Reported questions and commands
Reporting questions and orders
- We can report questions and commands, not just statements.
- The word order and verbs change in special ways.
- She asked where I lived. He told me to wait.
Reported questions
- Use statement word order (subject + verb), and no question mark.
- Yes/No questions → if / whether: He asked if I was busy.
- Wh- questions → keep the question word: She asked where I lived.
- No do / does / did: not where did I live.
Report the question “Where do you live?”
Reported questions use statement order, no “did”: “… where I lived.”
Report the Yes/No question “Are you busy?”: He asked ___ I was busy.
Yes/No questions are reported with “if” or “whether”.
Translate into English: 她问我住在哪里。
Statement order, no “did”: “She asked where I lived.”
Reported commands
- Use tell / ask + someone + to + base verb.
- She told me to wait. He asked me to help.
- tell and ask take a person (me, him…).
Negative commands
- For "don't …", use not to + base verb.
- He asked me not to be late. The sign tells people not to smoke.
Question, command or negative command?
Reported questions use statement order; commands use told + to; negatives slip in 'not to'.
Is this a correct reported command? “He asked me not to be late.”
Yes — reported commands use (not) to + base verb: “asked me not to be late.”
Common mistakes
- ❌ He asked me am I busy. → ✓ He asked me if I was busy. — if + statement order.
- ❌ He told me don't be late. → ✓ He told me not to be late.
- ❌ She suggested me to go. → ✓ She suggested going. / She suggested that I go.
Match the direct speech to its reported form.
Commands → (not) to + verb; wh-questions keep the question word; yes/no → if / whether.
Which sentence is correct?
tell + person + to + verb — say never takes this pattern.
- Reported questions: statement order, if / whether or a wh- word, no do/did.
- Reported commands: tell / ask + someone + to + base verb.
- Negative: not to + base verb.
Think of a question someone asked you. Report it in one sentence (She/He asked …).
Example: “My teacher asked if I had finished my homework.”