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Reported Questions Grammar

The document explains reported questions as a form of reported speech, highlighting the differences between direct and reported questions. It details how to introduce reported YES/NO questions and question-word questions, emphasizing the need for pronoun changes, tense backshift, and alterations in word order. Additionally, it categorizes questions into three types: YES/NO questions, question-word questions, and choice questions, providing examples for each type.

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Marta Gomez
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37 views3 pages

Reported Questions Grammar

The document explains reported questions as a form of reported speech, highlighting the differences between direct and reported questions. It details how to introduce reported YES/NO questions and question-word questions, emphasizing the need for pronoun changes, tense backshift, and alterations in word order. Additionally, it categorizes questions into three types: YES/NO questions, question-word questions, and choice questions, providing examples for each type.

Uploaded by

Marta Gomez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Reported Questions

Reported questions are one form of reported speech.

direct question reported question

She said: "Are you cold?" She asked me if I was cold.

He said: "Where's my He asked where his pen was.


pen?"

We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask":

 He asked (me) if/whether... (YES/NO questions)


 He asked (me) why/when/where/what/how... (question-word questions)
 As with reported statements, we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift)
as well as time and place in reported questions.
 But we also need to change the word order. After we report a question, it is no longer
a question
 The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).

Reported YES/NO questions


We introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if:

direct question She said, "Do you like coffee?"

reported question She asked if I liked coffee.

 The above example the reported question has no auxiliary "do". But there is pronoun
change and backshift.
 we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a
little more formal and more usual in writing:

 They asked us if we wanted lunch.


 They asked us whether we wanted lunch.
Reported question-word questions
We introduce reported question-word questions with ask + question word:

direct question He said, "Where do you live?"

reported He asked me where I lived.


question

 The reported question has no auxiliary "do".


 But there is pronoun change and backshift.

Remember that there are basically three types of question:


1. YES/NO questions: Do you want tea?
2. Question Word questions: Where did you drink tea?
3. Choice questions: Do you prefer tea or coffee?

Reported choice questions have the same structure as Reported YES/NO questions.

Questions with the verb BE always have a different structure:


Was the tea cold? Where is my tea?
You can see all these differences in the examples below.

Look at these example sentences:

direct question reported question

YES/NO I said: "Can I help you?" I asked if I could help her.


questions

She said to us: "Did you feel She asked if we had felt cold.
cold?"

He said: "Are your hands He asked whether my hands were


cold?" cold.
direct question reported question

question-word He said: "Where are you He asked me where I was going.


questions going?"

He said: "Why didn't you say He asked me why I hadn't said


something?" anything.

He said: "When will they He asked when they would come.


come?"

He said: "Who has seen He asked me who had seen


Avatar?" Avatar.

He said: "How much might it He asked me how much it might


cost?" cost.

She said to me: "Where is the She asked me where the station
station?" was.

choice questions He asked, "Do you want tea He asked whether I wanted tea or
or coffee?" coffee.

He said, "Is the car new or He asked whether the car was
second-hand?" new or second-hand.

Now do the practice on Reported questions

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