W. A. Ward Dear English Teachers!

if
/ 
whether
is used and if the verb of the main sentence is in the past 
tense we should use past tense in the second sentences. You may wish to write 
more examples on the board and underline the tenses. Akrom asked
: "– Do you 
work?" Akrom 
asked 
if
i worked.
Write the following sentences on the board:
Aziza asked: "What is the time?" Aziza asked what the time was. 
Ask students what type of question it was and with what sentence it begins. 
elicit the answers and establish that in order to turn special questions into 
reported ones, question words like 
what/which
remains between the first and 
the second sentence. We should miss auxiliary words after question words. 
Write some more examples on the board. Then let students have some time to 
look through the grammar spots.
1. 
Ask students to put the words in the right order.
answers:
1. she wanted to know whether we went to the cinema the day before.
2. Mother wondered if he was watching tV at that moment.
3. She asks whether I like adoptions of books and films.
4. i wonder if you would go to the theatre with me.
5. He asked whether you finished reading that book.
2. 
Ask students to look at these questions and statements. they should write if 
the question reported or direct.
Which are direct questions (DQ) and which are reported/indirect questions (iQ)?
answers:
1. he wanted to know if she had seen 
The Lord of the Rings
films. 
(Iq)
2. how often do you go to the cinema? 
(Dq)
3. Have you seen 
The Lord of the Rings
films? 
(Dq)
4. he asked her how often she went to the cinema. 
Iq)
5. What are you reading at the moment
? (Dq)
6. Do you prefer reading books or watching tV?