ask + if | whether + CLAUSE – English Grammar Profiler

B1 English Grammar Profile point 5 in REPORTED SPEECH is defined as:

‘YES-NO’ QUESTIONS using ‘ask’ + ‘if’ or ‘whether’ + clause, with a pronoun and tense shift where relevant.

A search in iWeb for:

ask* * if|whether _P _V

1 ASKED ME IF I WANTED 2391 2 ASKED ME IF I WAS 2083 3 ASKED ME IF I WOULD 1870 4 ASKED ME IF I HAD 1779 5 ASK YOU IF YOU WANT 1637 6 ASKED HIM IF HE WAS 1321

7 ASKED HIM IF HE HAD 1178

8 ASKED ME IF I COULD 1120

PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLES:

Finally, a friend asked me if I could bring him back some clothes from American brands

 since they were much cheaper in the States than in Switzerland.

French, Male, Level 5, Grammar Class.

 One of my friends asked me if I could call him via Skype.

Arabic, Male, Level 5, Grammar Class.

9 ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD 1018 10 ASK THEM IF THEY HAVE 911 11 ASKED HER IF SHE WAS 816 12 ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED 800

13 ASKED HIM IF HE COULD 724

14 ASK THEM IF THEY WOULD 638 15 ASKED HER IF SHE HAD 638 16 ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED 601 17 ASKED ME IF I KNEW 594

18 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU ARE 592 (This is not really reported speech and it is C2)

It’s time to ask yourself what you believe.

listen

19 ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD 590 20 ASKED ME IF I ‘D 589 21 ASK THEM IF THEY CAN 539

22 ASKED HIM IF I COULD 523

23 ASKS YOU IF YOU WANT 492 24 ASK THEM IF THEY ARE 487 25 ASK THEM IF YOU CAN 449 26 ASK YOU IF YOU HAVE 392

27 ASKED HER IF SHE COULD 389

28 ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW 378

29 ASKED HER IF I COULD 373

30 ASKED ME IF IT WAS 360 31 ASKING ME IF I WAS 358 32 ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD 348 33 ASKED THEM IF THEY WOULD 344 34 ASKING YOU IF YOU WANT 321 35 ASK YOU IF YOU ARE 318

36 ASKED ME IF HE COULD 314

37 ASKS ME IF I WANT 305 38 ASK THEM IF THEY WANT 304 39 ASKED HIM IF IT WAS 303 40 ASK ME IF I WAS 297 41 ASK THEM IF THEY KNOW 294 42 ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD 285

43 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU ‘RE 277

44 ASKED HIM IF HE ‘D 273

45 ASKED THEM IF THEY COULD 272

46 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU WOULD 271
47 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE 270
48 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU WANT 263
49 ASK YOURSELF IF YOU CAN 253 50 ASKED HIM IF HE THOUGHT 247 51 ASKING ME IF I WANTED 245 52 ASKED US IF WE WANTED 227 53 ASK ME IF I WANT 224 54 ASKED ME IF I THOUGHT 222

55 ASKED ME IF SHE COULD 217

56 ASKED HER IF SHE KNEW 210 57 ASK ME IF I ‘M 208 58 ASK ME IF I WANTED 200 59 ASK HIM IF HE HAS 200

60 ASKED THEM IF I COULD 200

61 ASKING ME IF I HAD 195 62 ASK YOU WHETHER YOU WANT 193

63 ASKED THEM IF THEY WERE 192

64 ASK HIM IF HE WANTS 189 65 ASK HIM IF HE WOULD 182 66 ASK ME IF I HAD 180 67 ASK THEM IF THEY WILL 177

68 ASK YOURSELF IF IT IS 176

69 ASKED THEM IF THEY WANTED 172 70 ASKING ME IF I WANT 172 71 ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU DO 171 72 ASKING ME IF I WOULD 171 73 ASKED HER IF IT WAS 169 74 ASK HER IF SHE WANTS 166

75 ASK YOURSELF IF IT ‘S 161

76 ASK ME IF I HAVE 161

77 ASK THEM IF THEY COULD 160

78 ASKED HIM IF WE COULD 158 79 ASK ME IF I WOULD 149

80 ASKED US IF WE COULD 148

81 ASKED ME IF THEY COULD 147
82 ASKED ME IF WE COULD 147 83 ASK HER IF SHE WOULD 146 84 ASKED US IF WE WOULD 146 85 ASKED HER IF SHE ‘D 141 86 ASKED ME IF I NEEDED 131

87 ASKED US IF WE WERE 129

88 ASK HER IF SHE HAS 126 89 ASKED HIM WHETHER HE HAD 117 90 ASKING HIM IF HE WAS 116 91 ASKING ME IF I ‘M 112 92 ASK ME IF I AM 111 93 ASKING THEM IF THEY WOULD 109

94 ASK ME IF I COULD 108

95 ASKED ME IF I LIKED 105

96 ASKING ME IF I COULD 105

97 ASKED HER IF WE COULD 103
98 ASK YOU IF YOU WISH 102 99 ASK HIM IF HE WAS 102

100 ASKING YOU IF YOU ARE 102

A2 Vocabulary:

could, if, were, wish, yourself

EXPERT EXAMPLE:

The next day his mother asked me if I had told him some horror stories.

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