Final answer:
Mr. Halku inquired about the whereabouts of my father.the conversion from direct to reported speech involves a shift in tense, restructuring the sentence, and replacing the direct question with an indirect statement while ensuring the preservation of the original meaning and context.
Explanation:
The sentence "Mr. Halku asked, 'Where is your father?'" is converted into reported speech as "Mr. Halku inquired about the whereabouts of my father." The transformation involves changing the tense of the verb ('asked' to 'inquired') and restructuring the sentence to convey the same meaning indirectly. In reported speech, the direct question becomes an indirect statement while retaining the essential information.
The use of 'inquired' instead of 'asked' maintains the formality and politeness of the sentence. 'About the whereabouts of my father' replaces the direct question 'Where is your father?', conveying the same inquiry while incorporating the information indirectly. This transformation maintains the integrity of the original question while presenting it in a different grammatical form.
By utilizing reported speech, the information from the direct question is communicated indirectly while preserving the context and meaning. This change allows for a more varied and nuanced style of communication in writing, especially when embedding one person's speech or inquiry within another's narrative.
In summary, the conversion from direct to reported speech involves a shift in tense, restructuring the sentence, and replacing the direct question with an indirect statement while ensuring the preservation of the original meaning and context.