We usually introduce reported questions with the verb "ask": He asked (me) if/whether... (YES/NO questions) He asked (me) why/when/where/what/how... (Question Word

questions)As with reported statements, we may need to change pronouns and tense (backshift) as well astime and place in reported questions.But we also need to change the word order. After we report a question, it is no longer a question (and in writing there is no question mark). The word order is like that of a normal statement (subject-verb-object).YES/NO questionsWe introduce reported YES/NO questions with ask + if:

direct She said: " Do you like coffee

?" In reported question: No auxiliary "do". Pronoun change and backshift.

reported She askedif

I liked coffee .

Note that we sometimes use "whether" instead of "if". The meaning is the same. "Whether" is a little more formal and more usual in writing:

They asked us if we wanted lunch. They asked us whether we wanted lunch.

EXERCISES: REPORTING QUESTIONS

1. "Where is my umbrella?" she asked.

→ She asked 2. "How are you?" Martin asked us.

→ Martin asked us 3. He asked, "Do I have to do it?"

→ He asked 4. "Where have you been?" the mother asked her daughter.

→ The mother asked her daughter 5. "Which dress do you like best?" she asked her boyfriend.

→ She asked her boyfriend 6. "What are they doing?" she asked.

→ She wanted to know 7. "Are you going to the cinema?" he asked me.

→ He wanted to know 8. The teacher asked, "Who speaks English?"

→ The teacher wanted to know 9. "How do you know that?" she asked me.

→ She asked me 10. "Has Caron talked to Kevin?" my friend asked me.

→ My friend asked me 11. "What's the time?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know 12. "When will we meet again?" she asked me.

→ She asked me 13. "Are you crazy?" she asked him.

→ She asked him 14. "Where did they live?" he asked.

→ He wanted to know 15. "Will you be at the party?" he asked her.

→ He asked her 16. "Can you meet me at the station?" she asked me.

→ She asked me 17. "Who knows the answer?" the teacher asked.

→ The teacher wanted to know 18. "Why don't you help me?" she asked him.

→ She wanted to know 

EXERCISES: REPORTING REQUESTS

1. "Stop talking, Joe," the teacher said.

→ The teacher told Joe 

2. "Be patient," she said to him.

→ She told him 

3. "Go to your room," her father said to her.

→ Her father told her 

4. "Hurry up," she said to us.

→ She told us 

5. "Give me the key," he told her.

→ He asked her EXERCISES: Rewrite the sentences in reported speech.

1. She said, "I am reading."

→ She said that 

2. They said, "We are busy."

→ They said that 

3. He said, "I know a better restaurant."

→ He said that 

4. She said, "I woke up early."

→ She said that 

5. He said, "I will ring her."

→ He said that 

6. They said, "We have just arrived."

→ They said that 

7. He said, "I will clean the car."

→ He said that 

8. She said, "I did not say that."

→ She said that 

9. She said, "I don't know where my shoes are."

→ She said that 

10. He said: "I won't tell anyone."→ He said that 

she w as read

EXERCISES: Rewrite the sentences in reported speech. Change pronouns and expressions of time and place where necessary.

1. They said, "This is our book."

→ They said 

2. She said, "I went to the cinema yesterday."

→ She said 

that w as their book.

3. He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."

→ He said 

4. You said, "I will do this for him."

→ You said 

Tense Direct Speech Reported Speechpresent simple

“I like ice cream” She said (that) she liked ice cream.

present continuous

“I am living in London”

She said she was living in London.

past simple “I bought a car”She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car.

past continuous

“I was walking along the street”

She said she had been walking along the street.

present perfect

“I haven't seen Julie”

She said she hadn't seen Julie.

past perfect*“I had taken English lessons before”

She said she had taken English lessons before.

will “I'll see you later” She said she would see me later.

would*“I would help, but..”

She said she would help but...

can“I can speak perfect English”

She said she could speak perfect English.

could*“I could swim when I was four”

She said she could swim when she was four.

shall“I shall come later”

She said she would come later.

should*“I should call my mother”

She said she should call her mother

might* "I might be late" She said she might be latemust "I must study at

the weekend"She said she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study

at the weekendChange pronouns and expressions of time and place where necessary.

5. They said, "This is our book."

→ They said 

6. He said, "I am writing a test tomorrow."

→ He said 

7. You said, "I will do this for him."

→ You said 

8. She said, "I am not hungry now."

→ She said 

9. They said, "We have never been here before."

→ They said 

10. They said, "We were in London last week."

→ They said 

11. He said, "I will have finished this paper by tomorrow."

→ He said 

12. He said, "They won't sleep."

→ He said 1) Emily: "Our teacher will go to Leipzig tomorrow."

Emily said that  .

2) Helen: "I was writing a letter yesterday."

Helen told me that  .

3) Robert: "My father flew to Dallas last year."

Robert told me that  .

4) Lisa: "Tim went to the stadium an hour ago."

Lisa said that  .

5) Patricia: "My mother will celebrate her birthday next weekend."

Patricia said that  .

that w as their

6) Michael: "I am going to read a book this week."

Michael said to me that  .

7) Jason and Victoria: "We will do our best in the exams tomorrow."

Jason and Victoria told me that  .

8) Andrew: "We didn't eat fish two days ago."

Andrew remarked that  .

9) Alice: "I spent all my pocket money on Monday."

Alice complained that  .

10) David: "John had already gone at six."David said that