How do you report reported questions in reported speech?

When reporting reported questions in reported speech, there are a few key steps to follow.

First, it is important to understand that reported speech is used to convey someone else's words or thoughts. In the case of reported questions, we are reporting someone else's question.

To report a reported question, we need to make some changes to the original question. Here is a step-by-step guide:

1. Change the reporting verb: The reporting verb is the verb that introduces the reported speech. Common reporting verbs for questions include ask, inquire, wonder, and want to know. For example, if the original question was "What time is it?", we can use the reporting verb "asked" to report it as "He asked what time it was."

2. Change the pronouns: Pronouns in the reported question need to be changed to reflect the perspective of the person reporting the question. For example, if the original question was "Are you going to the party?", and the person reporting the question is referring to themselves, it would be reported as "She asked if I was going to the party."

3. Change the tense: The tense of the reported question is usually shifted back one tense. For example, if the original question was in the present tense, it would be reported in the past tense. If the original question was in the past tense, it would be reported in the past perfect tense. For example, if the original question was "Did you see the movie?", it would be reported as "He asked if I had seen the movie."

4. Change the question structure: In reported speech, we often change the question structure from a direct question to an indirect statement. This means that we remove the question mark and rephrase the question as a statement. For example, if the original question was "Where are you going?", it would be reported as "She asked where I was going."

5. Use reporting words: It is common to use reporting words such as "asked," "inquired," or "wondered" to introduce the reported question. These words help to indicate that the reported speech is a question. For example, "He wondered if she had finished her homework."

Overall, when reporting reported questions in reported speech, we need to change the reporting verb, pronouns, tense, and question structure while using appropriate reporting words. By following these steps, we can accurately report someone else's question in reported speech.