Unit 50 · Questions and auxiliary verbs

Questions 2 (do you know where ... ? / he asked me where ...)

Study

Do you know where … ? / I don't know why … / Could you tell me what … ? etc.

We say: Where has Tom gone?

but Do you know where Tom has gone? (not has Tom gone)

When the question (Where has Tom gone?) is part of a longer sentence (Do you know … ? / I don't know … / Can you tell me … ? etc.), the word order changes. We say:

What time is it?	but	Do you know what time it is?
Who are those people?		I don't know who those people are.
Where can I find Louise?		Can you tell me where I can find Louise?
How much will it cost?		Do you have any idea how much it will cost?

Be careful with do/does/did questions. We say:

What time does the film start?	but	Do you know what time the film starts?
		(not does the film start)
What do you mean?		Please explain what you mean.
Why did she leave early?		I wonder why she left early.

Use if or whether where there is no other question word (what, why etc.):

Did anybody see you?	but	I don't know if anybody saw me.
		or … whether anybody saw me.

He asked me where …

The same changes in word order happen in questions in reported speech. Compare:

direct	The police officer said to us 'Where are you going?'
reported	The police officer asked us where we were going.
direct	Clare asked 'What time do the shops close?'
reported	Clare wanted to know what time the shops closed.

In reported speech the verb usually changes to the past (were, closed etc.). See Unit 47.

Study these examples. You had a job interview and the interviewer asked you these questions:

Later you tell a friend what the interviewer asked you. You use reported speech:

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She asked if (or whether) I was willing to travel.

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She wanted to know what I did in my spare time.

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She asked how long I had been working in my present job.

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She asked why I had applied for the job. or … why I applied …

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She wanted to know if (or whether) I could speak any other languages.

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She asked if (or whether) I had a driving licence.

Exercises (3)

0/3 exercises checked

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50.1

Which is right? Tick (✓) the correct alternative.

50.2

Put the words in the correct order.

1
(it / you / what time / know / is) Do you know ?example
2
(is / to the airport / far / it) How ?
3
(wonder / is / how / old / Tom) I .
4
(they / married / been / have) How long ?
5
(they / married / how long / been / have / know) Do you ?
6
(tell / the station / you / me / is / where) Could ?
7
(in the accident / injured / anyone / don't / whether / know / was) I .
8
(what / tomorrow / know / time / will / arrive / you / you) Do ?

50.3

You were visiting London. You met a lot of people who asked you a lot of questions: Now you tell a friend what people asked you. Use reported speech.

1
Where are you from?
He asked me where I was from.example
2
How long have you been in London?
3
Have you been to London before?
4
Do you like London?
5
Where are you staying?
6
How long are you going to stay?
7
Do you think London is expensive?
8
Why did you come to London?