Wh- Question Clauses: In reported speech (Indirect Speech)

On this page:
Quoted v. Reported Speech
Sub Cls Adjustments
Deixis
Tense Adjustment
Opinion + Wh-clause
Word Order Exception
Wh- Infinitives
Common Mistakes
Grammar Notes
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3

Wh- Question Clauses

In reported speech (indirect speech)

Quoted vs. Reported Questions (Direct vs. Indirect Speech)

QUOTED WH-QUESTION
A quoted wh-question begins with a main clause that includes the speaker and the verb ask, followed by a comma and the exact words of the quote, enclosed in quotation marks. The quoted speech may also be placed before the main clause: "How are you," my friend asks.
MAIN CLAUSE	QUOTED SPEECH
My friend always asks,	"How are you?"
My friend inquires,	"How is your mother's health?"
My father said,	"What is he doing?"
The doctor said,	"When are you coming here?"

REPORTED WH-QUESTION
A reported wh-question alos begins with the main clause, but is followed by the content of the quote as it relates to the speaker in time, person, place, and direction, at the moment of speaking. A subordinating marker—who, what, where, why, or how— links the reported speech to the main clause.
MAIN CLAUSE	REPORTED SPEECH
My friend always asks	how I am.
My friend inquires	how my mother's is.
My father asked	what he was doing.
The doctor asked	when I was going there.

The main clause (matrix clause) is the independent clause and the subordinate clause (embedded clause) is the dependent clause.
In reported speech, no additional punctuation (quotation marks, comma, or question mark) is used. Related page Quotation Marks.

Ask Synonyms

ask (v.) – request information → My father always asks how I am doing. (most commonly used!)
inquire (v.) – request information → Mr. Smith inquired how my family was. (formal)
question (v.) – settle doubt, challenge someone's answers → My father questioned where I was last night. (not used with quoted speech)
request (v.) – ask for → My father requested information about where I was last night. (not used with quoted speech)

Also see Said Synonyms.

Subordinate Wh-Clauses

Adjustments

Word Order / Person & Number

WORD ORDER ADJUSTMENT
The subordinate clause changes from question to statement word order: (1) the word order changes from [Aux-Subj-Verb] to [S- Aux+Verb]. That is, the subject is placed before the verb in the subordinate clause.
MAIN CLAUSE	SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Remove punctuation. My friend always asks,	"How is she?"
(1) subord. marker¹	how is she
(2) word order [S-V]	how she is
(3) person & number	—
(4) tense	—
(5) time / place	—
My friend always asks	how she is.

PERSON & NUMBER ADJUSTMENT
The subordinate clause also adjusts in person and number: (2) personal pronouns (i.e., I→you, me→you, we→you, etc.) and verb number (e.g., I am→you are)adjust to the perspective of the speaker.
MAIN CLAUSE	SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
My friend always asks,	"How are you?"
(1) subord. marker¹	how are you
(2) word order [S-V]	how you are
(3) person & number	how I am
(4) tense	—
(5) time / place	—
My friend always asks	how I am.

¹subordinate marker – who, what, where, why, when, how
perspective (n.) – point of view; how someone relates to surroundings: person (you, i we); place (here, there); time (now, then); direction (coming, going) See deixis.

Time / Location

TIME ADJUSTMENT
The subordinate clause adjusts in time: (3) adverbs and prepositional phrases adjust if the verb in the main clause is an earlier time.
MAIN CLAUSE	SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
Remove punctuation. My friend asked,	"Where is she now?
(1) subord. marker¹	where is she now
(2) word order [S-V]	where she is now
(3) person & number	—
(4) tense	where she was now
(5) time / place	where she was then
My friend asked	where she was then.

LOCATION ADJUSTMENT
The subordinate clause adjusts in location and direction: (4) adverbs and prepositional phrases for location are changed to reflect something that is near or far from the speaker.
MAIN CLAUSE	SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
My friend asked,	"When is she coming here?
(1) subord. marker¹	when is she coming here
(2) word order [S-V]	when she is coming here
(3) person & number	—
(4) tense	when she was coming here
(5) time / place	when she was going² there
My friend asked	when she was going there.

¹subordinate marker– who, what, where, why, when, how
²direction: change coming to going if both speaker and listener do not share a location Adjusting Perspective (deixis)

Deixis /ˈdaɪksɪs/

Adjusting Perspective

Deictic words

Deictic words, such as pronouns, time and location words, require contextual information; they are relative to the speaker. From my point of view ⇒ "I am here now." From your point of view (same time but different place) ⇒ "You are there now." From their point of view (different time and different place) ⇒ "She was there then."

Person Deixis

MY CENTER	YOUR, HIS, HER, THEIR CENTER
I / me → you	You → I / me
We / our → you	You → we / us
I / me → he / him	He / him → I / me
I / me→ she / her	She / her → I / me
We / us → they / them	They / them → we / us
I / me / we / us → it	It → I / me / we / us

Time and Place Deixis

EARLIER	NOW	LATER
before then earlier	← now →	after then later
recently	today	in the future
	tomorrow	the next day
the day before	yesterday
last week that week	this week	next week the following week

CENTER — NEAR	FAR
here →	there
this city	that city
these towns	those towns
to my house	from my house
come	go

Deixis (n.) / deictic (adj.) – indicating identity, time, or location from the perspective of one or more speakers. "Words are deictic if their semantic meaning is fixed but their denotational meaning varies depending on time and/or place." (Wiki – deixis)

Also see Prepositions for Time, Prepositions for Place, Adverbs for Time and Pop-Q - "Deictic"

Subordinate Wh-Clauses

Verb Tense Agreement

Verb Tense — Backshifting

QUESTION – VERB TENSE
The verb tense in the subordinate clause adjusts (backshifts) to the point of view of the speaker: the past is used for an earlier event, the past perfect is used to emphasize a difference in time. Past perfect is not used if the time relationship is clear already.
PRESENT
"How are you now ? " Aux + Subj + Verb
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
"Where are you going today?"
PAST
" Whom did you call yesterday?"
PAST PROGRESSIVE
" Whom were you calling last week?"
PRESENT PERFECT
" Where have you been recently?"
PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
" How have you been doing so far?"
PRESENT
"How hot is the sun?" (general truth) COMPARE: "How hot is the weather today?" (at the moment)
"What do you think?" (permanently) COMPARE: "What are you thinking?" (at the moment)

EMBEDDED VERB TENSE
An exception to this verb adjustment occurs when using a verb that expresses a general truth, something that exists, or is timeless, such as states of being , states of possession or mental states. In these cases, the verb remains in its present tense form.
PAST
She asked how I was then. Subj + Verb
PAST PERSPECTIVE
She asked where I was going that day.
PAST PERFECT
She asked whom I called / had called the day before.
PAST PROGRESSIVE
She asked whom I was/ had been calling last week.
PAST PERFECT
She asked where I was / had been recently. [lately]
PAST PROGRESSIVE OR PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
She asked how I was doing / had been doing up until then. [so far]
PRESENT OR PAST
She asked how hot the sun is. (general truth) She asked how hot the weather was. (at the moment)
She asked what I think. (permanently) She asked what I was/ *am thinking. (at the moment)

General Truth – The simple present tense is used to state fact, how things exist or behave. The verb in a noun clause stays in present tense to express mental states and attitudes such as —thinks, recognizes, understands — which are more permanent than what a person —is thinking,is recognizing, is understanding — which are more temporary and "at the moment". See Stative Verbs

Subordinate Wh-Questions

Adding a personal comment

Embedded Wh-clauses

QUOTED WH-QUESTION
In a WH-question, the question word becomes the pronoun that joins the clause to a main sentence.
"Where did he go?"
"How long were you there?"
"Which way shall we turn?"
"What time is it?"
"Where are you tonight?"
"Who is she?"
"Why are you always late?"

COMMENT WITH WH-QUESTION
The quote can be placed within a statement. The speaker restates the quote and adds a personal comment. The same tense, pronoun and adverb changes need to be applied.
I don't know where he went. (go → went) Where he went is a mystery to me.
I can't remember how long I was here. (there → here.) How long I was here is something I can't remember.
I have no idea which way we should turn. Which way we should turn is something I don't know.
Can you tell me what time it is? What time it is, is a mystery to me. (A comma separates the unusual occurrence of two auxiliaries.)
He couldn't tell me where he was that night. (tonight → that night.) Where he was that night was something he couldn't tell me.
Do you happen to know who she is. (there → here) Who she is, is a question I can't answer. (Add a comma between is is.)
She couldn't answer why she is always late. (Do not change verb tense for "general truth".) Why she is always late is a mystery to her.

Subordinate Wh-Clause

With Question Word Order

Is this changing language usage or an error?

QUESTION WITHIN A STATEMENT
More than ever, we are hearing an embedded question with [Aux+Subj+Verb] word order rather than [Subj+Aux-Verb] word order. This usage is creeping into formal situations such as political speeches and news reports. Is it an error or intentional?
ORATORICAL DEVICE?
Let's think carefully about WHERE ARE we going as a country. (emphasis) [Aux-S-V]
PARENTHETICAL SPEECH?
Let's think carefully, where are we going as a country. Where, let's think carefully, are we going as a country?
THOUGHT SHIFT?
Let's think carefully… Where are we going as a country. (Mental shift and restart?)
PREFERRED USE
Let's think carefully about where we are going as a country. [S-Aux-V]

QUESTION WITHIN A QUESTION
An embedded question with [Aux+Subj+Verb] word order doesn't seem to occur as much within a question as it does within a comment. This usage occurs mostly in speech. Why do you suppose the speaker is shifting from direct to reported speech?
OCCASIONALLY HEARD OR USED
~Is there any doubt WHERE ARE we going as a country? [Aux-S-V]
~Is there any doubt (pause) where are we going as a country?" [Aux-S-V]
~Can you tell me WHO IS the better candidate? ~Do you know where DO WE turn for help? [Aux-S-V]
PREFERRED USE
Let's think carefully about where we are going as a country. [S-Aux-V]

oratory – the skill of making public speeches
oratorical device (expression) – a method used in speaking to make a stronger impact on the audience
parenthetical – a comment which interrupts thought and which is set off with comma(s) [informal use] See Comma-comments.
shift (n.) – put something aside and replace it with something else

~used by some speakers but not by others ( (informal use)

Embedded Wh-Questions

Shortened to an infinitive

Commenting on a Means or Method Question

REQUESTING INSTRUCTIONS
A WH-question that asks means or method (instructions) often includes the modals should or could.
"Where should you __ go?" Aux + Subj + Verb
"How do you use an encyclopedia?" method
"Which way shall we turn?"
"What time should we leave?"
"Where can I find a pharmacy?"
"Who shall we invite?"
"Why should we be late?" (This question asks about plans.)

COMMENTING ON REQUEST
The verb can be shortened to an infinitive (to + verb) in an embedded statement on means or method of doing something (instructions).
I don't know where to go. I don't know where you should go. Subj + Verb
I can't remember how to use an encyclopedia. I can't remember how I should use an encyclopedia.
I have no idea which way to turn. I have no idea which way we should turn.
Can you tell me what time to leave? Can you tell me what time we should leave?
He couldn't tell me where to find a pharmacy. He couldn't tell me where I could find a pharmacy.
Let's decide who to invite. Let's decide who we should invite.
She couldn't answer why to be late. (This is not a statement of means or method.)

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

ERROR	SOLUTION
The man asked what time is it. (This is a common error of native speakers as well)	The man asked what time it was.
She asked where are we going for lunch.	She asked where we were going for lunch. (asking plans) She asked where to go for lunch. (asking instructions)

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Linguistic Description

Advanced

TRADITIONAL & ESL DESCRIPTION	LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION
direct and Indirect speech (PEU 274-6) "Words that are spoken or thought in one place by one person may be reported in another place at a different time, and perhaps by another person. Because of this, there are often grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech. word order — Where's Alice? I asked where Alice was. pronouns — Who are you?. He is asking who I am. 'here and now' words' — How will you come here now? He asked I would go there then. tense – Where is he? He asked where he was. question marks — are omitted	Direct reported speech gives the actual wording of the original. Indirect reported speech gives only its content. (CaGEL 11 §9) The major difference between direct and indirect speech is deixis. The deictic expressions are interpreted in relation to the original utterance, whereas in indirect speech they are interpreted wholly or predominantly in relation to the act of reporting. (1025) deictic – specifying identity or spatial or temporal location from the perspective of one or more of the participants in an act of speech or writing, in the context of either an external situation or the surrounding discourse, as we, you, here, there, now, then, this, that, the former, or the latter. Interrogative content clauses. Embedded Questions: The main structural difference between subordinate and main clause interrogatives is that subject-auxiliary inversion does not generally apply to the subordinate structure. (11 §5.1)
Question-word clauses. Question-word clauses as objects (PEU 485) Clauses beginning with question words can refer both to questions and to the answers to questions. They often act as the objects of verbs. They asked who will be there. We wondered why he wasn't there yet. He asked where we wanted to go. She explained the situation to us. Indirect Speech – who, what, when, where, how — conjunction (PEU 276) — subordinating conjunction (UUEG 365)	Subordinate Interrogatives mainly occur in complement function where they have to be licensed by an appropriate head: [a particular verb or S-V wording]: ask, inquire, wonder investigate, know, find out, remember, tell, show, decide, determine, make up one's mind, agree, doubt, question, etc. (list of verbs 976) Survey of constructions containing subordinate interrogatives. As complement or supplement (CaGEL 11 §5.3.1) Subject: Where he was is unclear. Specifying predicative complement: The question is what we should do. Complex-transitive construction: They consider it unimportant what we do. Internal complement licensed by the matrix verb: They investigated what caused the accident. Complement of a preposition: He was upset because of what she did. [required prep] They can't agree (about / as to / on) what they will do next. [optional prep.] Complement of an adjective: They were interested in who would be coming. Complement of a noun: The question what to do next was discussed at the meeting. Supplements: They need to make a decision whether to proceed or stop. (CaGEL 977-981)
	who, what, when, where, how – markers of subordination in interrogative clauses (CaGEL 956)

TRADITIONAL & ESL DESCRIPTION

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

direct and Indirect speech (PEU 274-6)

"Words that are spoken or thought in one place by one person may be reported in another place at a different time, and perhaps by another person. Because of this, there are often grammatical differences between direct and indirect speech.
word order — Where's Alice? I asked where Alice was.
pronouns — Who are you?. He is asking who I am.
'here and now' words' — How will you come here now? He asked I would go there then.
tense – Where is he? He asked where he was.
question marks — are omitted

Direct reported speech gives the actual wording of the original.
Indirect reported speech gives only its content. (CaGEL 11 §9)

The major difference between direct and indirect speech is deixis. The deictic expressions are interpreted in relation to the original utterance, whereas in indirect speech they are interpreted wholly or predominantly in relation to the act of reporting. (1025)

deictic – specifying identity or spatial or temporal location from the perspective of one or more of the participants in an act of speech or writing, in the context of either an external situation or the surrounding discourse, as we, you, here, there, now, then, this, that, the former, or the latter.

Interrogative content clauses. Embedded Questions: The main structural difference between subordinate and main clause interrogatives is that subject-auxiliary inversion does not generally apply to the subordinate structure. (11 §5.1)

Question-word clauses. Question-word clauses as objects (PEU 485)

Clauses beginning with question words can refer both to questions and to the answers to questions. They often act as the objects of verbs.

They asked who will be there.
We wondered why he wasn't there yet.
He asked where we wanted to go.
She explained the situation to us.

Indirect Speech – who, what, when, where, how
— conjunction (PEU 276)
— subordinating conjunction (UUEG 365)

Subordinate Interrogatives mainly occur in complement function where they have to be licensed by an appropriate head: [a particular verb or S-V wording]: ask, inquire, wonder investigate, know, find out, remember, tell, show, decide, determine, make up one's mind, agree, doubt, question, etc. (list of verbs 976)

Survey of constructions containing subordinate interrogatives. As complement or supplement (CaGEL 11 §5.3.1)

Subject: Where he was is unclear.
Specifying predicative complement: The question is what we should do.
Complex-transitive construction: They consider it unimportant what we do.
Internal complement licensed by the matrix verb: They investigated what caused the accident.
Complement of a preposition: He was upset because of what she did. [required prep]
They can't agree (about / as to / on) what they will do next. [optional prep.]
Complement of an adjective: They were interested in who would be coming.
Complement of a noun: The question what to do next was discussed at the meeting.
Supplements: They need to make a decision whether to proceed or stop.

(CaGEL 977-981)

who, what, when, where, how – markers of subordination in interrogative clauses (CaGEL 956)

Resources

Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar (UUEG) . White Plains, New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.
Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English (LGSWE). Harlow: Pearson Education, 1999. Print.
Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum, et AL. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CaGEL) . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.
Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage (PEU). 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
Wikipedia contributors. "Deixis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.

Practice

"Busybody"

Reporting What Someone Said

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check 1-15" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.

"What did Mrs. Papas just say to you?"
George asked me .

Feedback 1

"Where are you going?"
She asked me

Feedback 2

"Why does she want to know that?"
Can you tell me to know that?

Feedback 3

"How old is she now?"
I'd better not say

Feedback 4

"When are you leaving on vacation?"
Do you have any idea on vacation?

Feedback 5

"I'm not. How can I possibly get away?"
I have no idea

Feedback 6

"Nice motorcycle! How much did you pay for it?"
I'd love to know for it?

Feedback 7

"How fast have you driven it?" (the motorcycle)
He asked me

Feedback 8

"How does your brother like the motorcycle?"
I would like to know

Feedback 9

10.

"Why does he say it's dangerous?"
I don't understand it is dangerous.

Feedback 10

11.

"What time is it now?"
Can you tell me

Feedback 11

12.

"Where do you need to go?"
Tell me right now?

Feedback 12

13.

"Why do you want to know?"
I asked him to know.

Feedback 13

14.

"Just curious. How long will you be gone?"
He questioned me about .

Feedback 14

15.

"How long is the line at the bank?"
I don't know. I have no idea at the bank.

Feedback 15

Practice 3

What did you say?

Read for Errors

I can't exactly remember when was it that I first decided to become a dentist. I just know that I have always wanted to be in the field of health care. My friends ask me why did I want to be a dentist, and I tell them that "There's nothing more beautiful than a healthy smile." Also, dentists have more regular hours than doctors. I can't imagine what did people do before the dentistry profession came along. People must have had terrible breath and missing teeth as they aged. Kissing was probably just for the young!

In fact, no one knows exactly who was the first dentist. In the old days, people used to go to the barber shop to get a tooth pulled. The only pain killer was a shot of whiskey. Can you imagine what was that like? One minute the barber was cutting hair and the next minute he was pulling a tooth out. It must not have been a very sterile place to do oral surgery.

Dentistry has progressed a lot. Now, patients receive much better care. I'm always glad to see my patients return with a big, white smile. What's that? Did you want to say something? I can't understand what are you're saying.

dentist (n.) – doctor who cares for the teeth (the prevention of disease and treatment of tooth decay)

oral surgery – an operation on teeth, gums, or other part of the interior of the mouth

patient (n.) – someone who is under medical care

profession (n.) – a vocation, a particular kind of work, requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science

shot (n.) – a small bar glass full of alcohol usually consumed quickly

sterile (adj.) – very clean, free from germs, ascetic

Edit for errors

Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.

21.

I can't exactly remember when was it that I first decided to become a dentist. I just know that I have always wanted to be in the field of healthcare.

Edit 21

Feedback 21

22.

My friends ask me why did I want to be a dentist, and I tell them that "There's nothing more beautiful than a healthy smile." Also, dentists have more regular hours than doctors.

Edit 22

Feedback 22

23.

I can't imagine what did people do before the dentistry profession came along. People must have had terrible breath and missing teeth as they aged. Kissing was probably just for the young!

Edit 23

Feedback 23

24.

In fact, no one knows exactly who was the first dentist. In the old days, people used to go to the barber shop to get a tooth pulled. The only pain killer was a shot of whiskey.

Edit 24

Feedback 24

25.

Can you imagine what was that like? One minute the barber was cutting hair and the next minute he was pulling a tooth out. It must not have been a very sterile place to perform oral surgery.

Edit 25

Feedback 25

26.

I'm always glad to see my patients return with a big, white smile. What's that? Did you want to say something? I can't understand what are you're saying.

Edit 26

Feedback 26