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REPORTED SPEECH

Part V — Questions in reported speech

In questions we do not use the typical Aux + S + V word order; we use S + V, without any auxiliary verbs in present simple and past simple, the same as in affirmative sentences, because a question in reported speech is not really a question —we are not asking anything when we say: "He asked me what time it was." We do not use a question mark at the end, either:

Direct speech Reported speech
Where does he live?
He asked me where he lived.
Why did you go?
She asked me why I had gone.

In yes/no questions we begin the sentence with “if” or “whether”:

Direct speech Reported speech
Do you like my pizza?
She asked me if I liked her pizza.
Was he late or wasn't he?
They asked me whether he had been late or not. / They asked me whether or not he had been late.
Did Kevin tell you why he is so angry?
He asked me whether Kevin had told us why he was so angry.

How many people are mentioned in the last sentence? [It depends on how many people are "us", and whether Kevin and "he" are the same person or two different people.]

Notice that a sentence like "He told me she had left early" in reported speech can be three different sentences in direct speech:

He told me: "She left early."
He told me: "She has left early."
He told me: "She had left early."

Now, do you see why it is so easy to misunderstand what people mean when they are talking about what other people said? That's why you should never pay much attention to gossips, especially if they are about bad things someone has said!

Other introductory verbs for indirect questions are: enquire, wonder, want to know.
EXERCISE 2.
Write the questions below in reported speech.

Imagine a friend told you about a job interview. Below are the questions she was asked. Now tell another friend about them. Begin your sentences with:
They asked her...

1.- How many languages do you speak? [They asked her how many languages she spoke.]
2.- Do you have any work experience? [They asked her if she had any work experience.]
3.- Have you worked for a company like this before? [They asked her if she had worked for a company like that before.]
4.- When did you finish your university studies? [They asked her when she had finished her university studies.]
5.- Have you ever worked abroad? [They asked her whether she had ever worked abroad.]
6.- Would you mind working in a different country? [They asked her if she would mind working in a different country.]
7.- Have you got a driver's licence? [They asked her whether she had a driver's licence.]
8.- Do you know how to write a web page? [They asked her if she knew how to write a web page.]
9.- How long have you studied English? [They asked her how long she had studied English.]
10.- Will you start tomorrow morning? [They asked her whether she would start the following morning.]

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