Reporting Questions | Grammar For Classes 9 and 10
Read the following questions asked by a traveler.
- Do I have to pay for this call?
- Will I have to get a visa for Nepal?
- Will I be able to find Bengali speaking people in China?
- How long will I have to wait for a visa?
- When will I receive my visa?
- How much will the tickets cost?
If you were to report these questions, you would say:
- The traveller asked me if she had to pay for that call.
- The traveller asked if she would have to get a visa for Nepal. / The traveller wanted to know if she would have to get a visa for Nepal.
- The traveller wanted to know if she would be able to find Bengali speaking people in China.
- The traveller asked / enquired how long she would have to wait for a visa.
- The traveller wanted to know when she would receive her visa.
- The traveller wanted to know how much the tickets would cost.
When we report questions we follow the basic rules of reported speech.
In reported questions we use a full stop instead of a question mark.
We use reporting verbs like asked, enquired, wanted to know, wished to know etc.
In reported questions the subject goes before the verb and the word order is the same as in statements.
- He wanted to know if he could park there. (NOT He wanted to know if could be park there?)
Reporting WH-questions
When we report WH-questions, the WH-word goes immediately after the reporting verb.
- The student: When will the classes be held? (Direct speech)
- The student asked when the classes would be held. (Reported speech)
Reporting Yes/No questions
We use if or whether to report Yes/No questions.
- The traveller: Will you be able to help me? (Direct speech)
- The traveller asked if I would be able to help him. (Indirect speech)
