SPI English · Grammar
Reported Speech: Questions, Commands and Exclamations
A question, an order, a request or an exclamation is reported with its own verb (asked, ordered, requested, exclaimed) and turned into ordinary statement order.
Why this matters
Thirteen questions in the bank, 9 MODERATE, 3 EASY and 1 HARD. The backshift of tenses still applies; what these add is the choice of reporting verb (asked, advised, requested, warned, remarked) and the change from question order to statement order.
Concept 1 of 3: Reported questions: asked if or whether, and statement order
A reported question is no longer a question, so it loses its question mark and its question order. A yes or no question is joined with if or whether; a question with what, when, why or how keeps that word as the joiner.
Definition
- The reporting verb becomes asked (or enquired, wanted to know).
- A yes or no question is joined with if or whether: 'Is it ready?' to 'asked if it was ready'.
- A wh-question keeps its question word: 'Where do you live?' to 'asked where I lived'.
- Use statement order (subject before verb) and no question mark: 'asked where she lived', not 'asked where did she live'.
- The tense, pronoun and time-word changes are the same as for statements.
- Going back to direct speech, restore the question order and the question mark, and use said to or asked.
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| He said to me, "Are you hungry?" | He asked me if I was hungry. |
| She said to him, "Have you finished?" | She asked him whether he had finished. |
| I said to her, "Where do you live?" | I asked her where she lived. |
| They said to us, "Why are you laughing?" | They asked us why we were laughing. |
| The guard said, "Who are you?" | The guard asked who I was. |
If, whether or the wh-word joins; then subject, then verb; then a full stop.
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The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 1 · Grammar · Reported Questions, Commands and Exclamations
Find suitable direct/indirect speech. Dinesh asked, "Are you going to the party tomorrow, Eliza?"
Keeping question order in a reported question
'He asked me where was I going' is wrong. A reported question uses statement order: 'He asked me where I was going.'
Leaving out the person who was asked
When the quotation names the listener, the report keeps that person after asked: 'She asked Ravi whether he was free', not 'Ravi asked whether he was free'.
Concept 2 of 3: Reported commands, requests, advice and warnings: verb + to
An order or a request has no tense to shift; it becomes a reporting verb plus 'to' and the verb. A 'Don't' order becomes 'not to'. Pick the reporting verb that matches the speaker's tone.
Definition
- Order: told, ordered, commanded + person + to + verb.
- Request ('please', 'would you mind', 'could you'): requested + person + to + verb.
- Advice (caring guidance): advised + person + to + verb.
- Warning ('be careful', 'look out'): warned + person + to + verb.
- A negative order ('Don't ...') becomes not to + verb: advised him not to go.
- A reason given with the order is joined with as or because, and its tense moves back: 'Be quick; the bus is leaving' becomes 'told me to be quick as the bus was leaving'.
- Any other verb in the sentence still moves back: 'until you have eaten' to 'until he had eaten'.
| Direct speech | Tone | Reported speech |
|---|---|---|
| The officer said, "Stand up." | order | The officer ordered them to stand up. |
| She said to me, "Please open the window." | request | She requested me to open the window. |
| He said, "Would you mind closing the gate?" | polite request | He requested me to close the gate. |
| The doctor said, "Take this medicine twice a day." | advice | The doctor advised me to take the medicine twice a day. |
| Father said, "Don't touch the wire." | warning | Father warned us not to touch the wire. |
Reporting verb, then the listener, then to (or not to), then the verb.
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionModerate
Example 2 · Grammar · Reported Questions, Commands and Exclamations
Find suitable direct/indirect speech. "Don't do any more work until you have had a rest," her mother advised her.
Turning a command into a 'that' statement
'She advised him that he would not go' turns advice into a forecast. A command or advice is reported with to or not to: 'advised him not to go'.
Choosing a reporting verb that changes the tone
A kind warning from a parent is advised or warned, never threatened or persuaded. Match the verb to how the words were meant.
Concept 3 of 3: Reported exclamations: exclaimed, confessed, remarked
An exclamation shows a feeling. In reported speech the feeling goes into the reporting verb (exclaimed with joy, confessed with regret), the 'How ...!' or 'What ...!' becomes a plain statement with very or great, and the tense moves back.
Definition
- Hurrah! becomes 'exclaimed with joy that ...'.
- Alas! becomes 'exclaimed with sorrow that ...' or 'confessed with regret that ...'.
- How + adjective ...! becomes 'exclaimed (or remarked) that it was very + adjective'.
- What a ...! becomes 'exclaimed that it was a very ...' or 'a great ...'.
- Drop the exclamation mark and move the tense back as usual.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| He said, "Hurrah! We have won." | He exclaimed with joy that they had won. |
| She said, "Alas! My dog is dead." | She exclaimed with sorrow that her dog was dead. |
| They said, "How beautiful the garden is!" | They exclaimed that the garden was very beautiful. |
| He said, "What a fine day it is!" | He exclaimed that it was a very fine day. |
| She said to me, "How kind of you!" | She remarked that it was very kind of me. |
The feeling moves into the reporting verb; the sentence becomes a plain statement.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionModerate
Example 3 · Grammar · Reported Questions, Commands and Exclamations
Find suitable direct/indirect speech. He said, "How cruel of him!".
Keeping the present tense after a past reporting verb
'He remarked that it is very kind' keeps the wrong tense. After remarked or exclaimed, 'is' moves back to 'was'.
Keeping the exclamation word
Words like Alas and Hurrah do not appear in the reported sentence. Their feeling goes into the verb: 'confessed with regret', 'exclaimed with joy'.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Reported questions: asked if or whether, and statement order5 rows
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| He said to me, "Are you hungry?" | He asked me if I was hungry. |
| She said to him, "Have you finished?" | She asked him whether he had finished. |
| I said to her, "Where do you live?" | I asked her where she lived. |
| They said to us, "Why are you laughing?" | They asked us why we were laughing. |
| The guard said, "Who are you?" | The guard asked who I was. |
If, whether or the wh-word joins; then subject, then verb; then a full stop.
Reported commands, requests, advice and warnings: verb + to5 rows
| Direct speech | Tone | Reported speech |
|---|---|---|
| The officer said, "Stand up." | order | The officer ordered them to stand up. |
| She said to me, "Please open the window." | request | She requested me to open the window. |
| He said, "Would you mind closing the gate?" | polite request | He requested me to close the gate. |
| The doctor said, "Take this medicine twice a day." | advice | The doctor advised me to take the medicine twice a day. |
| Father said, "Don't touch the wire." | warning | Father warned us not to touch the wire. |
Reporting verb, then the listener, then to (or not to), then the verb.
Reported exclamations: exclaimed, confessed, remarked5 rows
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| He said, "Hurrah! We have won." | He exclaimed with joy that they had won. |
| She said, "Alas! My dog is dead." | She exclaimed with sorrow that her dog was dead. |
| They said, "How beautiful the garden is!" | They exclaimed that the garden was very beautiful. |
| He said, "What a fine day it is!" | He exclaimed that it was a very fine day. |
| She said to me, "How kind of you!" | She remarked that it was very kind of me. |
The feeling moves into the reporting verb; the sentence becomes a plain statement.
Watch out for (6)
- Keeping question order in a reported question→ Reported questions: asked if or whether, and statement order
- Leaving out the person who was asked→ Reported questions: asked if or whether, and statement order
- Turning a command into a 'that' statement→ Reported commands, requests, advice and warnings: verb + to
- Choosing a reporting verb that changes the tone→ Reported commands, requests, advice and warnings: verb + to
- Keeping the present tense after a past reporting verb→ Reported exclamations: exclaimed, confessed, remarked
- Keeping the exclamation word→ Reported exclamations: exclaimed, confessed, remarked
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