QUESTIONS
We also use reported speech when we are saying what other people asked
or wanted to know. We do not use do or question marks in indirect
questions.
We use ASK or WANT TO KNOW to report questions.
Examples:
WH- QUESTIONS - They are reported keeping the interrogative pronoun (who, where, when, etc)
- "What time is it?" = He asked me what time it was.
- "Why hasn't he come? = He wanted to knowr why he hadn't come.
- "When are you coming back?" = He asked her when she was coming back.
- "What were you doing?" = They wanted to know what he had been doing.
YES/NO QUESTIONS - They are reported with IF or WHETHER
- "Do you want a ride?" = Mike asked me if I wanted a ride.
- "Are you coming?" = They wanted to know if he was coming.
- "Will you be here later or not?" = She asked me whether I would be there later or not.
NOTE: When we report questions linked with or, the question is reported with whether instead of if
e.g. "Will you drink coffee or tea?" becomes: She wanted to know whether I would drink
coffee or tea.
| TYPES OF QUESTIONS | DIRECT SPEECH | REPORTED SPEECH |
|---|---|---|
| With question word (what, why, where, how...) | "Why" don’t you speak English?” | He asked me why I didn’t speak English. |
| Without question word (yes or no questions) | “Do you speak English?” | He asked me whether / if I spoke English. |
Be careful because the question form
of the direct speech does not exist anymore in reported
speech (no direct question). So there is no question mark, some
auxiliaries must be omitted, and sometimes the order must be changed.
e.g. "Are you going with John?" becomes: She asked me IF I was going with John.
(inversion: subject + verb to be)
"Do you like red roses?" becomes: She wanted to know if I liked red roses.
(omission
auxiliary ‘do’)
NOW IT´S YOUR TURN!
ACTIVITIES
Click on the activities below to practise how to report questions.
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