Yamini asked her friend Shifa, “ Would you like to come for my birthday party tomorrow ?” Report Yamini's question correctly.
Yamini asked her friend Shifa, “ Would you like to come for my birthday party tomorrow ?” Report Yamini's question correctly.
Yamini asked Shifa if/whether she would like to come for her birthday party the following day.
Marking Scheme
- 10.25 mark: correct connector 'if' or 'whether' used to introduce the reported question.
- 20.25 mark: statement word order restored (she would like, not would she like) with no question mark.
- 30.25 mark: correct pronoun shifts — 'you' to 'she', 'my' to 'her'.
- 40.25 mark: correct time expression change — 'tomorrow' to 'the following day/the next day'.
Hint
For Yes/No questions in reported speech, insert 'if/whether', invert to statement word order, shift pronouns, and change 'tomorrow' to 'the following day'.
Quick Oral Answer
Yamini asked Shifa if she would like to come for her birthday party the following day — using 'if', statement word order, shifted pronouns, and 'the following day' instead of 'tomorrow'.
Analysis & Explanation
Tests reporting of a Yes/No question, including connector insertion, word-order inversion, pronoun shift and time-expression change.
Concept
- "Would you like...?" has no question word, so the connector "if/whether" must join the reporting and reported clauses.
Key points
- Question order → statement order: "Would you like" → "she would like".
- Pronoun shifts: "you" (Shifa) → "she"; "my" (Yamini's) → "her".
- "Would" stays unchanged (already a past/conditional form).
- Time shift: "tomorrow" → "the following day"/"the next day".
Common mistakes
- Retaining question word order ("if she would like" without inversion).
- Forgetting to change "tomorrow" to a reported-time equivalent.
Common Mistakes
- 1Leaving the sentence in question form: 'Yamini asked Shifa if would she like...' instead of inverting to statement order.
- 2Forgetting to change 'tomorrow' to 'the following day', a very common oversight in reported speech questions.
- 3Using 'that' instead of 'if/whether' as the connector, which is only correct for statements, not Yes/No questions.
Interesting Facts
Reported speech (narration) is one of the most consistently tested grammar areas in CBSE Class 10 English, appearing almost every year in some form.
The rule of changing 'tomorrow' to 'the following day' mirrors real journalistic practice, where reporters must adjust time references when writing up quotes days after they were spoken.
Modals like 'would', 'could', 'might', and 'should' are already 'backshifted' forms and typically do not change further when converted to reported speech.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we use 'if' or 'whether' here and not 'that'?
'That' is used to report statements, but 'if/whether' is used specifically to report Yes/No questions (questions that can be answered with yes or no), which is the case here.
Why does 'tomorrow' change to 'the following day'?
Reported speech is normally spoken/written at a later time than the original utterance, so time references relative to 'now' must shift accordingly; 'tomorrow' relative to the original speech becomes 'the following day/next day' relative to the reporting time.