Reported Questions Exercises PDFSet 5: If vs Whether, Negative & Embedded Questions
20 questions·15 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1."Are you coming or not?" → She asked ___ I was coming or not.
a) ifb) thatc) whetherd) when
2."Should I take the train or the bus?" → He asked ___ he should take the train or the bus.
a) whetherb) ifc) thatd) which
3."Is it worth buying?" → She wasn't sure ___ it was worth buying.
a) whetherb) thatc) whatd) which
4."Will you join us for dinner?" → I wondered ___ she would join us for dinner.
a) whetherb) thatc) whatd) when
5."Where is the station?" → She ___ where the station was.
a) saidb) told mec) wanted to knowd) mentioned
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.whether
2.whether
3.whether
4.whether
5.wanted to know
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."whether"(c)
When a reported yes/no question includes 'or not' directly after the connector, 'whether' is strongly preferred over 'if'. 'Whether or not' is standard; 'if or not' (immediately together) sounds unnatural.
2."whether"(a)
When the question presents two alternatives with 'or', 'whether' is preferred over 'if'. 'Whether' naturally introduces choices between two or more options.
3."whether"(a)
After expressions like 'wasn't sure', 'couldn't decide', and 'didn't know', 'whether' is preferred over 'if' in formal English. These are indirect ways of reporting the question internally.
4."whether"(a)
'Wondered' is an alternative reporting verb for questions. Yes/no questions reported with 'wonder' use 'whether' as the conjunction. 'That' cannot introduce a reported question. 'What' and 'when' are question words that don't fit this yes/no question context.
5."wanted to know"(c)
'Wanted to know' is a common alternative to 'asked' for reported questions. 'Said', 'told me', and 'mentioned' are for reported statements, not questions.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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