IGCSE, Edexcel, IB and AP Science Courses | Dr Dabour Hub Academy

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)

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

Reporting verbs

asked
wondered
inquired
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

today → that day
yesterday → the day before
tomorrow → the next day
next week → the following week
here → there
this → that.

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Wrong	She asked me where did I go. Right: She asked me where I had gone	askedRightgone
Wrong	He asked if will I come. Right: He asked if I would come	askedwillcomeRight
•	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?").

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What a review is

A written opinion about something you have experienced (a movie
book
restaurant
product or place)
it informs and persuades readers.

Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 4 / 13

Structure

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
•	Title	Title
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"

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

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

A short online review (60-80 words) of a concert for a music website or social media
with a star rating.

Unit 6: Reported Questions and Review Writing · 8 / 13

📌 Comprehensive Scientific Terminology & Definitions:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
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 Transformation	Subject + 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:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
(“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:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
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:

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’

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💡 High-Yield Exam Traps & Key Takeaways:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Fatal Exam Trap	Never use inverted auxiliary order in reported questions! ‘He asked me where WAS the station’ is WRONG. ‘He asked me where the station WAS’ is CORRECT	Neverinvertedauxiliaryorder
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

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