Reported questions and commands in English B2
Report questions, requests and commands with statement word order, appropriate backshift and infinitive patterns.
Recognise the main reported questions and commands patterns in authentic contexts.
Choose a form that accurately expresses retell an interaction without preserving direct-question inversion or quotation form.
Avoid errors that change time, agency, emphasis or speaker commitment.
Use the structure appropriately in interviews, minutes, narratives and customer-service reports.
What reported questions and commands communicates
Report questions, requests and commands with statement word order, appropriate backshift and infinitive patterns.
The central purpose is to retell an interaction without preserving direct-question inversion or quotation form. A successful choice therefore preserves the proposition while making the intended relationship, viewpoint or degree of commitment visible to the reader.
How the pattern is built
Use this working formula: ask + wh/if + subject + verb | tell/ask + object + to-infinitive. The formula is a decision path: it identifies the trigger, the clause architecture and the element that carries tense or modality.
The model “She asked whether the figures had been verified.” shows the complete pattern in context. Rebuild the sentence from meaning to form instead of translating each word independently.
| Choice | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Reported wh-question | ask + wh-word + subject + verb | He asked why the delivery had been delayed. |
| Reported yes/no question | ask + if/whether + subject + verb | She asked whether the figures had been verified. |
| Reported command | tell/ask + object + to-infinitive | The officer told us to remain outside. |
Choose by meaning, not by surface similarity
Neighbouring structures may contain similar words but perform different jobs. Compare the three reference patterns and name the intended effect before completing the sentence.
A reliable answer explains both why the chosen form works and why a plausible alternative would change the meaning, time relation, information focus or level of certainty.
| Meaning | Best route |
|---|---|
| the content of an information question | Reported wh-question |
| the content of a yes-or-no question | Reported yes/no question |
| an instruction or request directed at a person | Reported command |
Register, discourse and editorial control
This grammar is especially useful in interviews, minutes, narratives and customer-service reports. Its value comes from helping the reader process a relationship efficiently, not from making the sentence sound artificially complex.
After editing, check recoverability, natural word order and consistency with the surrounding paragraph. If the marked structure creates ambiguity, return to a fuller or more neutral clause.