Grammar: 🚀 Advanced Grammar: 💬➡️🗣️ Reported Speech (B2) - Lesson 2: Reported Questions (Wh- questions, Yes/No questions)

Grammar: Reported Speech

B2 Lesson 2: Reported Questions

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly change direct questions into reported questions by changing the word order and using 'if', 'whether', or a question word.

Why It Matters: Word Order is Key

When we change a direct question into a reported question, the sentence is no longer a question. The most important rule is that the word order must change back to a normal statement form (Subject + Verb).

❌ Incorrect (Question Order)

He asked where is the post office.

✅ Correct (Statement Order)

He asked where the post office was.

The Grammar Rules 📖

Rule 1: Reporting Yes/No Questions

For questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no", introduce the reported question using if or whether.

Direct: "Are you from Cambodia?"

Reported: "He asked if I was from Cambodia."

Direct: "Do you speak French?"

Reported: "She asked whether I spoke French." (Note: The auxiliary 'do' disappears).

Rule 2: Reporting Wh- Questions

For questions starting with a question word (What, Where, When, etc.), use that same question word to introduce the reported question.

Direct: "Where is the post office?"

Reported: "She asked where the post office was."

Direct: "What time does the bus leave?"

Reported: "He asked what time the bus left."

💡 Pro Tip: Don't Forget the Other Rules!

All the other rules of reported speech still apply. You must still remember to:

• Backshift the tense (e.g., Present → Past, Past → Past Perfect).
• Change pronouns (e.g., "you" → "I / me").
• Change time/place words when necessary (e.g., "here" → "there", "today" → "that day").

Practice Your Grammar 🎯

Exercise: Report the Question

Convert these direct questions into reported questions.

1. Direct: "Are you coming to the party?"
   → She asked me _______ I was coming to the party.
   Answer: if / whether
2. Direct: "What is your favorite food?"
   → He asked me what my favorite food _______.
   Answer: was (Word order changes from 'is your food' to 'my food was').
3. Direct: "Did you visit the temples?"
   → They asked if I _______ the temples.
   Answer: had visited (Past Simple 'did visit' backshifts to Past Perfect).
4. Direct: "Where does your friend live?"
   → She wanted to know where my friend _______.
   Answer: lived

Your Grammar Mission ⭐

A Tourist's Questions

Imagine a tourist stopped you in Battambang yesterday and asked these questions. Report what they asked to a friend today.

1. "Is this the right way to the bat caves?"
2. "What time does the Phare circus start?"
3. "Can I find a good restaurant near here?"

Show Example Answers

1. He asked if that was the right way to the bat caves.
2. She asked what time the Phare circus started.
3. He asked if he could find a good restaurant near there.

Key Vocabulary

• Direct Question (Noun) | សំណួរផ្ទាល់
  The exact words someone asks, with a question mark.
• Reported Question (Noun) | សំណួររាយការណ៍
  Reporting what someone asked without using their exact words or a question mark.
• Word Order (Noun) | លំដាប់ពាក្យ
  The arrangement of words in a sentence.
• Whether (Conjunction) | ថា…ឬអត់
  A formal alternative to 'if', used to introduce a reported yes/no question.