Answer:

Indirect speech is used to report what someone else said without using their exact words. It is a way of conveying information that was said by someone else.

To convert direct speech to indirect speech, we need to follow some rules. In this case, the direct speech is "are you Indian?" and we will convert it into indirect speech.

Step 1: Identify the reporting verb (asked).
Step 2: Use a reporting clause (they asked us) to introduce the reported speech.
Step 3: Change the tense of the verbs in the reported speech (are becomes were).
Step 4: Change the pronouns in the reported speech (you becomes us).
Step 5: Remove the quotation marks.

The indirect speech for "They asked us, 'are you Indian?'" is:

They asked us if we were Indian.

Let's break down the answer into headings and HTML bullet points:

How to convert direct speech to indirect speech?

• Identify the reporting verb.


• Use a reporting clause to introduce the reported speech.


• Change the tense of the verbs in the reported speech.


• Change the pronouns in the reported speech.


• Remove the quotation marks.

Indirect speech for "They asked us, 'are you Indian?'"

• Reporting verb: asked


• Reporting clause: They asked us


• Tense change: are becomes were


• Pronoun change: you becomes us


• Quotation marks removed: They asked us if we were Indian.

In conclusion, converting direct speech to indirect speech is a simple process that involves changing the tense and pronouns in the reported speech, using a reporting verb and clause to introduce it and removing the quotation marks. By following these steps, we can accurately report what someone else said without using their exact words.