REPORTED QUESTIONS (1)
In reported questions the word order is the same as in statements. When
the reporting verb is in the past (asked, wondered, wanted to know, etc.),
the tense in reported questions normally ‘moves back’.
In reported questions, we do not use the auxiliary verb do, does or did
'What do you want?' I asked what she wanted.
When there is no question word (e.g. what, where, why), we can use if
or whether to introduce a reported question.
'Do you want a cake?' He asked if I wanted a cake.
I Which question would you ask to which people? Then report the
questions. Begin: I asked the …...
Example: Can I park the car here? I asked the policeman if I could park the
car there. a) a hotel receptionist
1 What time is the flight?
___________________________________________________________
b) an editor-in-chief
2 Will it take long to repair my car?
____________________________________________________________ c) a mechanic
3 Can we take photos here?
____________________________________________________________ d) a doctor
4 How many times a day should I take the medicine?
____________________________________________________________ e) a booking-clerk
5 Have you got a double room?
____________________________________________________________ f) a flight attendant
6 How much does the ticket cost?
____________________________________________________________
g) a guide
7 When will my article appear in the newspaper?
____________________________________________________________
II Write the words in the correct order to make reported III Read the questions and report them.
questions. Begin with the underlined words. Begin: He asked......
1 How old are you?
1 asked / was / how much / that / Tom / computer
_____________________________________
__________________________________________ 2 Where are you staying in Paris?
2 had / to know / the officer/ if / wanted / the keys / I _____________________________________
________________________________________________ 3 Can you speak German?
3 Ann / hadn’t come / why / to her party / asked / _____________________________________
Sam/he / 4 Have you ever been to Spain?
_______________________________________________ ______________________________________
4 asked/Jane/for her holidays/ she / was going/he/where 5 Why did you say that?
____________________________________________ ____________________________________
[Link]
KEY
Exercise I
1 I asked the flight attendant what time the flight was.
2 I asked the mechanic if it would take long to repair my car.
3 I asked the guide if we could take the photos there.
4 I asked the doctor how many times a day I should take the medicine.
5 I asked the hotel receptionist if she/he/they had a double room.
6 I asked the booking-clerk how much the ticket cost.
7 I asked the editor-in-chief when my article would appear in the newspaper.
Exercise II
1 Tom asked how much that computer was.
2 The officer wanted to know if I had the keys.
3 Ann asked Sam why he hadn’t come to her party.
4 He asked Jane where she was going for her holidays.
Exercise III
1 He asked how old I was.
2 He asked where I was staying in Paris.
3 He asked me if I could speak German.
4 He asked me if I had ever been to Spain.
5 He asked why I had said that.
[Link]