Reported Questions

Rule Title
Reported Questions
Category
Direct/Indirect Speech
Rule Explanation

Reported Questions

Reported (or indirect) questions are used to tell someone what another person asked without using their exact words.

Yes/No Questions

  • When reporting a yes/no question, introduce it with if or whether.
    • Direct: "Are you ready?"
    • Indirect: He asked if/whether I was ready.

Wh-Questions

  • When reporting a wh-question (beginning with what, where, when, why, who, how), use the same question word to introduce the reported question.
    • Direct: "Where do you live?"
    • Indirect: She asked where I lived.

Key Rules for Reported Questions

  1. Statement word order: The reported question uses normal subject-verb word order, not question word order. The auxiliary verb does not come before the subject.
  2. Tense backshift: The verb tense usually shifts back (e.g., present simple to past simple, present perfect to past perfect).
  3. No question mark: The reported question ends with a full stop, not a question mark.
  4. No inverted commas: Remove quotation marks.
  5. Pronoun changes: Adjust pronouns and possessive adjectives as appropriate to the context.
  6. Time/place changes: Adverbs of time and place may also need to change (e.g., now to then, here to there).
Correct Example

  • Direct: "What is your name?"

  • Indirect: He asked what my name was.

  • Direct: "Do you like tea?"

  • Indirect: She asked if I liked tea.

Incorrect Example
  • He asked what was my name. (In reported questions, the subject comes before the verb: what my name was)
  • She asked if did I like tea. (Remove the auxiliary verb 'do/did' and its inversion in reported questions)

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