How do you report reported speech in indirect questions?

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How do you report reported speech in indirect questions?

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

Firstly, it is important to understand that indirect questions are used when we want to report a question that someone else has asked.

To report reported speech in indirect questions, we need to make some changes to the original question.

1. Change the question word: If the original question starts with a question word like "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," or "how," we need to change it to an appropriate question word for our indirect question. For example, if the original question is "Who asked you that?", we can report it as "I asked who had asked you that."

2. Use the reporting verb: We need to use an appropriate reporting verb such as "ask," "wonder," "want to know," or "inquire" to introduce the indirect question. For example, "She asked me where I was going" can be reported as "She asked me where I was going."

3. Change the tense: We may need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech to match the tense of the reporting verb. For example, if the original question is "When did you arrive?", we can report it as "He asked me when I had arrived."

4. Change pronouns and possessive adjectives: We may need to change the pronouns and possessive adjectives in the reported speech to match the subject of the reporting verb. For example, if the original question is "Did you see her?", we can report it as "He asked if I had seen her."

5. Use the word "if" or "whether": In indirect questions, we often use the word "if" or "whether" to introduce the question. For example, "He asked me if I had finished my homework."

Overall, when reporting reported speech in indirect questions, we need to make changes to the question word, use an appropriate reporting verb, change the tense, adjust pronouns and possessive adjectives, and introduce the question with "if" or "whether." By following these steps, we can accurately report reported speech in indirect questions.