Reporting questions and commands introduces two new challenges beyond the statement backshift covered in Lesson 1. For questions, the critical issue is word order: in a direct question, the auxiliary comes before the subject ('Are you ready?'); in a reported question, normal subject-verb order is restored and the auxiliary disappears or merges with the verb ('She asked if he was ready'). Students who carry the inverted word order into reported questions produce one of the most persistent errors in learner English. For commands and requests, the structure is simpler: 'tell/ask + person + to + base verb'. Both structures are high-frequency in professional and academic contexts.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
Direct: 'Do the students understand?'
Reported: She asked whether the students understood.
Look at the word order in the direct questions and then in the reported versions. What happened to the auxiliary verb 'are' and 'do'? What word was added at the beginning of the reported clause? Is there a question mark at the end of the reported question?
In the direct question, the auxiliary comes before the subject: 'Are you ready?' In the reported question, normal subject-verb order is restored: 'she asked if he was ready' — subject ('he') before verb ('was'). The auxiliary 'do' disappears entirely because it was only needed to form the question; once the question is reported, normal word order does not need it. 'If' or 'whether' is added to introduce the reported yes/no question. There is no question mark — reported questions are statements, not questions. These three changes — word order restored, if/whether added, no question mark — are the core of reported yes/no questions.
Direct: 'What did you find in the report?'
Reported: He asked what I had found in the report.
Direct: 'Why are the students outside?'
Reported: She asked why the students were outside.
Look at the wh- word in each sentence. Does it stay in the reported version? What happens to the word order after the wh- word? Does the tense backshift?
The wh- word ('where', 'what', 'why') is kept and introduces the reported clause — it replaces 'if/whether' for wh- questions. After the wh- word, normal subject-verb order applies: 'where the head teacher was' (subject 'the head teacher' before verb 'was'), not 'where was the head teacher'. The tense backshifts exactly as in reported statements: 'is' → 'was', 'did...find' → 'had found', 'are' → 'were'. The wh- word is the connecting word; everything after it follows statement word order.
Direct: 'Please open the window.' (request)
Reported: He asked me to open the window.
Direct: 'Don't talk during the exam.' (negative command)
Reported: She told the students not to talk during the exam.
How is the command or request reported? What is the structure after 'told' or 'asked'? What happens to a negative command?
Commands and requests are reported using 'tell/ask + person + to + base verb'. The imperative form disappears and is replaced by the to-infinitive. For negative commands, 'not' goes before 'to': 'not to talk'. There is no tense backshift to worry about because the to-infinitive does not have a tense. 'Say' cannot be used for commands in this structure — 'She said the students to sit down' is wrong. 'Tell' is used for commands; 'ask' is used for requests (and questions).
| Form | Use / Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direct speech type | Reporting structure | Example |
| Yes/no question: 'Are you ready?' | asked if/whether + subject + verb | She asked if he was ready. |
| Wh- question: 'Where is the book?' | asked + wh- word + subject + verb | She asked where the book was. |
| Command: 'Sit down!' | told + person + to + base verb | She told the students to sit down. |
| Request: 'Please help me.' | asked + person + to + base verb | He asked me to help him. |
| Negative command: 'Don't leave!' | told + person + not to + base verb | She told them not to leave. |
The word order error in reported questions — keeping the inverted auxiliary-subject order from the direct question — is the most widespread reported speech error among learners at all levels. It occurs because students correctly recognise that the wh- word or 'if' stays, but they then reproduce the question word order directly: 'She asked where was the book.' The most effective classroom explanation is the simplest one: after the wh- word or 'if', the sentence behaves like a normal statement — subject first, then verb. A useful test: cover everything before the wh- word or 'if', and ask: does the remaining part read like a statement? 'the book was there' → yes ✓. 'was the book there' → no ✗ — that is question order, not statement order. This single test catches the most common error.
Checking reported questions: 1. Yes/no question? → Add 'if' or 'whether' after the reporting verb 2. Wh- question? → Keep the wh- word, place it after the reporting verb 3. After 'if/whether' or the wh- word: subject BEFORE verb (statement order — no inversion) 4. No question mark — it is a statement, not a question 5. Tense backshifted as in Lesson 1? Checking reported commands: 1. Reporting verb: 'told' (command) or 'asked' (request) — not 'said' 2. Person object before 'to' 3. Negative command: 'not to' before the base verb
Report each direct speech sentence. Make all necessary changes.
Each reported speech sentence has one error. Find and correct it.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — The word order principle (6 min): Write a direct question on the board: 'Where is the book?' Then write the beginning of the reported version: 'She asked where...' and stop. Ask students to complete it. Most will write 'was the book' (wrong) or 'the book was' (correct). Use this to establish the key rule: after the wh- word or 'if', the order is like a statement — subject before verb. The question mark also disappears.
STEP 2 — Yes/no questions: if or whether (5 min): Write three yes/no questions. Ask students to convert them. Establish: add 'if' or 'whether' (both are correct; 'if' is more common in speech). Check: no question mark, statement order, tense backshifted.
STEP 3 — Commands: told/asked + to (6 min): Write three direct commands and requests on the board. Ask students to report them. Establish: 'tell' for commands, 'ask' for requests. 'To + base verb' after the person. Negative: 'not to'. Write 'said him to' on the board with a cross through it — 'say' is not used for commands.
STEP 4 — Error clinic (8 min): Write six reported questions and commands on the board — half correct, half with the word order error, wrong connector, or wrong reporting verb. Students in pairs identify all errors and give corrections. Share and discuss.
STEP 5 — Report a real exchange (5 min): Ask students to think of a question a student or colleague asked them recently and report it in one sentence. Then report one instruction they gave or received. Share with the class. Check: word order correct? Right reporting verb? Tense backshifted?
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
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