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A reported question which is not even a question

English Language & Usage Asked by Nimitta on July 21, 2021

Swan, Practical English Usage (p.250)
3. yes/no questions: He asked if …
Yes/no questions are reported with if or whether (for the difference, see 621).

The driver asked if/whether I wanted the town centre.
I don’t know if/whether I can help you.
In reported questions, we do not use a present tense after if to talk about the
future.
I’m not sure if I’ll see her tomorrow.
(NOT … if J see her tomorrow.)

How come "I’m not sure if I’ll see her tomorrow" is a reported yes/no question? It does not look like a question, reported or not.

One Answer

A reported question is a sentence that refers to a question. Sometimes the report will explicitly use a word like "asked" to refer to the original question, as in your first example "The driver asked ...".

But the question can also be implicit. You're describing a state of mind where some condition is in question.

I'm not sure if I'll see her tomorrow.

corresponds to the question

Will I see her tomorrow?

If you want to see it in the first form, it's similar to saying:

I'm asking myself if I'll see her tomorrow.

Answered by Barmar on July 21, 2021

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