Reported Speech

We also use reported speech when we are saying what other people asked or wanted to know. We do not use do or question marks in indirect questions.

• "What time is it?" = He asked me what time it was.
• "Why hasn't he come? = She wondered why he hadn't come.
• "When will you be arriving?" = He wanted to know when we would be arriving.
• "What were you doing?" = They questioned him about what he had been doing.

We use the same structure when we report answers.

• "147 Oak Street." = I told him what my address was.
• "I didn't have time to do it." = She explained why she hadn't done it.
• "Look at this dress and bag." = She showed me what she had bought.
• "Put the paper here and press this button." = He demonstrated how the scanner worked.

Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether.

• Do you want a ride? = Mike asked me if I wanted a ride.
• Are you coming? = They wanted to know if I was coming.
• Will you be here later? = She asked me whether I would be here later.