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👉A CLOSER LOOK 2
Grammar
Reported speech (questions)
💡Remember!
We normally use ask, wonder, and want to know when we report questions. In reported questions, we use the same word order as in statements but omit the question mark.
Example:
She asked me, "What are you doing now?"
-> She asked me what I was doing then.
Remember that pronouns, possessive adjectives, verb tenses, place expressions, and time expressions change in reported questions just as in reported statements.
1. Underline the correct word or phrase for each sentence.
1. He phoned to ask his mother what she was doing now / then.
2. Ann wondered what plants Vietnamese people grow / grew for food.
3. Peter phoned the shop to ask what specialities they are selling there / here.
4. The student asked his professor what forms of life can / could exist on Mars.
5. He wanted to know how many planets there were / were there in our solar system.
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2. Put the words and phrases in the correct order to make reported questions.
1. how many moons / My little brother / asked me / had/Venus/.
___________________________________________________________________.
2. which/ She / planet / the closest / wanted to know / was / to the sun/.
___________________________________________________________________.
3. asked the scientists / The journalist/ what/for/ were using / telescopes / in space/they/.
___________________________________________________________________.
4. wanted to know/when/The scientists/ travel to Mars / would be able to / humans /.
___________________________________________________________________.
5. He/what/were / asked the professor / to have life / for a planet / the conditions/ on it /.
___________________________________________________________________.
3. Change the following questions into reported questions.
1. "Who will be the first to step on Mars?" Mary asked the scientist.
___________________________________________________________________.
2. "How fast can a UFO travel?" I asked my father.
___________________________________________________________________.
3. The student asked his friend, "How many craters does the moon have?"
___________________________________________________________________.
4. The pupils asked the teacher, "Where can we find information about the solar system?"
___________________________________________________________________.
5. "What is the weather on Mars like?" I asked my teacher.
___________________________________________________________________.
4. Report the conversation between An and Mai.
An: What are you reading, Mai?
Mai: I'm reading Aliens, and I'm almost done.
An: What kind of book is it?
Mai: It's science fiction.
An: What's it about?
Mai: It's about three aliens who try to take over Earth.
Example:
An asked Mai what she was reading. Mai told An that she was reading...
5. Work in pairs. Ask your partner five questions about his/her daily routine and make notes of his/her answers. Then report your questions and your partner's answers to the class.
Example:
I asked A what time he got up in the morning and he told me (that) he got up at ...
