Religion, Culture and Arts
Senior 3 · English
Religion, Culture and Arts
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
In unit 4 you reported what people said. But people also ask and order: "Did people pray in a special building?", "Please don't touch the drums." To report these you need different patterns, and when you retell a whole visit you also need words that put events in order of time. Here is how one student reported the museum visit from lesson 2 to her class.
A report for the class noticeboard. The school, teacher and students are imagined.
WHAT WE LEARNED IN THE ROOM WITH NO GLASS CASES
by Keza, S3B
On Friday our class visited the Ethnographic Museum in Huye. As soon as we got off the bus, Mr Ruzindana told us to stay together, and the guard asked us not to use flash on our phones.
First, the guide, Mrs Mukankusi, showed us a room full of tools. While we were looking at a carved milk pot, Hirwa asked her whether families had used it every day. She said that they had, and that some families still did.
After that, she led us into a room with no glass cases and asked us what the Kinyarwanda word for God was. I answered "Imana". Aisha wanted to know who the spirits were that her grandfather talked about, and Gloria asked what kubandwa was. Hirwa asked how people had known why something bad had happened to them. Then I asked if Rwandans still believed those things.
Finally, the guide reminded us to respect the beliefs of the past, and she warned us not to touch the drums in the next room. Meanwhile, Hirwa had already reached the drums. By the time Mr Ruzindana saw him, he had his hands behind his back and a very innocent face.
Definition
reported question: a question reported without its question form: no question mark, no do/does/did, and the subject before the verb. He asked where the museum was.
reported command (or request): an order or request reported with a verb such as tell, ask, order or warn + object + (not) to + verb. She told us to wait.
connector of time: a word or phrase that shows when events happened in relation to each other, such as first, while, as soon as, after that, finally.
Two kinds of question are reported in two ways. In both, the reported question takes the word order of a statement, and the verb usually moves one tense back, as in unit 4.
| Kind | Direct | Reported | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes/no question | "Did families use it every day?" Hirwa asked. | Hirwa asked whether families had used it every day. | ask + if or whether + subject + verb |
| Yes/no question | "Do Rwandans still believe these things?" I asked. | I asked if Rwandans still believed those things. | do/does/did disappears; these → those |
| Wh- question | "What is kubandwa?" Gloria asked. | Gloria asked what kubandwa was. | ask + wh-word + subject + verb |
| Wh- question | "How did people know?" Hirwa asked. | Hirwa asked how people had known. | did + verb → past perfect |
| Wh- question about the subject | "Who made this pot?" she asked. | She asked who had made that pot. | the wh-word is the subject, so the order does not change |
Other reporting verbs for questions: want to know, wonder, enquire. Aisha wanted to know who the spirits were.
| Direct | Reported | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| "Stay together," Mr Ruzindana said. | Mr Ruzindana told us to stay together. | tell + object + to + verb |
| "Please don't use flash," the guard said. | The guard asked us not to use flash. | ask + object + not to + verb |
| "Don't touch the drums!" | She warned us not to touch the drums. | warn + object + not to + verb |
| "Remember to respect the past." | She reminded us to respect the past. | remind + object + to + verb |
| "You should visit Nyanza too." | She advised us to visit Nyanza too. | advise + object + to + verb |
| "Line up!" the officer shouted. | The officer ordered them to line up. | order + object + to + verb |
Worked example
Reporting a question step by step
Report: "Where do you keep the oldest drums?" the teacher asked the guide yesterday.
Worked example
Reporting a command with the right verb
Report: "Don't run on the wet floor, Hirwa!" the cleaner called out.
When you report a whole event, connectors of time tell the listener the order of things. Some begin a new sentence; others join two clauses in one sentence.
| Use | Connectors | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Order of steps | first, then, next, after that, afterwards, finally | First the clay is shaped. Then it is dried. |
| At the same time | while, as, meanwhile | While we were looking at the pot, Hirwa asked a question. |
| Immediately after | as soon as, once, the moment that | As soon as we arrived, he told us to stay together. |
| Before or after another event | before, after, by the time, until | By the time he saw him, Hirwa had moved. |
| At the end of a long time | eventually, in the end, at last | Eventually the bus came back. |
Punctuation: a sentence connector at the start is followed by a comma: After that, she led us in. When a clause with while, as soon as, before or by the time comes first, put a comma after the clause; when it comes second, you need no comma: He asked a question while we were looking at the pot.
Tip
While or during? While is followed by a clause, with a subject and verb: while we were waiting. During is followed by a noun: during the visit. Test it: if the next word is the, our or my, you probably need during.
Warning
Live English Class: Reported questions, a recorded class from BBC Learning English. Pause after each example the teacher reports and say the direct question it came from.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa.
