Reported Questions & Commands

Reporting yes/no and wh- questions, and commands/requests

intermediate

When to Use

•Report yes/no questions with if/whether: He asked if I liked it.
•Report wh- questions keeping word order (no inversion): She asked where I was.
•Report commands/requests with tell/ask + object + to + verb: He told me to wait.
•Use not to for negative commands: They told us not to leave.
•Backshift tenses after past reporting verbs when needed.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Question: reporting verb + if/whether or wh-word + clause (no inversion). Command: tell/ask + object + to + base verb

Negative (-)

tell/ask + object + not to + base verb

Question (?)

Reporting verbs: ask, wonder, inquire; use if/whether for yes/no

💡 Remove do-support and invert only once; keep pronouns/time/place shifts as needed.

Examples

✓He asked if I could help.

✗He asked if could I help.

No inversion in reported questions.

✓She asked where you were.

✗She asked where were you.

Keep subject before verb in reported questions.

✓They told me to wait.

✗They told to wait me.

Use object + to + base.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Yes/No: if/whether + subject + verb (no inversion).
• Wh-: wh-word + subject + verb (no inversion).
• Commands: tell/ask + object + to + base; use not to for negatives.
• Apply pronoun/time/place shifts and backshift tenses as needed.

reported-speech question-word-order sequence-of-tenses 📝 reported-speech-intermediate 📝 reported-questions-quiz

Reported Questions & Commands

Reporting yes/no and wh- questions, and commands/requests

intermediate

When to Use

•Report yes/no questions with if/whether: He asked if I liked it.
•Report wh- questions keeping word order (no inversion): She asked where I was.
•Report commands/requests with tell/ask + object + to + verb: He told me to wait.
•Use not to for negative commands: They told us not to leave.
•Backshift tenses after past reporting verbs when needed.

How to Form

Affirmative (+)

Question: reporting verb + if/whether or wh-word + clause (no inversion). Command: tell/ask + object + to + base verb

Negative (-)

tell/ask + object + not to + base verb

Question (?)

Reporting verbs: ask, wonder, inquire; use if/whether for yes/no

💡 Remove do-support and invert only once; keep pronouns/time/place shifts as needed.

Examples

✓He asked if I could help.

✗He asked if could I help.

No inversion in reported questions.

✓She asked where you were.

✗She asked where were you.

Keep subject before verb in reported questions.

✓They told me to wait.

✗They told to wait me.

Use object + to + base.

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

• Yes/No: if/whether + subject + verb (no inversion).
• Wh-: wh-word + subject + verb (no inversion).
• Commands: tell/ask + object + to + base; use not to for negatives.
• Apply pronoun/time/place shifts and backshift tenses as needed.

reported-speech question-word-order sequence-of-tenses 📝 reported-speech-intermediate 📝 reported-questions-quiz

Reported Questions & Commands

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

Reported Questions & Commands

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗He asked me where was I.

✗She asked if do I like it.

✗They told don't go.

💡 Practice Tips

Related

When to Use

How to Form

Examples

Common Mistakes

✗He asked me where was I.

✗She asked if do I like it.

✗They told don't go.

💡 Practice Tips

Related