Reported Questions
Reported questions (or indirect questions) communicate what someone else asked without using their exact words or quotation marks.
- Statement Word Order: The most critical change is shifting from question word order (verb before subject) to statement word order (subject before verb).
- No Auxiliary “Do”: In the reported form, do not use auxiliary verbs like do, does, or did.
- Tense Backshifting: Verbs typically move one step into the past (e.g., Present Simple becomes Past Simple).
- No Question Mark: Reported questions end with a period (full stop), not a question mark.
- Reporting Verbs: Use verbs like ask, wonder, enquire, or the phrase want to know.
Look at these examples to see how we can tell someone what another person asked.
direct speech: ‘Do you work from home?’ he said.
indirect speech: He asked me if I worked from home.
direct speech: “Could you open the window?” she asked.
indirect speech: She asked me to open the window.
In reported (indirect) speech, the structure of a question changes into a normal statement structure. For example, “Do you like…?” becomes “I like…” (no question word order).
We also usually change the tense and certain time expressions, just like in reported statements. For example, “have done” changes to “had done”, and “today” changes to “that day.”
Yes/No Questions
In yes/no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.
Direct speech:
“Did you call your parents?”
Indirect speech:
He asked me if I had called my parents.
Direct speech:
“Will they arrive on time?”
Indirect speech:
She asked us whether they would arrive on time.
Questions with a Question Word
In what, where, why, who, when, or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.
Direct speech:
“When does the meeting start?”
Indirect speech:
She asked when the meeting started.
Direct speech:
“Why are you upset?”
Indirect speech:
He asked why I was upset.
Reporting Verbs
The most common reporting verb for questions is ask, but we can also use verbs like enquire, want to know, or wonder.
Direct speech:
“Have you booked the tickets?”
Indirect speech:
She enquired whether we had booked the tickets.
Direct speech:
“Why didn’t they reply?”
Indirect speech:
He wanted to know why they hadn’t replied.
Offers, Requests and Suggestions
If the question makes an offer, request, or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, such as:
offer + to + infinitive
ask + object + to + infinitive
suggest + verb-ing
Direct speech:
“Shall I carry your bag?”
Indirect speech:
He offered to carry my bag.
Direct speech:
“Could you send me the report?”
Indirect speech:
She asked me to send her the report.
Direct speech:
“Why don’t we leave early?”
Indirect speech:
He suggested leaving early.
Reported Questions and Adverbs of Time
In reported questions, adverbs of time and place must be shifted to reflect a change in time or location from the original statement, as the reporting happens later or elsewhere. For example, “tomorrow” becomes “the next day” and “now” becomes “then”. These adjustments are crucial to maintaining accuracy in reported speech.
- Now
Then / At that moment
- Today
That day
- Tonight
That night
- Yesterday
The day before / The previous day
- Tomorrow
The next day / The following day
- Next week/month
The following week/month
- Last week/month
The week/month before / The previous week/month
- Ago
Before / Previously
- Direct: “Are you leaving today?” she asked.
- Reported: She asked if I was leaving that day.
- Direct: “Did you call me yesterday?” he asked.
- Reported: He asked if I had called him the day before.
- Direct: “Can you meet me tomorrow?” she asked.
- Reported: She asked if I could meet her the following day.
