Where are your tickets?”