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Topic: Reported Questions |
3 March 2003 |
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Last week we learned how to use reported or indirect speech.
An indirect speech is used to report to another person what someone has said.
Likewise, a reported question is to report what another person has asked.
Instead of a statement in direct quotations, we have a question.
For example:
Direct quotation: The boy asked, What are you doing?
Indirect quotation: The boy asked his sister what she was doing.
Direct quotation: My mother asked, Where were you last night?
Indirect quotation: My mother asked me where I had been the night before.
Direct quotation: The reporter asked, When did you arrive at the crime scene?
Indirect quotation: The reported asked the witness when he arrived at the crime scene.
Direct quotation: Henry asked, Who ate my cake?
Indirect quotation: Henry wanted to know who had eaten his cake.
Direct quotation: The police asked, Why didnt you call us?
Indirect quotation: The police asked me why I didnt call them.
In reported questions, we have to make changes to fit the new context
as in reported statement. Remember that the reported question is not a question;
therefore, it ends in a period, not a question mark and the verb follows the subject.
These examples are wrong:
The boy asked his sister what was she doing.
My mother asked me where had I been the night before.
The reported asked the witness when did he arrive at the crime scene?
The police asked me why didnt I call them.
We use question words like what, when, where, why, how, etc.
to introduce the reported question. But in yes-no questions,
beginning the sentence with a helping verb, we use whether, whether or not,
if or if
or not to introduce the reported question.
For example:
Direct quotation: John asked, Did you watch the football match last night?
Indirect quotation: John asked me whether I watch the football match the night before.
Direct quotation: They asked, Is Bob coming to the party?
Indirect quotation: They asked if Bob was coming to the party.
Direct quotation: The teacher asked, Have you done your homework?
Indirect quotation: The teacher asked whether we had done our homework
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Exercise: Reported Questions |
| Directions : Write reported questions for each of the following. |
 1. What do you want for Christmas?
He asked me ________________________________ |
2. Are you coming with us later?
He asked me ________________________________ |
3. When will you finish school?
He asked me ________________________________ |
4. Did you do well in the exams?
He asked me ________________________________ |
5. Why were you late?
He asked me ________________________________ |
6. Where have you been?
He asked me ________________________________ |
7. Who did you see at the party?
He asked me ________________________________ |
8. How did you get home last night?
He asked me ________________________________ |
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Answers |
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