REPORTED SPEECH II

Reporting Questions

A)​ YES/NO QUESTIONS

Estudia lo que ocurre en los siguientes ejemplos:
●​ "Did you speak to John last night?" she asked. ➙ She asked if / whether I had
spoken to John the night before.

●​ "Are you working these days?" he enquired. ➙ He enquired if / whether I was

working those days.

1.​ La pregunta se ha convertido en una frase y por tanto ya no ha inversión del sujeto y el
verbo.
2.​ Han desaparecido las comillas y el signo de interrogación.
3.​ Detrás del reporting verb hemos puesto IF o WHETHER (pueden usarse indistintamente).
4.​ También el tiempo verbal ha cambiado (recuerda que da un salto atrás) cuando el verbo
introductorio va en pasado.
5.​ Hemos cambiado los pronombres adecuándolos a la situación.
6.​ La expresión temporal también ha sufrido una modificación.

B)​WH- QUESTIONS
Al poner en estilo indirecto este tipo de preguntas mantenemos la partícula interrogativa (what,
who, where, when, why, etc.) en lugar de poner IF o WHETHER.

●​ "Who did you speak to last night?" she asked. ➙ She asked who I had spoken
to the night before.
●​ "Where are you working these days?" he asked. ➙ He wondered where she
was working those days.

Todos los demás cambios son idénticos a las preguntas del tipo Yes / No, pero si la partícula
interrogativa es el sujeto de la pregunta, el orden de las palabras de la oración se
mantiene igual.

●​ "Who told you this story?" he asked.

●​ He asked who had told us that story.

Los verbos más frecuentes para introducir el estilo indirecto en preguntas son: ASK, ENQUIRE.
WANDER and WANT TO KNOW
EXERCISE 1
Choose the correct answer.
1. He asked them how they had spent / had they spent their money.
2. I wanted to know whether she was coming / was she coming on the trip.
3. She asked me why I flew / did I fly to Greece every year.
4. Jill asked me when was her test / when her test was .
5. He asked me if I knew / did I know French.
6. We asked him when would the film start / the film would start .
7. The doctor asked her how long she had been / had she been ill.
8. They asked us which team we liked / we did like .
9. She asked me if did I want / I wanted anything to eat.
10. My father asked me what had I decided / I had decided to do.

EXERCISE 2
Write the following sentences in reported speech. Start with the words given.
1. "Do you understand me?" ➙ The teacher asked us if / whether we understood him / her
2. "Will it rain tomorrow?" ➙ He wants to know
_______________________________________
3. "Do we have to answer all the questions?" ➙ The pupils asked ________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

4. "Is he sleeping?" ➙ Mother asked _______________________________________________

5. "Have you been ill?" ➙ My friend wondered _______________________________________

6. "How are you going to pay?" ➙ The cashier asked me

_______________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

7. "When will my car be ready?" ➙ Mr Green wanted to know

____________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

8. "Who is your favourite actor?" ➙ She asked me

EXERCISE 3
Choose the correct answer.
1. The stranger asked us where the car park __________.
a. is​ ​ b. was​ ​ c. will be
2. My teacher asked me ____________ the door quietly.
 a. to close​ b. close​ c. will I close
3. Daniel __________ if he could leave the room.
a. told​ ​ b. said​​ c. asked
4. Sarah wanted to know if her friend ________ go home.
a. must​ b. had to​ ​ c. has to
5. The men instructed the boys _________ the building.
a. are leaving​ ​ b. leave​ c. to leave
6. The children wondered if they ___________ another story.
a. could hear​ ​ b. can hear​ ​ c. will hear
7. I asked my friend where she __________ her jewellery.
a. hide​​ b. is hiding​ c. had hidden
8. They asked if we _________ to see the film with them.
a. will want​ ​ b. wanted​ c. want
9. Не ________ me not to move.
a. said​​ b. wondered​ ​ c. ordered
10. They enquired whether the girls had ________ school early that day.
a. left​ ​ b. leaving​ ​ c. leave

EXERCISE 4
Write the following Yes / No questions in reported speech.
1. "Are you going to the club now?" he wanted to know.
He wanted to know if / wi
ether ! was going to the club the
2. "Haven't you ever worked on a laptop before?" she wanted to know.
3. "Have you ever visited the Tate Gallery in London?" she wanted to know.
4. "Will the workers be at work next Saturday?" the manager asked.
5. "Was Don Quixote de la Mancha written by Cervantes?" he wondered.
6. "Can we see him this evening or tomorrow morning?" the woman wondered.
7. "Do you read the newspaper every day?" he asked.
8. "Did anyone try to save her life?" the police officer asked.
EXERCISE 5
Write the following Wh-questions in reported speech.
1. "Whose pencil is this?" the teacher enquired.
The teacher enquired whose pencil that was.
2. "Where are Niagara Falls?" the child asked.
3. "Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln?" he asked.
4. "Who was singing just now?" my mother asked.
5. "When did the committee decide to fire the workers?" he wondered.

19:39
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RTED SP
6. "How far is the station from our hotel?" the girl wanted to know.
7. "Where will Jane be next Thursday at six o'clock?" Carol asked.
8. "What have you made for dinner?" she asked him.
EXERCISE 6
• Choose the correct answer.
1. The teacher
a. enquired
2. The policeman
a. asked
3. The chairman
a. told
4. The judge
a. said
5. She
a. said
6. The passenger..
a. wanted to know
if the class had finished their homework.
b. remarked
c. begged
.. me where I was going.
b. enquired
c. wondered
that workers would be fired.
b. would like to know
c. declared
the accused to stand up.
b. declared
c. told
him that he would burn himself if he touched the heater.
b. warned
c. explained
if the flight would leave on time.
b. pointed out
c. insisted
EXERCISE 7
Complete the sentences below using your own words and ideas.
1. Last lesson the teacher asked me if had done.my. homework
2. My parents wondered why my friend..
3. My mum wanted to know whether teenagers
4. A policeman once asked my friend if...
5. The interviewer asked the president when..

REPORTING REQUESTS AND SUGGESTIONS -

PETICIONES Y SUGERENCIAS EN ESTILO INDIRECTO
PETICIONES
Para expresarlas en estilo indirecto:
1 Ponemos los verbos ask, demand, beg, request, etc., delante de la persona a quien pedimos
algo, y la petición en infinitivo con to.
2 Si aparece la palabra please, esta se omite.
"John, don't open the window, please," I said.
I asked / requested / begged John not to open the window.
3 Si en la petición aparece el verbo let, lo ponemos en infinitivo con to y omitimos el modal que le
precede.
"Can you let me use your phone, please?" I asked my neighbour.
I asked my neighbour to let me use her phone.
4 Si no aparece let, mantenemos el modal.
I asked my neighbour if I could use her phone.
SUGERENCIAS
Suelen expresarse de varias maneras:
1 Let's ...
"Let's go to the theatre!" she said.
2 Why don't we ...
"Why don't we go to the theatre?" she said.
3 Shall we ...
"Shall we go to the theatre?" she said.
4 Why not ...
"Why not go to the theatre?" she said.
Para pasar una sugerencia a estilo indirecto, la introduciremos con el verbo suggest, que puede
ir seguido de:
1 un gerundio (muy frecuente).
She suggested going to the theatre.
2 una oración subordinada introducida por that (no es tan frecuente).
She suggested that we (should) go to the theatre.
"Let's not argue again," he said.
He suggested not arguing again.
He suggested that they (should) not argue again.
EXERCISE 8
Write the following sentences in reported speech.
1. "Why don't we play a game of tennis?" Sheila said.
Sheila suggested playing / that we (should) play a game of tennis.
2. "Could you please phone the bank?" Dan asked Lynn.
3. "Let's order hamburgers instead of Indian food," Martin said.
4. "Would you like to stay for supper?" we asked our son's girlfriend.
5. "Please, let's not quarrel any more," she begged.
6. "Let's go over to John's house," Mike suggested.
7. "Let's not jump to any conclusions," Denise suggested.
8. "Dad, don't forget to send the e-mail, please," Jodi said.
9. "Type the letter soon, please," the manager said to me.
10. "Will you let me take the car tonight?" Jean asked her father.
EXERCISE 9
Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning of the original sentence.
1. He suggested that we make some spaghetti sauce then.
make some spaghetti sauce now
"Let's
2. He asked us who had stolen his suitcase.
"Who
3. She asked him where he played tennis.
"Where
4. The official wanted to know my date of birth. (born)
The official asked, "
5. He enquired whether I was leaving later that afternoon.
"Are
6. Paula wanted to know whether John would arrive on time.
"Will
7. Greta asked James not to smoke there.
"Please
8. Diana apologised for losing the book.
"Please
9. Helen asked how much the ring cost.
," he said.
....?" he asked.
?" she asked him.
?"
?" he enquired.
?" Paula wanted to know.
" Greta asked James.
," said Diana.
?" Helen asked.
10. Her mother told her to take that cheque and put it in the bank.
"Take
...!" her mother said.
11. My father said that we had to paint the whole house by the following day.
" my father said.
"We
12. The landlord ordered Mary to move out that day.
"Move
" the landlord said to Mary.
TRANSLATION
Translate the sentences below into your native language.
1. She asked if we had already bought the books.
2. I wanted to know what time the train had arrived.
3. They asked us if we had liked the new film.
4. They wondered what we were waiting for.
5. He begged me not to smoke in his car.
6. She suggested asking the teacher about the test.
7. lasked her if she always went to work by bus.
8. He requested me not to arrive late for our appointment.
SPOT THE ERROR X
• Can you correct the mistakes?
1. I said that I need a new book, but nobody listened.
2. My father asked me how did I feel.
3. We wondered what time was it.
4. He asked us what time does the train arrive.
5. She said if I was very busy.
6. The tourist wondered himself where the church was.
7. The teacher asked did we finish reading the text.
8. She asked if it will be hot the next day.
9. They asked us if we were ready?
10. She wanted to know who to send the flowers.