Yes-No Question Clauses
Changing questions answered by yes or no to reported speech
Yes-No questions differ from WH-questions.
- These quoted questions begin with auxiliary verb forms such as: is, are, am, do, does, has, have, can, will, must.
They can be answered with "yes" or "no"; hence, they are often called "yes-no questions". - The pronoun whether or if is used to embed (insert) the question clause into the main clause.
Quoted vs. Reported Questions
| QUOTED QUESTION | REPORTED QUESTION | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Quoted questions restate speech exactly. The quoted speech is set off from the main clause by enclosing it in quotes (" "). |
When we repeat a wh-question that someone has asked, we place the quoted words within another clause. (We subordinate the clause within a main clause.) The quoted question adjusts to the time and location of the main sentence. The pronoun, verb tense and adverbs adjust to the speaker's point of view. A subordinator such aswhether or if joins the clause to the main clause. |
||
MAIN CLAUSE My friend said, |
QUESTION ANSWERED BY YES OR NO "Are you coming?" |
MAIN CLAUSE My friend asked |
REPORTED SPEECH whether I was coming or not. |
My friend asked, |
"Is your brother coming too?" |
My friend asked |
if my brother was coming too. |
My friend asked, |
"Can you drive us?' |
My friend asked |
whether I could drive them. |
My friend asked, |
"Will you have enough gas?" |
My friend asked |
if I would have enough gas. |
My friend asked, |
"Do we have enough money for gas?" |
My friend asked |
whether we had enough money for gas. |
Related pages if vs. whether | Adjusting perspective
Subordinating a Question
| SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | SUBORDINATED QUESTION |
|---|---|---|
1. Remove comma, quotes and question mark. |
My friend |
"Are you coming?". |
2. Change said to asked |
My friend asked |
|
3. Join the clauses using: whether or if (Using if vs whether ) |
|
if are you coming. |
4. Adjust point of view of 1) pronoun to speaker's P.O.V.; 2) 2nd verb to time frame of 1st verb . |
My friend asked |
if was I coming. |
5. Put the subject before the verb. |
My friend asked |
if I was coming. |
Verb Tense Adjustment
| QUESTION VERB TENSE | STATEMENT VERB TENSE |
|---|---|
PRESENT "Are you tired? " |
PAST She asked whether I was/were tired. |
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE "Are you working?" |
PAST PROGRESSIVE She asked whether I was/were working. |
PAST " Were you married?" |
PAST PERFECT She asked whether I had been married. |
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE " Were you calling?" |
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE She asked whether I had been calling. |
PRESENT PERFECT " Have you called yet?" |
PAST PERFECT She asked if I had called yet. |
PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE " Have you been calling me?" |
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE She asked if I had been calling her. |
PRESENT – GENERAL TRUTH "Do you like dancing?" |
PRESENT – GENERAL TRUTH *She asked whether I like dancing. |
*must changes to need to or had to in past tense
* If the tense reflects "general truth", it does not change to past form.
Synonyms
| SYNONYM | MEANING | SENTENCE |
|---|---|---|
ask |
request information or something |
My neighbor asked if I was going to go on vacation. |
inquire |
request information (formal) |
Mr. Smith inquired whether there were any more books available. |
question |
settle doubt |
My instructor questioned if I am/was working hard enough. |
query |
settle doubt (data) |
The accountant queried whether I had checked the numbers. |
* If tense reflects "general truth", it does not adjust to past form.
Practice
Planning a Day Trip
- Change the quoted question to a reported question.
- Select the word from each menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.