openMind Level 3

Unit 5 Grammar 2

REPORTED
QUESTIONS
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

1. Who is repeating a question they said before?

2. What kind of question is the other speaker asking?
3. Can you notice an error?

A: Where's Andrea? B: I asked her if she was

coming to the meeting.

C: And I asked her where

was she going.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

1. Which answer includes a reported question? b

2. Which part of the grammar structure tells you it is a
reported question?

I asked him about being

a.
What did you late.
say?
b. I asked him if he was
going to be late.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Other examples using reported questions:

1. He wanted to know how the class was going.

How is the class going?
2. We asked them if they wanted to have dinner with
us. Do you want to have dinner with us?
3. I asked him why he couldn't concentrate on his
job. Why can’t you concentrate on your job?
4. She asked me what I had done about fixing the car.
What have you done about fixing the car?
5. They asked me when I wanted to go on vacation.
When do you want to go on vacation?
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

He wanted to know if I was

Are you leaving? leaving.

What have you

done? He asked me what I had done.

verb form
In reported questions, we change the _________
and the pronouns, like in reported speech.

if to introduce a reported yes/no

We can use ___
question.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Yes/No questions
Direct question Reported question

He asked me if I had a
"Do you have a pen?"
pen.

He asked me whether
"Are you going to ask her
I was going to ask
_________________
out?" her out
_______.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Information questions

Direct questions Reported questions

He wanted to know how my
"How did your meeting go?"
meeting went.
"What are you going to do I
She asked me what __
next?" was going to do next
___________________.
"When is your next He asked me when my next
vacation?" was
vacation ____.
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

How long have He wanted to know how

you been living long I had been living
here? there.

We use reported questions to report what

the same
someone asked without using __________
words.
We can introduce a reported question with
______
asked or _______________.
wanted to know
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Watch Out!

1. He asked me was I going to the meeting.

if I was
2. They wanted to know when could I start.
I could
3. He asked me that I wanted dessert.
if/whether
4. She wanted to know where I am going.
was
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Interview your partner. Then report your

interview to the class.

He asked me if I ...
She wanted to know when I ...
He wanted to know how I ...
 REPORTED QUESTIONS

Grammar wrap-up

1. In which texts are reported questions most

likely to appear?

2. What happens to verb forms in reported

questions?

3. How would you use reported questions in real-

life contexts?