Reported Questions, Requests, Commands, Suggestions

· Reported questions are usually introduced with the verbs ask, inquire, wonder or want to know.

· When the direct questions begin with a question word (who, where, how old, how long, when, why, what, etc.), the reported questions are introduced with the same question word. E.g. ‘ What do you want to know? ’ she asked me. She asked me what I wanted to know.

· When the direct questions begin with an auxiliary (is, do, have) or a modal verb (can, may, etc.), then the reported questions begin with if or whether. E.g. ‘ Have you seen this man before? ’ he asked me. He asked me if / whether I had seen him before.

· In reported questions, the verb is in the affirmative. The question mark and words / expressions such as please, well, oh, etc. are omitted. The verb tenses, pronouns and time expressions change as in statements. E.g. ‘Can you hold the door for me, please? ’ the man asked me. – The man asked me if / whether I could hold the door for him.

· To report commands or instructions in reported speech, we use the introductory verbs order or tell + smb + (not) to-infinitive. E.g. a) ‘Put the gun down! ’ he said to him. – He ordered him to put the gun down. b) ‘Don’t look down! ’ he said to us. He told us not to look down.

· To report requests, we use the introductory verbs ask or beg + smb + (not) to- infinitive. The direct sentence usually contains the word ‘please’. E.g. a) ‘Help me, please, ’ Jean said. – Jean asked Tom to help her. b) ‘Please, please don’t call the police, ’ he said to Collin. He begged Collin not to call the police.

· To report suggestions, we use the introductory verb suggest + ing form / that smb (should) + bare infinitive. E.g. ‘Let’s go outside, ’ I said to them.’ / ‘We can/could go outside, ’ I said to them. / ‘Shall we go outside? ’ I asked them. / ‘How about going outside? ’ I said to them – I suggested going outside. / I suggested that we (should) go outside.

1. After arrest, a criminal suspect is usually taken into police custody and ‘booked’. Turn the following questions of the suspect into reported speech.

Examples: ‘What is your name? → The policeman asked the suspect what his name was.

‘Are you American? ’ → He asked the suspect whether he was American.

1. ‘Where do you live? ’ the policeman asked him. 2. ‘How old are you? ’ the policeman asked him. 3. ‘Where is your place of work? ’ the policeman asked him. 4. ‘Do you work every Monday? ’ the policeman asked him. 5. The policeman asked him, ‘What time are you going to work today? ’ 6. ‘Will you meet your supervisor today? ’ the policeman asked. 7. ‘Who called you yesterday? ’ the policeman asked him. 8. ‘When did you leave your office last night? ’ the policeman asked the suspect. 9. ‘Who did you meet on your way home? ’ the policeman asked him. 10. The policeman asked him, ‘Can anyone confirm your alibi? ’ 11. ‘Have you been convicted of a crime before? ’ the policeman asked the suspect. 12. ‘What crime did they charge you with? ’ the policeman asked him.

2. Yesterday, Marion met a couple who were on holiday in London. They were looking at a map. She asked them some questions. Turn the following into reported speech.

1. ‘Are you lost? ’ 2. ‘Can you speak English? ’ 3. ‘Where are you from? ’ 4. ‘Is your hotel near here? ’ 5. ‘Where do you want to go? ’ 6. ‘Were you looking for Big Ben? ’ 7. ‘Have you been to the British Museum? ’ 8. ‘Have you visited Buckingham Palace? ’ 9. ‘Do you like London? ’

3. You happened to be a witness of a crime. The detective asked you some questions. Turn them into reported speech.

1. ‘Will you speak to your attorney before you answer the questions? ’ the detective asked me. 2. ‘When did you see them break into the house? ’ he asked me. 3. ‘Did you really see two men? ’ the detective asked me. 4. ‘What did they look like? ’ the detective asked me. 5. ‘What were they doing when you saw them? ’ the detective asked me 6. ‘Was a passerby walking along the street? ’ the detective asked me. 7. ‘Why did he act this way? ’ he asked me. 8. ‘Can you describe him in detail? ’ he asked me. 9. “Which of these descriptions suits him best? ’ he asked me. 10. ‘Does this house belong to your acquaintance? ’ he asked. 11. ‘Who used your mobile phone? ’ he asked. 12. ‘Do you want to postpone your examination for tomorrow? ’ he asked me. 13. ‘Why didn’t you tell me the truth at once? ’ he asked me. 14. ‘Have you been a witness before? ’ the detective asked me. 15. The detective asked me, ‘Will you be able to come this afternoon? ’ 16. The detective asked me, ‘Did you see them take anything away of the house? ’ 17. The detective wanted to know, ‘Who else saw the burglary? ’ 18. The detective asked, ‘Will you sign your testimony? ’ 19. He questioned, ‘Can you repeat your words in court? ’

4. Turn the following into indirect questions.

1. Where are you going? (I want to know….) 2. Did he steal the money? (I doubted ….) 3. Has she told anyone about our engagement? (He wondered ….) 4. What time does the train leave? (Could you tell me ….) 5. Who did it? (She wondered ….) 6. Where have you been? (He wanted to know ….) 7. Does he speak English fluently? (I wonder …) 8. Will she be on time? (I doubt …) 9. How long has he been working here? (Do you know ….) 10. Are you moving house? (I want to know ….) 11. Where did I leave my glasses? (I wonder …) 12. Is John planning to call a meeting? (Did you know….) 13. When are you leaving? (I want to know …) 14. Did he tell the truth. (I doubt….) 15. Where is the nearest swimming pool? (Could you tell me ….) 16. Who left that message on the answer phone? (She wondered …) 17. What time are they due to arrive? (He wanted to know …)

5. Fill in the gaps with the introductory verbs in the correct form.