asked + question word + subject + verbKeep the wh-word, then use normal statement order: question word + subject + verb.
Reported Questions
B1Reported questions keep the question word or use if/whether, but the reported part uses statement word order: She asked where I lived.
What you'll learn
- Put the subject before the verb in the reported part.
- Use if or whether to report yes/no questions.
- Shift the tense back after past reporting verbs when needed.
- Remove do/does/did and question punctuation inside the report.
- Keep where, why, when, how, what, or who in wh-question reports.
Structure
asked + if/whether + subject + verbFor yes/no questions, add if or whether. The reported clause is not a direct question.
wanted to know + question word / if + subject + verbWanted to know works like asked and is common in neutral spoken and written English.
Build a sentence
Reporting frame
Question word / linker
Subject
askedwhereIlived
She asked where I lived.
Keep where, then use statement order: I lived, not *did I live*.
When to use
Passing on information
Use reported questions when you tell someone what another person wanted to know: Maria asked where the station was.
Reporting yes/no questions
Use if or whether when the original question had no question word: Tom asked if I was ready.
Neutral report
Asked is the common everyday frame. Wanted to know is slightly fuller and often sounds more neutral in writing.
Markers
wherewhenwhyhowwhatwhoifwhether
Common mistakes
Wrong
She asked where did Tom live.
Correct
She asked where Tom lived.
Inside a reported question, use statement order: subject before verb.
Wrong
Anna asked was I tired.
Correct
Anna asked if I was tired.
Yes/no questions need if or whether in reported speech.
Wrong
Tom asked if did I like sushi.
Correct
Tom asked if I liked sushi.
Do-support belongs to direct questions. In the report, use statement order and the main verb form for that tense.
Wrong
Maria asked where I live.
Correct
Maria asked where I lived.
After asked in the past, the tense often moves back in the reported clause.
Wrong
She asked where I lived?
Correct
She asked where I lived.
The whole sentence is a statement about a question, so it ends with a period.
Common misconceptions
❝ If the original sentence was a question, I should keep question word order after asked. ❞
After asked, the reported clause follows statement order. Keep the question word, but not the direct-question structure.
❝ In a reported yes/no question, I can skip if because the meaning is clear. ❞
A reported yes/no question needs if or whether to show that the original question expected yes or no.
Skills in this rule (6)
USE_STATEMENT_ORDER_AFTER_QUESTION_WORDw5Use statement word order after the question word
After where, when, why, how, what, who, the subject comes before the verb in the reported part. Do not keep question order there.
IF_WHETHER_FOR_YES_NOw5Report yes/no questions with if or whether
When the original question can be answered yes or no, use if or whether after the reporting verb. Do not use do/does/did in the reported part.
BACKSHIFT_IN_REPORTED_QUESTIONw4Shift the tense back when the reporting verb is in the past
After asked or wanted to know in the past, move the tense back when the situation is not still present. Present becomes past, and past can move to past perfect.
REMOVE_QUESTION_MARK_AND_DO_SUPPORTw4Drop question form in the reported part
A reported question becomes part of a larger sentence, so the reported clause has no question mark and no question-building do/does/did.
CHOOSE_REPORTING_VERBw2Choose a natural reporting frame for the question
Use asked or wanted to know to introduce the reported question. These frames show that the original sentence was a question.
REPORT_WH_QUESTIONSw4Report wh-questions with the same question word
Keep the original wh-word at the start of the reported clause: where, why, when, how, what, who. Then continue with statement order.