2.2.3. Reported Wh- questions and commands

🎬 Title: Family Catch-Up

 

Scene 1 – At the Family Dinner (Direct Speech)

(The whole family is seated around the table, eating and chatting.)

Mom: Where are you working now, Anna?

Aunt Carol: What kind of company have you joined?

Grandpa: Why haven’t you visited me recently, Ben?

Grandma: How are you managing with your studies and work?

Uncle Peter: Who taught you to cook that pasta dish, Anna?

Dad: What ingredients did you use for that sauce?

Mom (again, smiling): And when are you planning to settle down, Ben?

(Everyone laughs. The dinner continues with small talk and jokes.)

 

Scene 2 – Later That Night in the Kitchen (Reported Speech)

(Anna and Ben are having coffee after dinner.)

Anna: Dinner was endless! Everyone kept asking me questions.

Ben: Yeah, Mom told me she had asked you where you were working now.

Anna: Exactly. And Aunt Carol wanted to know what kind of company I had joined.

Ben: Grandpa wasn’t any better. He asked me why I hadn’t visited him recently.

Anna: Oh, Grandma also asked how you were managing with your studies and work.

Ben: (Smiling) I didn’t even know she remembered that!

Anna: Uncle Peter wanted to know who had taught me to cook that pasta dish.

Ben: And Dad asked me what ingredients you had used, as if he wanted to copy your recipe.

Anna: (Laughs) Typical Dad! And Mom said she’d asked you when you were planning to settle down.

Ben: (Sighs) Oh yes… that question again. I told her she should ask who would be willing to marry me first!

(They both laugh and clink their coffee mugs.)

  📘 Grammar Chart: Reported Wh-Questions

Reporting verb + wh-word + subject + verb (backshifted)

✅ Example:

Mom asked where I was working.
Aunt Carol wanted to know what kind of company I had joined.

 

🧠 Key Notes

• ❌ No auxiliary do / does / did in reported questions.
• ❌ No question mark.
• 🔁 Backshift the tense one step into the past (if reporting verb is in past).
• 👤 Adjust pronouns and time expressions (now → then, today → that day, etc.).
• 💬 Common reporting verbs: ask, want to know, wonder, say, tell (someone), inquire.

 

Individual Exercise of Reported Wh-  quesitons

https://www.engblocks.com/grammar/exercises/reported-speech/reported-wh-questions-exercise-1/

Individual Online Exercise on Topworksheets.

https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/reported-speech-exercise-6.html

🎬 Game: “Interview with a Celebrity — The Reported Questions Challenge”

Level: C1
Focus: Reported wh- and yes/no questions
Skills: Speaking, listening, grammar, note-taking, creativity
Time: 35–50 minutes
Group Size: 10–25 students

🎯 Learning Objectives

• Use reported questions accurately and fluently in context.
• Develop speaking and summarizing skills through interviews.
• Practice backshifting, pronoun adjustment, and indirect word order.
• Encourage spontaneity and role play in authentic communicative settings.

🧑‍🎤 Game Setup

Scenario:
Students are invited to a live talk show where several “famous guests” (played by classmates) are being interviewed. The rest of the class acts as journalists or reporters from different media outlets.

Examples of possible characters:

Type	Examples
🧑‍🎨 Artists	Taylor Swift, Frida Kahlo, Van Gogh, Banksy
⚽ Athletes	Lionel Messi, Serena Williams, Simone Biles
🧠 Scientists	Marie Curie, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein
👑 Historical Figures	Cleopatra, Napoleon, Princess Diana
🎬 Fictional Characters	Harry Potter, Iron Man, Barbie, Sherlock Holmes

🎭 Phase 1 – Direct Question Interview

1. Divide the class into groups of 4–5.
• One student becomes the celebrity.
• The others are journalists.
2. Give 5–10 minutes for journalists to prepare creative direct questions.
• What inspired you to become a scientist?
• Who supported you during your career?
• Are you planning to write another book?
3. Each group conducts a short live interview (3–5 minutes) in front of the class.
   Encourage expressive delivery — like a real TV show! 🎤

✍️ Phase 2 – Reported Question Round

Now comes the key grammar focus.
After each interview:

1. Journalists must report the questions they asked, not the answers.
• “I asked her what had inspired her to become a scientist.”
• “We asked if she was planning to write another book.”
2. The “host” (teacher or another student) checks or awards points for correct grammar and fluency.

💡 Tip: Have each journalist write three correct reported questions to hand in or present orally.

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🧩 Phase 3 – Press Conference Recap

To consolidate, form new groups.
Each student must summarize what another group asked during their interview — again using reported questions:

“The journalists asked Messi how he had felt after winning the World Cup.”
“They also asked him if he had ever considered retiring.”

This reinforces memory, paraphrasing, and reported speech accuracy.

🏆 Scoring & Feedback

Give points for:

• ✅ Correct grammar in reported questions
• 🎙️ Pronunciation and fluency
• 💡 Creativity of questions
• 🎭 Acting performance (for the “celebrity”)

Optional fun categories:

• “Best Journalist Question”
• “Most Convincing Celebrity”
• “Grammar Detective Award”

✍️ Optional Written Extension

Ask students to write a press article summarizing the interview:

“During the talk show, journalists asked the singer how she had started her career and whether she planned to collaborate with new artists.”

This reinforces written accuracy and advanced transformation skills.

💬 Sample Transformation Chart

Direct Question	Reported Question
“Where were you born?”	The journalist asked me where I had been born.
“Do you like fame?”	They asked if I liked fame.
“What inspired your latest album?”	Someone asked what had inspired my latest album.
“Who helped you in your career?”	The reporter asked who had helped me in her career.

Oral Review Exercise of Reported Questions
https://wordwall.net/resource/11113375/english/reported-questions-yes-no-wh-and-do-did

Reported Commands, orders, and Requests

🎬 Scene: Family Dinner Preparation

(The family is gathered in the kitchen before dinner.)

 

Mom (direct speech):
“Tom, set the table, please.”
“Anna, don’t use your phone while we eat.”
“Dad, help me bring the dishes.”

 

Dad:
“All right. Tom, put the glasses on the table carefully.”
“And Anna, don’t forget to wash your hands before dinner.”

 

Tom:
“Mom, could you tell Grandma to come downstairs now?”

 

Anna:
“Please don’t make me peel the vegetables again!”

 

🎭 Scene 2: Later That Evening – Reported Speech

(Grandma joins them and asks what everyone was told to do.)

 

Grandma:
“What did your parents ask you to do?”

 

Tom:
“Mom told me to set the table and Dad ordered me to put the glasses carefully on it.”
“She also asked Dad to help her bring the dishes.”
“Oh, and she told Anna not to use her phone while eating.”

 

Anna:
“Dad reminded me to wash my hands before dinner and Mom told me not to complain about peeling the vegetables.”

 

Grandma:
“So many instructions! Your parents always know how to keep things running smoothly.”

 

Mom (smiling):
“Well, I just want everyone to cooperate and not start arguing again.”

 

Grandma (reported later to a friend):
“During dinner, my daughter asked everyone to cooperate and told them not to argue again. She sounded like a general, but a loving one.”