Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
In the last unit you learned how to report statements (She said that she was tired). But people do not only make statements — they also ask questions and give commands. In this unit you learn how to report both of these. The big idea is the same as before: when we report someone's words later, the grammar changes.
Two changes matter most in this unit. First, a reported question loses its "question shape": there is no do/does/did, and the word order becomes the order of a normal statement. Second, a reported command or request is built with a very simple pattern: a reporting verb + a person + a to-infinitive.
When we report a wh- question, we keep the question word (where, what, why, when, how...), but three things change: we use statement word order (subject before verb), we remove do / does / did, and we usually backshift the tense one step into the past.
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| "Where do you live?" | He asked where I lived. |
| "What are you doing?" | She asked what I was doing. |
| "Why did you leave?" | They asked why I had left. |
| "When will you arrive?" | I asked when she would arrive. |
A yes/no question has no question word, so we add one ourselves: if or whether. After it, we again use statement word order and backshift the tense. If and whether mean the same here; whether is a little more formal.
| Direct question | Reported question |
|---|---|
| "Do you like tea?" | She asked if I liked tea. |
| "Are you ready?" | He asked whether I was ready. |
| "Did you see it?" | They asked if I had seen it. |
| "Can you swim?" | I asked if she could swim. |
To report an order or a request, we do not backshift a tense — instead we use a clear, fixed pattern: a reporting verb + the person (an object) + a to-infinitive. For a negative command, we simply put not in front of to.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| "Wait here." | She told me to wait here. |
| "Please help me." | He asked me to help him. |
| "Don't be late." | They told me not to be late. |
| "Close the door." | The teacher told us to close the door. |
We use tell for a normal instruction and ask for a polite request, but English has many stronger, more exact verbs. They all follow the same pattern: verb + object + (not) to + infinitive.
| Verb | Use it for... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tell | a normal instruction | She told me to wait. |
| ask | a polite request | He asked me to sit down. |
| order | a strong, official command | The officer ordered them to stop. |
| advise | a suggestion for someone's good | The doctor advised her to rest. |
| warn | a danger (often with 'not to') | He warned me not to touch it. |
| remind | help someone remember | She reminded me to call home. |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with reported questions and commands. Check your own sentences against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| He asked where did I live. | He asked where I lived. | a reported question uses statement order, no 'did'. |
| She asked me what time is it. | She asked me what time it was. | drop the inversion and backshift the tense. |
| They told me wait. | They told me to wait. | tell + object + to-infinitive. |
| He said me to go home. | He told me to go home. | use 'tell' (+ object), not 'say', for a command. |
| She told me to not worry. | She told me not to worry. | negative = not + to-infinitive, in that order. |
| He asked me that I was tired. | He asked me if I was tired. | yes/no question → if/whether, never 'that'. |
A new student stops an older student in the corridor. Read the short conversation, then read how a friend reports it afterwards. Notice how each question loses its question shape and each command becomes a to-infinitive.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them to report questions and commands from your own life.
Write 8 sentences that report questions and commands from your own life. Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): interview · advise · reply · remind · request · permission · enquire · instruction
Last week my cousin Elif had an important interview to join the school newspaper, and afterwards she told me all about it. She was nervous at first, but the teacher in charge, Mr Kaya, was very kind. As soon as she sat down, he told her to relax and asked her if she wanted a glass of water.
Elif had been thinking about this interview for days. The night before, she could not sleep, so she messaged her best friend Deniz and asked her what she should wear and whether the questions would be difficult. Deniz told her to stay calm and reminded her to print two copies of her best articles. My aunt also gave her some advice: she told Elif to speak slowly and not to play with her phone while she was waiting. Elif read some old issues of the newspaper, practised her answers in front of the mirror, and asked herself again and again why she wanted this so much.
On the morning of the interview, Elif arrived at school early. In the corridor, a younger student stopped her and asked her where the newspaper office was, so she smiled and told him to go up the stairs and turn left. A teacher who was passing by asked her whether she was ready, and she said that she thought so. While she waited outside the office, she checked her notes one more time and told herself to breathe slowly. When Mr Kaya finally opened the door, he asked her to come in and pointed to a chair by the window.
Then the real questions began. Mr Kaya asked Elif why she had wanted to join, and she replied that she loved writing stories. He wanted to know how long she had been writing, and whether she could come to the meetings after school. Elif said that she could.
Mr Kaya seemed interested, so he asked her what kind of stories she enjoyed most. Elif explained that she liked writing about school events, music, and especially sport, because she played on the basketball team and understood how exciting a close match could be. He asked whether she had ever written for a blog, and she admitted that she posted short reviews of films and games online. Then he wanted to know how she found her ideas, and she said that she got them from her friends, from social media, and from small things she noticed every day at school. Mr Kaya nodded and told her that curiosity was a reporter's best tool.
Next, he asked her what her greatest weakness was. That was a difficult question! Elif thought for a moment and then answered honestly. Mr Kaya smiled and told her not to worry, because everybody feels nervous, so a few nerves are completely normal.
Elif had admitted that she sometimes spent too long on one article and found it hard to stop editing. Mr Kaya said that this was a common problem and advised her to set herself a clear deadline for every piece. After that, he asked her a few more questions about teamwork. He wanted to know whether she preferred working alone or with other people, and how she would react if an editor asked her to change her favourite paragraph. Elif replied that she did not mind changes, because good writing usually gets better after honest feedback. He also asked her if she could take photographs, and she said that she was still learning but enjoyed it.
Before the end, he asked Elif if she had any questions for him. She enquired when the team would choose the new members, and he replied that they would tell her within a week. Finally, he stood up, shook her hand and told her to check her messages that evening.
Outside the classroom, Elif let out a long breath and immediately texted Deniz. Her friend asked her how it had gone and whether Mr Kaya had been strict. Elif answered that he had been friendly and that the questions were fair. On the way home, she kept wondering if she had said enough about her ideas and whether the other candidates were better than her. When she got home, her mum asked her how she felt and told her not to worry about the result. Her dad reminded her that she had done her best and advised her to be patient until the message arrived.
That night, Elif received a message. It asked her to come back for a second interview and reminded her to bring some of her writing. She was so happy! She said that the interview had taught her something important: preparation and a calm mind always help.
When she called to tell me the news, I asked her what advice she would give to other students, and she laughed. She told me not to memorise long answers, because a good interview is really just a conversation. She also said that everyone should prepare a few questions to ask at the end, since it shows real interest. Most of all, she reminded me to be myself and to speak clearly. Listening to my cousin, I finally understood why this unit matters: almost every day, someone asks us a question or tells us to do something, and later we report it to a friend. Elif's story simply shows how useful that everyday skill can be.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the reported structure (backshift, if/whether, not to).
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. How did Mr Kaya help Elif feel more comfortable at the start of the interview?
2. What did the message that Elif received that night ask her to do?
3. What lesson does Elif say the interview taught her, and do you agree?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, because, so, when, before, then, as soon as. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Report a whole conversation in your own words, then drill the grammar with 10 quick questions.
Below is a short direct conversation. Your job is to report it — turn every line into a reported question or a reported command in your own words.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
10 quick questions on reported questions and commands. Each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate reported sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add more powerful connectors: when, before, after, then and as soon as. These let you show the order of events and the reasons behind them like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | She asked me my name, and then she asked where I lived. |
| but | show a contrast | I asked if I could help, but he refused. |
| so | show a result | He told me to hurry, so I ran to the bus. |
| because | give a reason | She told me not to worry, because the test was easy. |
| when | say at what time | When I arrived, the teacher asked me to wait. |
| before | an earlier event | Before we left, she reminded me to lock the door. |
| after | a later event | After he asked my age, he asked where I lived. |
| then | the next step | He asked my name; then he told me to sign the form. |
| as soon as | immediately after | As soon as I sat down, she asked if I was ready. |
See the difference — the same facts, written two ways:
| Separate sentences ✗ | Connected, fluent writing ✓ |
|---|---|
| The officer stopped me. He asked me where I was going. He told me to show my ticket. He warned me not to run. I felt nervous. | When the officer stopped me, he asked me where I was going and told me to show my ticket. Then he warned me not to run, so I walked slowly, because I felt nervous. |
A "reported conversation" paragraph has three parts. The skeleton stays the same every time — you change the content, not the structure:
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Opening | Say who you talked to and when | Last week I had an interview to join the school newspaper with a teacher called Mr Kaya. |
| 2. Body | Report the questions (statement order, if/whether) and the commands (tell/ask + to), linked with connectors | He asked me why I wanted to join, and then he told me to describe my ideas. |
| 3. Closing | Say how it ended or how you felt | Finally, he told me to check my messages, and I felt hopeful. |
Think of a real or imagined conversation — an interview to join a club, a talk with a teacher, a chat with a coach, or advice from a parent. Write a paragraph that reports it.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + practice. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...