Reported Yes/No Questions

general

Reported Yes/No Questions

This interactive Speed Review Game gives your B1 students 15 seconds per question to quickly transform direct Yes/No questions into reported speech. Each game randomly selects 15 questions from a 25-question bank, making it ideal for warm-ups, quick formative checks, or self-paced practice.

Mastering reported speech is a major milestone for intermediate English learners, but turning direct questions into reported questions often causes confusion! When reporting Yes/No questions, students need to remember three key rules:

Use "if" or "whether" to connect the main clause to the reported question.
Backshift the verb tense (e.g., Present Simple becomes Past Simple, Present Perfect becomes Past Perfect).
Use statement word order (Subject + Verb) and drop auxiliary do-verbs (do, does, did).

Title: Reported Yes/No Questions
Questions:
- Category: Present Simple
  Question:
  "Do you like Durian?" — Boy He _____ me if I _____ Durian.
  Options:
  - asked / liked
  - asks / like
  - asked / like
  - told / liked
  Answer: asked / liked
  Explanation: Reported questions use 'asked' and shift present simple ('like') to past simple ('liked').
- Category: Present Simple
  Question:
  "Are you hungry?" — Mom Mom asked me if I _____ hungry.
  Options:
  - was
  - were
  - am
  - is
  Answer: was
  Explanation: 'Are' shifts to past tense 'was' for the pronoun 'I'.
- Category: Present Simple
  Question:
  "Does she speak English?" — The teacher The teacher asked if she _____ English.
  Options:
  - spoke
  - speaks
  - speaking
  - spoken
  Answer: spoke
  Explanation: In reported yes/no questions, 'does speak' changes to the past simple form 'spoke'.
- Category: Present Simple
  Question:
  "Do they live nearby?" — Sara Sara asked if they _____ nearby.
  Options:
  - lived
  - live
  - lives
  - are living
  Answer: lived
  Explanation: The present simple verb 'live' backshifts to the past simple 'lived'.
- Category: Present Continuous
  Question:
  "Are you watching TV?" — Dad Dad asked me _____ I was watching TV.
  Options:
  - if
  - that
  - what
  - where
  Answer: if
  Explanation: Yes/no reported questions require 'if' (or 'whether') to connect the clauses.
- Category: Present Continuous
  Question:
  "Is it raining outside?" — Tom Tom asked if it _____ raining outside.
  Options:
  - was
  - is
  - were
  - been
  Answer: was
  Explanation: Present continuous 'is raining' shifts to past continuous 'was raining'.
- Category: Present Continuous
  Question:
  "Are they coming to the party?" — Lisa Lisa asked if they _____ coming to the party.
  Options:
  - were
  - are
  - was
  - have been
  Answer: were
  Explanation: Present continuous 'are coming' backshifts to past continuous 'were coming'.
- Category: Past Simple
  Question:
  "Did you finish your homework?" — Teacher The teacher asked if I _____ my homework.
  Options:
  - had finished
  - finish
  - have finished
  - finishing
  Answer: had finished
  Explanation: Past simple ('did finish') backshifts to past perfect ('had finished').
- Category: Past Simple
  Question:
  "Did she call you yesterday?" — Ben Ben asked if she _____ me the day before.
  Options:
  - had called
  - calls
  - has called
  - was calling
  Answer: had called
  Explanation: Past simple questions report using the past perfect tense ('had called').
- Category: Past Simple
  Question:
  "Did they go to the concert?" — Emma Emma asked whether they _____ to the concert.
  Options:
  - had gone
  - went
  - have gone
  - go
  Answer: had gone
  Explanation: 'Did go' becomes past perfect 'had gone' in reported speech.
- Category: Present Perfect
  Question:
  "Have you seen my keys?" — Mark Mark asked if I _____ his keys.
  Options:
  - had seen
  - have seen
  - saw
  - see
  Answer: had seen
  Explanation: Present perfect ('have seen') shifts to past perfect ('had seen').
- Category: Present Perfect
  Question:
  "Has she eaten lunch yet?" — Paul Paul asked if she _____ lunch yet.
  Options:
  - had eaten
  - has eaten
  - ate
  - eats
  Answer: had eaten
  Explanation: Present perfect ('has eaten') shifts to past perfect ('had eaten').
- Category: Present Perfect
  Question:
  "Have they visited Thailand before?" — Anna Anna asked whether they _____ Thailand before.
  Options:
  - had visited
  - visited
  - have visited
  - were visiting
  Answer: had visited
  Explanation: 'Have visited' backshifts to 'had visited' in reported questions.
- Category: Modal Verbs
  Question:
  "Can you swim?" — Coach The coach asked if I _____ swim.
  Options:
  - could
  - can
  - would
  - should
  Answer: could
  Explanation: The modal verb 'can' changes to 'could' in reported speech.
- Category: Modal Verbs
  Question:
  "Can she help us?" — Tim Tim asked if she _____ help us.
  Options:
  - could
  - can
  - may
  - will
  Answer: could
  Explanation: 'Can' changes to 'could' when reporting a question.
- Category: Modal Verbs
  Question:
  "Will you attend the meeting?" — Boss My boss asked if I _____ attend the meeting.
  Options:
  - would
  - will
  - could
  - should
  Answer: would
  Explanation: The modal verb 'will' changes to 'would' in reported speech.
- Category: Modal Verbs
  Question:
  "Will it rain tomorrow?" — Jenny Jenny asked if it _____ rain the next day.
  Options:
  - would
  - will
  - is going to
  - can
  Answer: would
  Explanation: 'Will' backshifts to 'would' in reported questions.
- Category: Word Order
  Question:
  "Is he at home?" — Sam Sam asked if _____.
  Options:
  - he was at home
  - was he at home
  - is he at home
  - he is at home
  Answer: he was at home
  Explanation: Reported questions use statement word order (Subject + Verb), not question order.
- Category: Word Order
  Question:
  "Do you speak French?" — Mia Mia asked me if _____ French.
  Options:
  - I spoke
  - did I speak
  - I do speak
  - do I speak
  Answer: I spoke
  Explanation: Drop the auxiliary 'do/did' and use normal statement word order: Subject ('I') + Verb ('spoke').
- Category: Word Order
  Question:
  "Did you buy the cake?" — Noah Noah asked if _____ the cake.
  Options:
  - I had bought
  - did I buy
  - had I bought
  - bought I
  Answer: I had bought
  Explanation: Reported questions do not use auxiliary inversion. Follow Subject ('I') + Verb ('had bought').
- Category: If / Whether
  Question:
  "Is the coffee hot?" — Guest The guest asked _____ the coffee was hot.
  Options:
  - whether
  - that
  - what
  - which
  Answer: whether
  Explanation: Both 'if' and 'whether' can be used to report yes/no questions.
- Category: If / Whether
  Question:
  "Do you want tea or coffee?" — Host The host asked _____ I wanted tea or coffee.
  Options:
  - whether
  - that
  - how
  - what
  Answer: whether
  Explanation: 'Whether' is often preferred when there is an 'or' choice present.
- Category: Reporting Verbs
  Question:
  "Do you need help?" — Stranger The stranger _____ me if I needed help.
  Options:
  - asked
  - said
  - told
  - explained
  Answer: asked
  Explanation: Use 'asked' (not 'said' or 'told') to report questions.
- Category: Reporting Verbs
  Question:
  "Are you ready?" — Driver The driver _____ whether we were ready.
  Options:
  - wondered
  - said
  - told
  - talked
  Answer: wondered
  Explanation: 'Wondered' is a common reporting verb for questions alongside 'asked'.
- Category: Pronoun Changes
  Question:
  "Do you like my new phone?" — Alex Alex asked if I liked _____ new phone.
  Options:
  - his
  - my
  - your
  - her
  Answer: his
  Explanation: The possessive pronoun 'my' changes to 'his' to match the original speaker (Alex).