Unit 6
Lesson 2
SB page 51
GRAMMAR
Reported questions
● We use reported questions to report a question that someone has asked.
- We use ask (or another reporting verb) to introduce reported questions.
- Reported questions do not have question marks at the end.
- The verb tenses change as in reported speech.
● When the direct question has a question word such as who, where, when or why, the reported question uses the question word.
“How long does it take to get to London?” (direct question in the present)
The woman asked how long it took to get to London. (reported question in the past)
“When did Jordan start competing in the Olympics?” (direct question in the past)
He asked when Jordan had started competing in the Olympics. (reported question in the past perfrct)
● When the direct question does not have a question word (questions with do or does), we use if or whether to introduce the reported question.
“Do you like broccoli?” (direct question in the present)
Asma asked me if I liked broccoli. (reported question in the past)
“Did you learn about Earth’s resources last week?” (direct question in the past)
Fadi asked whether they had learnt about Earth’s resources the week before. (reported question in the past perfect)
Exercise
Direct question: 'Who did you see?' she asked.
Reported question: She asked me who I had seen.