PE-63: Reported Speech: Questions, Commands and Reporting Verbs
A reported question is not a question any more — no inversion, no question mark. Plus how to report orders, requests and a dozen useful reporting verbs.
PE-63: Reported Speech: Questions, Commands and Reporting Verbs
People do not only make statements — they ask, order, promise and refuse. Reporting those needs one extra idea, and it is the one learners find strangest: a reported question stops behaving like a question. No inversion, no do/does, no question mark. Once you accept that, this lesson is easy.
In this lesson you will learn
- Reporting yes/no questions with if / whether
- Reporting wh- questions in normal word order
- Reporting orders and requests with tell / ask + to
- A dozen reporting verbs and their patterns
1. Yes/no questions → if or whether
"Are you tired?" → He asked if I was tired.
"Charchadingmi?" → U charchaganimni soʻradi.
The question order (are you) becomes statement order (I was).
"Do you like plov?" → She asked if I liked plov.
"Palovni yoqtirasanmi?" → U palovni yoqtirishimni soʻradi.
Do disappears completely — it only exists to build a real question.
2. Wh- questions → keep the question word, drop the inversion
"Where do you live?" → He asked where I lived.
"Qayerda yashaysan?" → U qayerda yashashimni soʻradi.
✗ Still a question
He asked where do I live.He asked where did I live.He asked me where I live?
✓ Now a statement
- He asked where I lived.
- She wondered what time it was.
- I don't know who he is.
3. Orders and requests
Commands and requests do not use that at all. They use to + verb, and the negative is not to + verb.
1Order → tell sb to
"Sit down!" → He told me to sit down.
2Request → ask sb to
"Please wait." → She asked me to wait.
3Negative → not to
"Don't be late!" → He told me not to be late.
4Advice → advise sb to
"You should rest." → She advised me to rest.
The teacher told us to open our books and not to talk.
Oʻqituvchi kitoblarimizni ochishimizni va gaplashmasligimizni aytdi.
4. Reporting verbs beyond say and tell
Good English uses precise reporting verbs. Each has its own pattern — learn the verb together with what follows it.
| Verb | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| offer | + to + verb | He offered to help. |
| promise | + to + verb | She promised to call. |
| refuse | + to + verb | He refused to answer. |
| agree | + to + verb | They agreed to wait. |
| advise / warn | + sb + to | She warned me not to go. |
| remind | + sb + to | He reminded me to lock the door. |
| suggest | + -ing / that | He suggested going by bus. |
| admit | + -ing / that | She admitted breaking it. |
| explain | + that | He explained that he was late. |
5. Common mistakes
He asked me where do I live.
He asked me where I lived.
She asked me that if I was ready.
She asked me if I was ready. (no "that" with if)
He told me don't be late.
He told me not to be late.
She suggested to visit the museum.
She suggested visiting the museum.
I asked him what time is it?
I asked him what time it was.
Practice
1 Report it: "Do you speak Korean?" she asked.
Show answer
She asked if I spoke Korean.
Do disappears, the order becomes normal, and no question mark is used.
2 Report it: "Why are you laughing?" he asked.
Show answer
He asked why I was laughing.
Keep why, then subject + verb — never why was I laughing.
3 Report it: "Don't touch the wires!" the teacher said.
Show answer
The teacher told us not to touch the wires.
Commands use tell + person + (not) to + verb.
4 Choose the best reporting verb: "I'll definitely pay you back tomorrow," he said.
Show answer
He promised to pay me back the next day.
Promised carries far more meaning than said — that is why precise reporting verbs matter.
5 Correct it: My friend suggested to go to the cinema, but I refused going.
Show answer
My friend suggested going to the cinema, but I refused to go.
Suggest takes -ing; refuse takes to + verb. The two patterns are opposite.
Key words — Kalit soʻzlar
- Reported questionoʻzlashtirilgan soʻroq gap
- Command / orderbuyruq
- Requestiltimos
- Whether...mi (yoki yoʻqmi)
- To wonderqiziqmoq, oʻylanmoq
- To offertaklif qilmoq
- To refuserad etmoq
- To remindeslatmoq
- To admittan olmoq
- To warnogohlantirmoq
🎯 Remember this
- Yes/no questions → ask if / whether + normal word order.
- Wh- questions → keep the wh-word, then subject + verb. No do/does, no question mark.
- Orders and requests → tell / ask + person + (not) to + verb.
- Learn each reporting verb with its pattern: offer to, suggest doing, remind sb to.
- suggest never takes to + verb.