Reported questions & commands

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Phil Jackson told his players to raise the bar inside themselves, not against opponents. He advised them to go the extra mile in preparation. He also warned them never to play it safe under pressure.

Grammar Reference · Reported questions & commands

Reported yes/no

She asked whether he had finished the report. — use whether/if, no auxiliary inversion

Reported wh- question

He asked what she had decided to do. — statement word order, tense back-shifts

Reported command /

The coach told them to raise the bar. — verb + object + infinitive

Common error

He asked what did she want. ✗ → He asked what she wanted. ✓ — no question word order in reported speech

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Reported questions & commands

1.The coach asked the athlete she felt ready to compete at the highest level.

2.He asked her she had trained that morning before the briefing.

3.The manager asked the new employee she had hit the ground running in her first week.

4.The journalist asked Nico had helped him develop his mental resilience the most.

5.She asked the trainer he had decided to raise the bar for the team that season.

6.The director told everyone play it safe with the product launch.

02Exercise 2 — Find and Correct the Error

find the error · rewrite the sentence

1.The coach asked her what time did the session start.

2.She told to the team to hit the ground running after the break.

3.He asked whether was she in the running for the regional title.

4.The director warned them don't play it safe in the final presentation.

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Reported questions & commands01EnglishPlans.com