Choose the correct indirect form of the sentence: The doctor said to Sarah, “Do you have pain in your left leg?”

Correct answer: The doctor asked Sarah if she had pain in her left leg. A yes/no question changes to indirect speech with “if/whether”, normal word order, and a backshifted tense (“had”).

Background: To change a yes/no question into indirect speech, use “if” or “whether”, normal word order, and shift the tense back.

• The doctor asked Sarah that she had pain in her left leg: “That” is used for statements, not questions.
• The doctor asked Sarah whether did she have pain in her left leg: “Whether did she have” keeps question word order.
• The doctor asked Sarah if she has pain in her left leg: “If she has” does not backshift the tense.

Did you know? No question mark is used, and the pronoun changes from “your” to “her”.

Memory trick: Question → if/whether + normal order + backshift.