Unit 4 Reported questions

1. In Reported questions affirmative word order is used andthe question mark is omitted.

2. To report a question one can use:

a) ask + wh-word (who, what, etc.) when the direct question begins with such a word,

b) ask + if / whether when the direct question begins with an auxiliary verb (do, has, can, etc).

3. Pronouns, possessive adjectives, tenses, time expressions etc. change as in statements.

Direct Speech:	Reported Speech:
	He said, “Where did he stay?”	Heasked where he had stayed.
	He said, “Did you have a nice time?”	He asked if/whether I had had a nice time.

NOTE: Tense changes: Present becomes Past and Past becomes Past Perfect”:

“ Are you ready?”– He asked (me) if/whether I was ready

But if you are reporting a question that has just been asked, you can say:

“ Are you ready?”-“What did John ask you?”– He asked (me) if/whether I’m ready.