Mixed Question Practice in Narration

What You Will Learn

In this lesson, you will learn:

In the last two lessons, you learned:

How to change yes or no questions

How to change wh questions

Now it is time to practice both types together.

This lesson is very important because many students understand the rules separately, but become confused when both types appear together.

This lesson will help you remove that confusion.

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The Two Types of Questions

In narration, there are two common question types.

Yes or No Question

These questions can be answered with yes or no.

Examples:

Are you ready

Do you like tea

Will you come

Can you swim

Wh Question

These questions begin with a wh word.

Examples:

Where do you live

Why are you sad

When will you go

How can I help you

What do you want

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Main Difference

This is the most important thing to remember.

Yes or No Question

Use if or whether

Wh Question

Keep the wh word

In both types:

said to becomes asked

Question form becomes statement form

Pronoun changes

Tense backshifts

Time and place words change if needed

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Quick Comparison

Yes or No Question

Direct:

He said to me, “Are you ready?”

Indirect:

He asked me if I was ready.

Wh Question

Direct:

She said to him, “Why are you late?”

Indirect:

She asked him why he was late.

See the difference:

In the first one, we use if

In the second one, we keep why

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How to Decide the Type of Question

Ask yourself:

Can the question be answered with yes or no

If yes, it is a yes or no question.

Does the question begin with where, why, when, what, who, or how

If yes, it is a wh question.

This simple check will help you choose the correct structure.

Example 1: Yes or No Question

Direct:

He said to me, “Do you play cricket?”

Step 1

Identify the type:

This can be answered with yes or no

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Use if

Step 4

Change question form to statement form

Step 5

Change pronoun:

you → I

Step 6

Backshift tense:

play → played

Final:

He asked me if I played cricket.

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Example 2: Wh Question

Direct:

She said to me, “Where do you live?”

Step 1

Identify the type:

This begins with where, so it is a wh question

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Keep where

Step 4

Change question form to statement form

Step 5

Change pronoun:

you → I

Step 6

Backshift tense:

live → lived

Final:

She asked me where I lived.

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Example 3: Yes or No Question

Direct:

Mother said to me, “Will you go today?”

Step 1

This is a yes or no question

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Use if

Step 4

you → I

Step 5

will → would

Step 6

today → that day

Final:

Mother asked me if I would go that day.

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Example 4: Wh Question

Direct:

Father said to me, “When will you come here?”

Step 1

This is a wh question because it begins with when

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Keep when

Step 4

you → I

Step 5

will → would

Step 6

here → there

Final:

Father asked me when I would come there.

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Example 5: Yes or No Question

Direct:

The teacher said to the boy, “Can you solve this?”

Step 1

This is a yes or no question

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Use if

Step 4

you → he

Step 5

can → could

Final:

The teacher asked the boy if he could solve that.

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Example 6: Wh Question

Direct:

The teacher said to the boy, “Why are you making noise?”

Step 1

This is a wh question because it begins with why

Step 2

said to → asked

Step 3

Keep why

Step 4

you → he

Step 5

are making → was making

Final:

The teacher asked the boy why he was making noise.

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Golden Rule for Mixed Question Practice

Remember this simple rule:

Yes or no question

Use if or whether

Wh question

Keep the wh word

And in both cases:

Use asked

Use statement form

Change pronoun

Change tense

Change time or place if needed

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Common Mistakes

Mistake 1

Using if in a wh question

Wrong:

She asked me if where I lived.

Correct:

She asked me where I lived.

Mistake 2

Using a wh word in a yes or no question

Wrong:

He asked me why I was ready.

Correct:

He asked me if I was ready.

Mistake 3

Keeping question order

Wrong:

He asked me if was I ready.

She asked me why did I go.

Correct:

He asked me if I was ready.

She asked me why I went.

Mistake 4

Forgetting pronoun change

Mistake 5

Forgetting backshift

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One Mixed Practice Set

Look at these two direct sentences:

He said to me, “Are you happy?”

She said to me, “Why are you happy?”

Now compare:

He asked me if I was happy.

She asked me why I was happy.

In the first sentence, use if because it is yes or no.

In the second sentence, keep why because it is a wh question.

This comparison is very useful.

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Quick Revision

Question types:

Yes or no question

Wh question

Yes or no question:

Use if or whether

Wh question:

Keep the wh word

In both:

said to becomes asked

question form becomes statement form

pronoun changes

tense changes

time and place words may change

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Practice

A. Change into indirect speech

1. He said to me, “Are you ready?”

2. She said to him, “Why are you sad?”

3. Father said to me, “Will you go today?”

4. The teacher said to the boy, “What do you want?”

5. Mina said to me, “Can you swim?”

6. Rina said to me, “Where do you live?”

7. Mother said to me, “Do you like milk?”

8. The teacher said to us, “Why are you making noise?”

9. He said to me, “Have you finished your homework?”

10. She said to me, “When will you come here?”

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B. Write yes/no or wh question

1. Are you happy

2. Why are you late

3. Do you know me

4. Where do you live

5. Can you help me

6. What do you want

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C. Fill in the blanks

1. Yes or no questions use ______ or ______

2. Wh questions keep the ______ word

3. In both types, said to usually becomes ______

4. In indirect speech, question form becomes ______ form

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D. Choose the correct answer

1. “Are you ready?” is a

wh question

yes or no question

command

2. “Why are you late?” is a

yes or no question

wh question

statement

3. In mixed question practice, both types become

command form

statement form

exclamation form

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Answers

1. He asked me if I was ready.

2. She asked him why he was sad.

3. Father asked me if I would go that day.

4. The teacher asked the boy what he wanted.

5. Mina asked me if I could swim.

6. Rina asked me where I lived.

7. Mother asked me if I liked milk.

8. The teacher asked us why we were making noise.

9. He asked me if I had finished my homework.

10. She asked me when I would come there.

1. yes or no question

2. wh question

3. yes or no question

4. wh question

5. yes or no question

6. wh question

1. if, whether

2. wh

3. asked

4. statement

1. yes or no question

2. wh question

3. statement form

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Self Check

Can I identify both question types

Can I choose if or whether correctly

Can I keep the wh word correctly

Can I change question order to statement order

Can I apply pronoun change and tense backshift in both types

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Homework

Write three yes or no questions and three wh questions in direct speech.

Then change all six into indirect speech.