Changing a question into reported speech primarily involves transforming it into a statement and making necessary grammatical adjustments.
The Core Principle: Statement Form
When you report a question, the fundamental rule is that you no more report it in the form of a question but in the form of a statement. This means the sentence structure changes, and you do not use a question mark at the end.
For example:
- Direct speech: Where do you want to eat?
- Reported speech: She asked me where I wanted to eat.
Notice how the reported speech version is a statement ending with a period, even though the original was a question.
Steps to Change Questions into Reported Speech
Here's a breakdown of the process:
- Introduce the Reporting Verb: Use reporting verbs like ask, inquire, wonder, want to know, etc.
- Change Question Structure to Statement Structure: This is the most crucial step, as highlighted by the reference. The subject comes before the verb.
- Use 'if' or 'whether' for Yes/No Questions: If the original question can be answered with 'yes' or 'no', use if or whether after the reporting verb.
- Use the Wh- word for Wh- Questions: If the original question starts with who, what, where, when, why, how, keep the Wh- word, but follow it with the statement structure (subject + verb).
- Shift Tenses: Generally, the tense of the verb moves one step back into the past (e.g., present simple to past simple, past simple to past perfect).
- Change Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives: Adjust pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, they) and possessives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) to reflect the new context.
- Change Time and Place Expressions: Modify adverbs of time (now to then, today to that day) and place (here to there) if necessary.
- Remove Question Mark: Replace the question mark (?) with a period (.).
Examples
Let's look at different types of questions:
Yes/No Questions
These use 'if' or 'whether'.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| "Are you coming?" she asked. | She asked if I was coming. |
| "Did you finish?" he asked. | He asked whether I had finished. |
| "Can she swim?" they asked. | They asked if she could swim. |
Wh- Questions
These keep the Wh- word but follow it with statement order.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| "Where do you live?" he asked. | He asked where I lived. |
| "What are you doing?" she asked. | She asked what I was doing. |
| "Why did you leave?" they asked. | They asked why I had left. |
| "How much does it cost?" I asked. | I asked how much it costed. (or had cost) |
Practical Insights
- Remember to remove auxiliary verbs like do, does, did when converting to statement form and shifting the tense.
- The reporting verb (like ask) determines the tense shifts and pronoun changes needed.
- The key takeaway is always to end the reported question with a full stop (.) because it is presented as a statement.
By following these steps and remembering the core principle of transforming the question into a statement, you can correctly change direct questions into reported speech.
