Reporting what someone asked or ordered follows different rules than reporting statements. The key changes are word order and verb pattern.
Reported Questions — Wh-Questions
When reporting a wh-question (who, what, where, when, why, how), keep the question word but change to statement word order and apply tense backshift.
| Direct question | Reported question | | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | | "Where is the station?" | She asked where the station was. | | "What do you want?" | He asked what I wanted. | | "Why did you leave?" | They asked why I had left. | | "How does this work?" | She asked how that worked. |
Form: ask + question word + subject + verb
The subject comes before the verb (statement order), not after it (question order).
Reported Questions — Yes/No Questions
For questions with no question word (answer is yes or no), use if or whether.
| Direct question | Reported question | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | "Do you like coffee?" | She asked if I liked coffee. | | "Is she coming?" | He asked whether she was coming. | | "Have you finished?" | They asked if I had finished. |
Form: ask + if/whether + subject + verb
Reporting Verbs for Questions
| Verb | Pattern | Example | | -------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | ask | ask + wh-word / if | He asked where we lived. | | wonder | wonder + wh-word / if | I wondered why she was late. | | want to know | want to know + wh-word / if | She wanted to know if I could help. | | inquire (formal) | inquire + wh-word / whether | The officer inquired where I was going. |
Reported Commands and Requests
Commands, orders, requests, and advice use the pattern: verb + person + to + infinitive.
| Direct | Reported | | -------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | "Sit down." | He told me to sit down. | | "Please close the door." | She asked me to close the door. | | "Don't be late." | They warned us not to be late. | | "You should see a doctor." | He advised me to see a doctor. |
For negative commands, add not before to: told me not to do something.
Common Reporting Verbs for Commands
| Verb | Usage | Example | | ------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | tell | order / instruct | The teacher told the class to be quiet. | | ask | request (polite) | She asked him to help. | | order | strong command | The officer ordered them to stop. | | warn | advise against danger | He warned us not to touch the wire. | | advise | give a recommendation | The doctor advised me to rest. | | remind | tell not to forget | She reminded me to call my mother. | | encourage | give support | They encouraged us to apply. | | invite | offer to come | He invited me to join the team. |
Quick Reference
| Direct | Reported | Pattern | | -------------- | ------------------------- | ---------------------------- | | "Where is it?" | asked where it was | wh-word + statement order | | "Is it ready?" | asked if it was ready | if/whether + statement order | | "Sit down." | told me to sit down | to + infinitive | | "Don't go." | told me not to go | not to + infinitive |
Common Mistakes
- Keeping question word order: ~~She asked where was the station.~~ → She asked where the station was.
- Forgetting if/whether for yes/no questions: ~~He asked was I ready.~~ → He asked if I was ready.
- Using say instead of tell for commands: ~~He said me to wait.~~ → He told me to wait. (or He asked me to wait.)
- Using that for questions: ~~She asked that where I lived.~~ → She asked where I lived.
- Not using not to for negative commands: ~~He told me to not be late.~~ → He told me not to be late.