Reported Questions
Unit 7, Lesson 5A
Word Order, Yes/No, Wh- Questions
When we report questions, we follow the same basic rules as reported statements, plus one very important change regarding word order.
Backshift the tense (Present → Past).
"Are you ok?" → ...if I was ok.
Match the speaker.
"Do you like it?" → ...if I liked it.
Use Statement Order: Subject + Verb.
NOT: "...who was he."
YES: "...who he was."
In reported questions, the subject comes before the verb.
Subject + Verb
| Direct Question (Verb First) | Reported Question (Subject First) |
|---|---|
| "Where is Ali?" | She asked where Ali was. |
| "Why are they late?" | He asked why they were late. |
| "What can we do?" | They asked what we could do. |
| "Who is she?" | I asked who she was. (not: who was she) |
We delete the helper verbs 'do', 'does', and 'did'. We simply change the main verb to the past tense.
When there is no question word (Who, What, etc.), use if or whether.
Verb: To Be
"Are you ready?"
→ He asked if I was ready.
Verb: Can
"Can you swim?"
→ She asked if I could swim.
Verb: Do
"Do you know him?"
→ They asked whether I knew him.
Verb: Have
"Have you eaten?"
→ Mom asked if I had eaten.
Verb: Will
"Will it rain?"
→ He asked whether it would rain.
For questions starting with Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, we keep the question word.
"Who called you?"
→ She asked who had called me.
"When will it stop?"
→ They asked when it would stop.
Note the word order: "it would", not "would it".
"How did you do that?"
→ He asked how I had done that.
"Where are my keys?"
→ He asked where his keys were.
Watch out for Word Order and Tenses!