Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Reported speech 2


We also use reported speech when we are saying what other people asked or wanted to know. We do not use do or question marks in indirect questions.
  • "What time is it?" = He asked me what time it was.
  • "Why hasn't he come? = She wondered why he hadn't come.
  • "When will you be arriving?" = He wanted to know when we would be arriving.
  • "What were you doing?" = They questioned him about what he had been doing.
We use the same structure when we report answers.
  • "147 Oak Street." = I told him what my address was.
  • "I didn't have time to do it." = She explained why she hadn't done it.
  • "Look at this dress and bag." = She showed me what she had bought.
  • "Put the paper here and press this button." = He demonstrated how the scanner worked.
Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether.
  • Do you want a ride? = Mike asked me if I wanted a ride.
  • Are you coming? = They wanted to know if I was coming.
  • Will you be here later? = She asked me whether I would be here later.

No comments:

Post a Comment