In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 10 in the category of REPORTED SPEECH is defined as:
‘wh-‘questions using a reporting verb + ‘wh-‘word + clause, with a change of pronoun and tense shift where relevant
Expert examples:
I once asked a really bright student what he hoped to learn from me.
When asked what the biggest challenge was in making the film, William Joyce says, not giving up.
PELIC student example:
Every time, someone asked me what my major was, they always nodded in an incredible fashion and didn’t say anything.
Chinese, Female, Level 4, Writing class
A search in iWeb corpus for:
asked wh* * * *
1 ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT OF 378
2 ASKED WHETHER YOU WANT TO 344
3 ASKED WHAT I WAS DOING 307
4 ASKED WHAT WAS GOING ON 303
5 ASKED WHY HE DID N’T 286
6 ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF 258
Discover Magazine7 ASKED WHAT HE WAS DOING 254
8 ASKED WHAT IT WAS LIKE 235
9 ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT 221
10 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD DO 217
11 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG . 184
12 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD SAY 149
13 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT THEY 140
14 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT HE 136
15 ASKED WHAT I WANTED TO 135
16 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT THE 131
17 ASKED WHY HE DID NOT 126
18 ASKED WHAT THEY WERE DOING 121
19 ASKED WHAT IT WAS . 115
20 ASKED WHY , HE SAID 114
21 ASKED WHY I DID N’T 113
22 ASKED WHY SHE DID N’T 112
23 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG , 110
24 ASKED WHAT THEY WOULD DO 108
25 ASKED WHETHER IT WOULD BE 107
26 ASKED WHY THEY DID N’T 107
27 ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT OF 106
28 ASKED WHAT HE COULD DO 102
29 ASKED WHAT ADVICE HE WOULD 102
30 ASKED WHY HE WANTED TO 102
31 ASKED WHAT COULD BE DONE 96
32 ASKED WHAT SHE WAS DOING 96
33 ASKED WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS 95
34 ASKED WHAT IT WAS , 93
35 ASKED WHAT WAS THE MATTER 92
36 ASKED WHY HE DECIDED TO 91
37 ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS A 91
38 ASKED WHAT IT WOULD TAKE 90
39 ASKED WHAT HE WANTED TO 88
40 ASKED WHY HE HAD NOT 88
41 ASKED WHETHER OR NOT YOU 85
42 ASKED WHETHER HE WOULD BE 84
43 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG AND 83
44 ASKED WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF 83
45 ASKED WHAT THEY COULD DO 79
46 ASKED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH 78
47 ASKED WHY HE DID NT 78
48 ASKED WHERE I GOT IT 77
49 ASKED WHAT ADVICE SHE WOULD 77
50 ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT OF 76
51 ASKED WHAT IS THE BEST 75
52 ASKED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 75
53 ASKED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO 75
54 ASKED WHETHER YOU WISH TO 75
55 ASKED WHAT HE THINKS OF 72
56 ASKED WHETHER HE HAD ANY 71
57 ASKED WHY HE WAS N’T 71
58 ASKED WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT 70
59 ASKED WHAT IT WAS ABOUT 69
60 ASKED WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE 69
61 ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO 68
62 ASKED WHY HE HAD N’T 68
63 ASKED WHY HE CHOSE TO 67
64 ASKED WHETHER YOU WOULD LIKE 67
65 ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS ANY 66
66 ASKED WHAT WOULD BE THE 66
67 ASKED WHAT WE WERE DOING 66
68 ASKED WHERE I GOT THEM 66
69 ASKED WHY I DO NT 65
70 ASKED WHY THEY DID NOT 64
71 ASKED WHY WE DO N’T 64
72 ASKED WHAT HE MEANT BY 63
Daily Express73 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD LIKE 63
74 ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT ABOUT 63
75 ASKED WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS 62
76 ASKED WHY , SHE SAID 62
77 ASKED WHY THEY DO N’T 61
78 ASKED WHAT IT WAS AND 61
79 ASKED WHAT IT ‘S LIKE 61
80 ASKED WHAT YOU WANT TO 60
81 ASKED WHETHER IT WAS POSSIBLE 59
82 ASKED WHY I DO N’T 59
83 ASKED WHY HE DID IT 59
84 ASKED WHERE YOU WANT TO 57
85 ASKED WHAT THE DIFFERENCE WAS 56
86 ASKED WHERE I WAS FROM 55
87 ASKED WHY I DID NT 55
88 ASKED WHY , THEY SAID 55
89 ASKED WHY THERE WAS NO 54
90 ASKED WHAT WAS THE MOST 54
91 ASKED WHETHER HE THOUGHT THE 54
92 ASKED WHAT SHE WOULD DO 54
93 ASKED WHAT SHE WOULD SAY 53
94 ASKED WHAT HE SHOULD DO 53
95 ASKED WHAT TO DO WITH 53
96 ASKED WHY AND HE SAID 53
97 ASKED WHY HE WAS SO 52
98 ASKED WHO HE WAS , 52
99 ASKED WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT 52
100 ASKED WHAT HE WOULD HAVE 52
A2 Vocabulary:
advice, by, could, decided, difference, happen, happened, if, matter, meant, most, should, so, wish