Grammar

Reported Questions

Reported questions turn a direct question into a statement-order clause. Yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether', and there is no inversion or question mark in the reported form.

Post

Level B2 Clauses

Summary

Reported questions turn a direct question into a statement-order clause. Yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether', and there is no inversion or question mark in the reported form.

Structure

asked (+ object) + if/whether / wh-word + subject + verb (statement order)

Examples

She asked where I lived.
He asked me if I had finished.
They wanted to know whether we were coming.
I asked what time the shop opened.

Common mistakes

• Keeping question word order: 'She asked where did I live' should be 'where I lived'.
• Using 'do/does/did' as an auxiliary: 'He asked if I do agree' should be 'if I agreed'.

Related

Reported Statements Reported Commands and Requests

More clauses

Relative Clauses (Defining) B1

Use defining relative clauses to give essential information that identifies which person or thing you mean. Use who for people, which for things, and that for both. No commas are used.

Reported Speech B2

Use reported speech to tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Tenses usually shift back, and pronouns and time expressions often change.

Reported Statements B1

Reported statements relay what someone said without quoting them directly. Tenses usually shift back one step, and pronouns and time expressions change to fit the new viewpoint.

Reported Commands and Requests B2

Commands and requests are reported with a verb plus an object and a to-infinitive. Negative commands use 'not to' before the verb.

Reporting Verbs and Patterns C1

Beyond 'say' and 'tell', many reporting verbs summarise the function of what was said. Each follows its own grammatical pattern, such as verb + gerund, verb + object + infinitive, or verb + that-clause.

'Say' and 'tell' both report speech but differ in grammar. 'Tell' needs a person as its object, while 'say' does not take a direct person object and uses 'to' if the listener is mentioned.

External links

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