B1 · Lesson 19 · 20 min
Reporting questions and requests
In this lesson
- I can report yes/no and wh-questions using statement word order.
- I can report requests with ask or tell + object + to.
Grammar in context
At the community centre, the receptionist asked Maya, “Where do you live?” She also said, “Please bring a notebook.” Later, Maya told her brother, “The receptionist asked me where I lived. She told me to bring a notebook.”
Compare Where do you live? with where I lived. Which order follows asked me? What form follows told me in the reported request?
Reporting yes/no questions
Use asked if or whether to report a question with a yes/no answer. After if or whether, use statement order: subject before verb. Do not retain question-forming do, does or did in the reported clause; use statement word order instead. Change pronouns and time words when the situation requires it.
- ‘Do you live nearby?’ The receptionist asked Maya if she lived nearby.
- ‘Did you bring your ID?’ He asked whether I had brought my ID.
Reporting wh-questions
Keep the question word in a reported wh-question: what, where, when, why, who or how. Then use statement order, not question order. The tense may move back when you report later, but use the context to decide what changes.
- ‘Where is the studio?’ Maya asked where the studio was.
- ‘What time does the class start?’ I asked what time the class started.
Reporting requests and instructions
To report a request or instruction to a named person, use ask or tell + person + to + base verb. Use ask for a polite request and tell for a stronger instruction. For a negative request, use not to + base verb. Tell normally needs the person receiving the instruction.
- ‘Please wait here.’ The receptionist asked us to wait there.
- ‘Don’t use the side door.’ The manager told visitors not to use the side door.
Common mistakes
Compare the incorrect and corrected forms.
Avoid
She asked where was the station.
Use
She asked where the station was.
After a question word, reported questions use statement order.
Avoid
He told me don’t touch the display.
Use
He told me not to touch the display.
Negative reported instructions use not to before the base verb.
Put it into practice
Try the exercises, write your own examples and check your understanding.