Reported speech 2 – Questions
Grammar explanation
A reported question is when we tell someone what another person asked. To do this, we can use direct speech or indirect speech.
We also often make changes to the tenses and other words in the same way as for reported statements (e.g. have done → had done, today → that day).
Yes/no questions
In yes/no questions, we use if or whether to report the question. If is more common.
Questions with a question word
In what, where, why, who, when or how questions, we use the question word to report the question.
Reporting verbs
The most common reporting verb for questions is ask, but we can also use verbs like enquire, want to know or wonder.
Offers, requests and suggestions
If the question is making an offer, request or suggestion, we can use a specific verb pattern instead, for example offer + infinitive, ask + infinitive or suggest + ing.