Reported Structure

Question

Direct Question

Direct Question is used to give the exact words used by another speaker. The words are given between quotation marks (“ ”) in writing.

Example: Alex asked, "Have you been to my apartment?"

Indirect Question

The reporting of something said or written by conveying what was meant rather than repeating the same words.

Example: He asked me whether I would go as opposed to he asked me, “will you go?” Also called reported speech.

Structure of reported questionsWhen transforming questions, check whether you have to change:

Pronouns

* Example:

Direct Speech: "How do you know that?" she asked me.

Reported Speech: She asked me how I knew that.

Structure of reported questions

Tenses

* Example:

Direct Speech: The teacher asked, "Who speaks English?”

Reported Speech: The teacher wanted to know who spoke English.

Structure of reported questions

Place and time expressions

* Example:

Direct Speech: "How long have you worked here?” She asked.

Reported Speech: She asked me how long I'd worked there.

Structure of reported questions

Use the interrogative or if / whether

Example: Type Example

with interrogative

Direct speech “Why don’t you speak English?”

Reported speech He asked me why I didn’t speak English

without interrogative

Direct speech “Do you speak English?”

Reported speech He asked me whether/if I spoke English

The auxiliary verb‚ ‘do’ is not used in indirect questions.

Example:

Direct question: He asked: “Where does she live?”

Reported speech: He asked where she lived.

More examples:Direct Speech: She asked, "Is it better to wait?”

Reported Speech: She asked if it was better to wait.

Direct Speech: "Where have you been?" the mother asked her daughter.

Reported Speech: The mother asked her daughter where she had been.

Direct Speech: "Are you going to the cinema?" he asked me.

Reported Speech: He wanted to know if I was going to the cinema.

More examples:

Direct Speech: "How do you know that?" she asked me.

Reported Speech: She asked me how I knew that.

Direct Speech: "Has Caron talked to Kevin?" my friend asked me.

Reported Speech: My friend asked me if Caron had talked to Kevin.