🔼Reported Question🔽

It is a structure that we use when we report or mention something that someone has previously asked. By reporting what people say, we usually change the time of the verbs to indicate that we are reporting - not giving the direct speech

Function: "We use reported questions to report what someone asked without using exacly the same words."

➽ Form & meaning

These general rules for reported speech also apply.

1. When we report questions, the subject comes before the verb.
• Direct speech: “Where are you going?”
  Reported speech: He asked me where I was going.
• Direct speech: “Why is he shouting?”
  Reported speech: He asked me why he was shouting.
• Direct speech: “What do you want?”
  Reported speech: She asked me what I wanted.
2. When reporting questions we don’t use the auxiliary verb do, except in negative questions.
   • Direct speech: “Who doesn’t like cheese?”
     Reported speech: She asked me who didn’t like cheese.
3. We report yes/no questions with if or whether.
   

   • Direct speech: “Do you want me to come?”
     Reported speech: I asked him if he wanted me to come.
   • Direct speech: “Have you fed the dog?”
     Reported speech: She asked me whether I had fed the dog

   

   
   

   
   

   ➽ Here are some more examples:

   Direct Question	Reported Question
   Where is the Post Office, please?	She asked me where the Post Office was.
   What are you doing?	She asked me what I was doing.
   Who was that fantastic man?	She asked me who that fantastic man had been.

   
   

   
   So much for 'wh' questions. But, what if you need to report a 'yes / no' question? We don't have any question words to help us. Instead, we use 'if':

   ·         Direct speech: Do you like chocolate?

   ·         Reported speech: She asked me if I liked chocolate.
4. ➽ No problem? Here are a few more examples:
   
   

   Direct Question	Reported Question
   Do you love me?	He asked me if I loved him.
   Have you ever been to Mexico?	She asked me if I had ever been to Mexico.
   Are you living here?	She asked me if I was living here.