I was wondering exactly how much did Jack know about the case. vs I was wondering exactly how much Jack knew about the case.

The correct phrase is: 'I was wondering exactly how much Jack knew about the case.' This is the correct word order in English when using reported speech.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 1577 views

This phrase is incorrect. The word order is not appropriate for reported speech in English.

"I was wondering exactly how much did Jack know about the case."

The correct structure for reported speech in English is to use the past tense in the reporting verb ('was wondering') and the past tense in the reported speech ('knew').

Show examples from the web [+]

Exactly how much did Katherine tell you about the project?
Exactly how much did you steal from your clients?
Yes, I was wondering how much it would cost to find someone.
Mr President, I was wondering exactly what Mrs Thors meant when she said that the proposal was being 'steered into a safe harbour', especially as she was looking directly at me at the time.
I was wondering, what do you know about him...
I was wondering... how much he would put into a thing like that.
I was wondering how much longer until No. 1 will be ready for us.
I was wondering if you could tell Saul Berenson how much better I'm doing.
I was wondering how much better off you are than him.
I need to know exactly how much you know about our group and who you've told.
I was wondering how much it would cost?
I'm sorry to ask, but exactly how much did I get?
How much did you know about your husband's business dealings?
How much did you know about your husband?
Exactly how much do you know about him?
He spent the rest of his life in a kind of... daze, always... wondering exactly how old she would've been, what she would've looked like.
He spent the rest of his life in a kind of... daze, always... wondering exactly how old she would've been, what she would've looked like.
How much did you know about the Adler Ponzi scheme?
John, how much did you know about our unscheduled visit last night?
Mrs. Lemke, how much did you know about your husband's work?

This phrase is correct. It follows the appropriate word order for reported speech in English.

"I was wondering exactly how much Jack knew about the case."

When reporting what someone knew in the past, it is common to use the past tense in both the reporting verb and the reported speech.

Examples:

I was curious about how much she remembered from the meeting.
She asked me if I knew where the keys were.
He wondered how long it had been since she left.
They wanted to know what time the concert started.
She inquired about what he had said during the meeting.

Show examples from the web [+]

Maybe Jack knew about the life insurance policy before I even mentioned it.
Yes, I was wondering how much it would cost to find someone.
Mr President, I was wondering exactly what Mrs Thors meant when she said that the proposal was being 'steered into a safe harbour', especially as she was looking directly at me at the time.
I was wondering... how much he would put into a thing like that.
I was wondering how much longer until No. 1 will be ready for us.
I was wondering if you could tell Saul Berenson how much better I'm doing.
I was wondering how much better off you are than him.
Exactly how much did Katherine tell you about the project?
Is there any official way of evaluating how much the intended recipients knew about the recommendations and how satisfied they were with them? 4.
I was wondering about the ceremony on Friday...
I was wondering about the weather department.
I was wondering about the proper dosage.
I was wondering, about the kidney...
Actually, I was wondering about the annulment that we spoke of.
I was wondering about the La-Z-Boy chairs I ordered.
I was wondering what you wanted to do about the arrangements.
I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the Rocks Valentine killing.
I was wondering how much it would cost?
Data, I was thinking about the storage capsule last night and I was wondering.
I should like to disagree a little with Mr Martinez about how much we knew about the WTO decisions.

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I was wondering exactly how much did Jack know about the case. vs I was wondering exactly how much Jack knew about the case.