9.(ii) Report the conversation given below by filling in the blanks to complete the following paragraph : Teacher : Why didn't you submit your homework yesterday ? Student : I am sorry ma'am. I wasn't feeling well. The teacher asked the student _.
9.(ii) Report the conversation given below by filling in the blanks to complete the following paragraph : Teacher : Why didn't you submit your homework yesterday ? Student : I am sorry ma'am. I wasn't feeling well. The teacher asked the student _.
why he had not submitted his homework the previous day - correct because the wh-word 'why' is retained as connector, the clause is put in statement order, the tense is back-shifted to past perfect, and 'you/yesterday' change to 'he/the previous day'.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: correct connector 'why' + correct tense back-shift ('had not submitted') + correct pronoun ('he') and time change ('the previous day'/'the day before').
- 2Accept 'why he had not submitted his homework the day before' as an equivalent correct answer.
- 3Accept 'why he had not handed in/done his homework the previous day'.
- 4No mark if 'if/whether/that' is used, or if the interrogative word order/question mark is retained, or tense is not back-shifted.
Hint
Keep the wh-word 'why', drop the question mark, back-shift 'didn't submit' to 'had not submitted', and change 'yesterday' to 'the previous day'.
Quick Oral Answer
The teacher asked the student why he had not submitted his homework the previous day.
Analysis & Explanation
This item tests indirect speech for a 'Wh-' question, which requires three simultaneous changes.
Concept
- Connector: a wh-question keeps its own wh-word ('why') as the link - never 'that' or 'if/whether'.
- Word order: the interrogative order is dropped; the reported clause reads like a statement, with no question mark.
- Tense back-shift and deixis: past simple 'didn't submit' -> past perfect 'had not submitted'; 'yesterday' -> 'the previous day'; 'you' -> 'he'.
Common mistakes
- Inserting 'that/if/whether' before a wh-question (only 'why' is needed).
- Retaining the question word order or the question mark, or forgetting to back-shift the tense.
Real-world use
- Accurate reported speech underlies note-taking, journalism and relaying conversations without quoting them verbatim.
Common Mistakes
- 1Using 'if' or 'whether' instead of keeping the wh-word 'why' for a wh-question.
- 2Retaining the interrogative order or the question mark: 'why did he not submit...?' instead of the statement form 'why he had not submitted...'.
- 3Failing to change 'yesterday' to 'the previous day', or leaving the pronoun as 'you'.
Previously Asked
Report: The King: How will the new policy benefit college students? Minister 2: The policy will provide for an interdisciplinary education that has flexible study plans.
Interesting Facts
In reported speech, 'yesterday' regularly becomes 'the previous day' or 'the day before', 'today' becomes 'that day', and 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day' — a fixed set of deictic shifts examiners look for.
Wh-questions keep their question word as the connector in indirect speech, whereas yes/no questions switch to 'if' or 'whether' — a distinction that decides the mark here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we use 'why' instead of 'if' or 'whether' here?
The original sentence is a 'Wh-' question ('Why didn't you...?'). In reported speech, wh-questions keep their question word as the connector, so 'why' stays. Only yes/no questions ('Did you...?') switch to 'if' or 'whether'.
Does 'didn't submit' always become 'had not submitted'?
When the reporting verb is in the past ('asked'), the past simple back-shifts to the past perfect, so 'didn't submit' becomes 'had not submitted'. This one-step-back tense shift is standard in CBSE reported-speech answers.