WH- (reported question) – English Grammar Profiler
In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 10 in the category of REPORTED SPEECH is defined as:
‘wh-‘questions using a reporting verb + ‘wh-‘word + clause, with a change of pronoun and tense shift where relevant
Expert examples:
I once asked a really bright student what he hoped to learn from me.
TED
When asked what the biggest challenge was in making the film, William Joyce says, not giving up.
listen
PELIC student example:
Every time, someone asked me what my major was, they always nodded in an incredible fashion and didn’t say anything.
Chinese, Female, Level 4, Writing class
A search in iWeb corpus for:
asked wh* * * *
1 ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT OF 378 2 ASKED WHETHER YOU WANT TO 344 3 ASKED WHAT I WAS DOING 307 4 ASKED WHAT WAS GOING ON 303
5 ASKED WHY HE DID N’T 286
6 ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF 258
7 ASKED WHAT HE WAS DOING 254 8 ASKED WHAT IT WAS LIKE 235 9 ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT 221 10 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD DO 217 11 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG . 184 12 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD SAY 149 13 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT THEY 140 14 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT HE 136 15 ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO 135 16 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT THE 131 17 ASKED WHY HE DID NOT 126 18 ASKED WHAT THEY WERE DOING 121 19 ASKED WHAT IT WAS . 115 20 ASKED WHY , HE SAID 114 21 ASKED WHY I DID N’T 113 22 ASKED WHY SHE DID N’T 112 23 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG , 110 24 ASKED WHAT THEY WOULD DO 108 25 ASKED WHETHER IT WOULD BE 107 26 ASKED WHY THEY DID N’T 107 27 ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT OF 106
28 ASKED WHAT HE COULD DO 102
29 ASKED WHAT ADVICE HE WOULD 102 30 ASKED WHY HE WANTED TO 102
31 ASKED WHAT COULD BE DONE 96
32 ASKED WHAT SHE WAS DOING 96 33 ASKED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS 95 34 ASKED WHAT IT WAS , 93
35 ASKED WHAT WAS THE MATTER 92
36 ASKED WHY HE DECIDED TO 91 37 ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS A 91 38 ASKED WHAT IT WOULD TAKE 90 39 ASKED WHAT HE WANTED TO 88 40 ASKED WHY HE HAD NOT 88 41 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT YOU 85 42 ASKED WHETHER HE WOULD BE 84 43 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG AND 83 44 ASKED WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF 83
45 ASKED WHAT THEY COULD DO 79
46 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH 78 47 ASKED WHY HE DID NT 78 48 ASKED WHERE I GOT IT 77
49 ASKED WHAT ADVICE SHE WOULD 77
50 ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT OF 76 51 ASKED WHAT IS THE BEST 75
52 ASKED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 75
53 ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO 75
54 ASKED WHETHER YOU WISH TO 75 55 ASKED WHAT HE THINKS OF 72 56 ASKED WHETHER HE HAD ANY 71 57 ASKED WHY HE WAS N’T 71 58 ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT 70 59 ASKED WHAT IT WAS ABOUT 69 60 ASKED WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE 69
61 ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO 68
62 ASKED WHY HE HAD N’T 68 63 ASKED WHY HE CHOSE TO 67 64 ASKED WHETHER YOU WOULD LIKE 67 65 ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS ANY 66 66 ASKED WHAT WOULD BE THE 66 67 ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING 66 68 ASKED WHERE I GOT THEM 66 69 ASKED WHY I DO NT 65 70 ASKED WHY THEY DID NOT 64
71 ASKED WHY WE DO N’T 64
72 ASKED WHAT HE MEANT BY 63
73 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD LIKE 63 74 ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT ABOUT 63
75 ASKED WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS 62
76 ASKED WHY , SHE SAID 62 77 ASKED WHY THEY DO N’T 61 78 ASKED WHAT IT WAS AND 61 79 ASKED WHAT IT ‘S LIKE 61 80 ASKED WHAT YOU WANT TO 60 81 ASKED WHETHER IT WAS POSSIBLE 59 82 ASKED WHY I DO N’T 59 83 ASKED WHY HE DID IT 59 84 ASKED WHERE YOU WANT TO 57
85 ASKED WHAT THE DIFFERENCE WAS 56
86 ASKED WHERE I WAS FROM 55 87 ASKED WHY I DID NT 55 88 ASKED WHY , THEY SAID 55 89 ASKED WHY THERE WAS NO 54
90 ASKED WHAT WAS THE MOST 54
91 ASKED WHETHER HE THOUGHT THE 54 92 ASKED WHAT SHE WOULD DO 54 93 ASKED WHAT SHE WOULD SAY 53
94 ASKED WHAT HE SHOULD DO 53
95 ASKED WHAT TO DO WITH 53 96 ASKED WHY AND HE SAID 53
97 ASKED WHY HE WAS SO 52
98 ASKED WHO HE WAS , 52 99 ASKED WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT 52
100 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD HAVE 52
A2 Vocabulary:
advice, by, could, decided, difference, happen, happened, if, matter, meant, most, should, so, wish