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Text lesson

Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing

English Language

Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing

Overview

Overview

  • Change direct questions into reported questions.
  • Know the structure of an online review and useful review phrases.
  • Practise making and answering invitations.

🌳 Concept tree

Unit 6Reported Questions and Review Writing
├── Lesson 3A Beautiful Day with Friends (listening topic)

├── Reported questions

│ ├── Reporting verbs

│ ├── Basic rules

│ ├── Examples

│ ├── Tense changes

│ ├── Time and place changes

│ ├── Common mistakes

│ └── Using reported questions in dialogues

└── Lesson 5→Tell the World What You Saw! (writing a review)

├── What a review is

├── Structure

├── Model→"The Olive Tree – Great Food, Poor Service"

├── Review phrases and functions

└── Writing task

Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 1 / 13
Lesson 3: A Beautiful Day with Friends (listening topic)

Lesson 3: A Beautiful Day with Friends (listening topic)

  • Hend and her friends spend a sunny day together they bring food, play games in the park, walk by a lake and have ice cream at a café in the evening.
  • The day is unforgettable because of fun and friendship.
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 2 / 13
Reported questions

Reported questions

Reporting verbs

  1. asked
  2. wondered
  3. inquired
  4. wanted to know.
Change the word orderno inversion; the subject comes before the verb (no do / does / did).
Change the tenseusually one step back.
Use connecting wordsif / whether for Yes/No questions; the question word (what, where, when, why, how) for Wh-questions.
No question marka reported question is a statement.
  • Yes/No "Do you want to hang out?" → She asked if / whether I wanted to hang out.
  • Wh- "Where did you stay?" → He asked where I had stayed.
  • "Will you come to the party?" → She asked if I would come to the party.
  • "Have you been to that new restaurant?" → He asked if I had been to that new restaurant.
  • "Did you enjoy the movie last night?" → Dad asked if I had enjoyed the movie the night before.
  • "Why can’t you come to the party?" → She asked why I couldn’t come to the party.
  • "How long will you be in town?" → He asked how long I would be in town.
  • "When are you free next week?" → My friend asked when I was free the following week.

Tense changes

Direct question Reported question
present simple past simple
present continuous past continuous
present perfect / past simple past perfect
will would
can could
  1. today → that day
  2. yesterday → the day before
  3. tomorrow → the next day
  4. next week → the following week
  5. here → there
  6. this → that.
Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
WrongShe asked me where did I go. Right: She asked me where I had goneaskedRightgone
WrongHe asked if will I come. Right: He asked if I would comeaskedwillcomeRight
•
  • Do not end a reported question with a question mark
  • end it with a full stop
reportedquestionmarkfull
  • A: What did Sarah ask you? B: She asked what I was doing at the weekend.
  • A: What did Magdy want to know? B: He wanted to know whether I could help him.
  • A: Did Lamia ask about the party? B: Yes, she asked what she should wear (what she should wear = reported form of "What should I wear?").
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 3 / 13
What a review is

What a review is

  1. A written opinion about something you have experienced (a movie
  2. book
  3. restaurant
  4. product or place)
  5. it informs and persuades readers.
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 4 / 13
Structure

Structure

Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
•TitleTitle
Paragraph 1: Introduction and overall impression
  • basic information (title
  • author or director
  • location
  • type of product) and your general opinion ("It’s a must-see!"
  • "I was quite disappointed.")
basicinformationtitleauthor
Paragraph 2: Specific details (body)
  • describe the main aspects
  • film or book – plot
  • characters
  • acting
  • effects
  • style
  • restaurant – atmosphere
  • food
  • service
  • prices
  • product – design
  • features
  • ease of use
  • performance. Use descriptive adjectives
describemainaspectsfilm
Paragraph 3: Pros and cons (optional)specific likes and dislikes with reasons and examples: "The acting was terrific…" / "The service was quite slow…"specificlikesdislikesreasons
Paragraph 4: Conclusion and recommendation
  • restate your opinion and say whether you recommend it and for whom: "Overall
  • this film is a fantastic choice for anyone who enjoys thrillers."
restateyouropinionwhether
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 5 / 13
Model: "The Olive Tree – Great Food, Poor Service"

Model: "The Olive Tree – Great Food, Poor Service"

Introductionvisited an Italian restaurant; food good, service disappointing.
Descriptionslow greeting, 30-minute wait, hot and delicious food, polite but busy waiter.
Opinionenjoyed the food but expected better service for the price.
Recommendationnot for a special occasion unless you are not in a hurry.
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 6 / 13
Review phrases and functions

Review phrases and functions

Phrase Function
I really enjoyed… stating a positive opinion
On the one hand… giving a balanced opinion
The best thing about… was… highlighting a positive point
Although it was interesting, I thought… contrasting ideas
I wouldn’t recommend it to… making a recommendation (negative)
It was a bit disappointing because… giving a negative opinion
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 7 / 13
Writing task

Writing task

  1. A short online review (60-80 words) of a concert for a music website or social media
  2. with a star rating.
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 8 / 13
📌 Comprehensive Scientific Terminology & Definitions:

📌 Comprehensive Scientific Terminology & Definitions:

Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
Reported Questions (الأسئلة غير المباشرة)
  • Transforming direct interrogative sentences into indirect reported statements introduced by reporting verbs: asked
  • inquired
  • wondered
  • wanted to know
Transformingdirectinterrogativesentences
Wh- Questions Transformation
  • Subject + asked + (object) + Wh-question word + SUBJECT + VERB (affirmative word order
  • NOT question word order): ‘He asked me where I lived’ (NOT: where did I live)
Subjectaskedobjectword
Yes/No Questions TransformationSubject + asked + (object) + IF / WHETHER + SUBJECT + VERB: ‘She asked me if I had finished the homework’ (NOT: had I finished)SubjectaskedobjectWHETHER
Elimination of Auxiliary Verbs (do/does/did)
  • In reported questions
  • do/does/did are eliminated
  • and the main verb is conjugated into the appropriate past tense statement form
reportedquestionseliminatedmain
Review Writing Structure→Genre of evaluative writing: 1. Title and basic metadata (book, movie, product); 2. Brief plot/feature summary without spoilers; 3. Critical evaluation (strengths and weaknesses: cinematography, acting, character development); 4. Final recommendation rating (e.g. 4/5 stars).
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 9 / 13
⚖️ Governing Scientific Laws, Principles & Mathematical Formulas:

⚖️ Governing Scientific Laws, Principles & Mathematical Formulas:

Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
(“Statement Word Order in Reported Questions
  • Reporting Verb + Wh-word / If / Whether + SUBJECT + VERB. (No question mark ‘?’ at the end
  • use a full stop ‘.’).”
ReportingVerbWhetherSUBJECT
(“‘Whether’ vs ‘If’ Rule
  • Use ‘whether’ (preferable or mandatory) when followed immediately by ‘or not’: ‘He asked whether or not I was attending’
  • or after prepositions: ‘They discussed whether they should go’.”
preferablemandatoryfollowedimmediately
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 10 / 13
🔍 In-Depth Explanations, Deductions & Core Concepts:

🔍 In-Depth Explanations, Deductions & Core Concepts:

Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
Why question word order is prohibited in reported questions
  • Because reported questions are indirect noun clauses functioning as the grammatical object of the reporting verb
  • not direct questions
  • therefore
  • they must follow canonical Subject-Verb declarative order
Becauseindirectnounclauses
Imperative and request reporting rules
  • Positive imperative: told / ordered / asked + object + TO + infinitive (‘The doctor told me to take the medicine’)
  • Negative imperative: told / warned + object + NOT TO + infinitive (‘The policeman warned us not to cross the street’)
Positivetoldorderedasked
Vocabulary for academic critical reviews
  • ‘Compelling narrative’
  • ‘stellar performance’
  • ‘underwhelming ending’
  • ‘thought-provoking premise’
  • ‘flawed protagonist’
  • ‘highly recommended for enthusiasts’
Compellingnarrativestellarperformance
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 11 / 13
📊 Direct Question to Reported Question Transformation Matrix:

📊 Direct Question to Reported Question Transformation Matrix:

Question Type Direct Question Example Reported Question Transformation Key Structural Shift
Wh- Question (Present) ‘Where do you live?’ He asked me where I lived ‘do’ deleted; affirmative past ‘lived’
Wh- Question (Past) ‘Why did she leave?’ He asked why she had left
  • ‘did’ deleted
  • past simple becomes past perfect
Yes/No Question (Modal) ‘Can you drive a car?’ She asked if I could drive a car ‘can’ becomes ‘could’; precedes subject ‘I’
Yes/No Question (Continuous) ‘Are you working today?’ He asked whether I was working that day
  • ‘are’ becomes ‘was’
  • ‘today’ becomes ‘that day’
Imperative / Command ‘Don’t touch the glass!’ He warned us not to touch the glass Direct prohibitive command becomes ‘not to touch’
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 12 / 13
💡 High-Yield Exam Traps & Key Takeaways:

💡 High-Yield Exam Traps & Key Takeaways:

Comparison aspectMain ideaKeywords
Fatal Exam TrapNever use inverted auxiliary order in reported questions! ‘He asked me where WAS the station’ is WRONG. ‘He asked me where the station WAS’ is CORRECTNeverinvertedauxiliaryorder
Punctuation Trap
  • Reported questions end with a period/full stop (.)
  • NEVER with a question mark (?)
Reportedquestionsperiodfull
Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 13 / 13