[Grammar] Who am I and Who I am

[apiz]

Hi teachers!

i have a doubt in explaining the differences between

• Who am I
• Who I am

anyone could pls help me on this...

Thanks in advance!

 

[apiz]

Gil

Can I classify "Who I am" under Reported Speech?

 

[kfredson]

Can I classify "Who I am" under Reported Speech?

Thank you for this. I had to look up the meaning of "Reported Speech." Now I believe I understand. Normally I have heard it expressed as "indirect speech."

So is this Reported Speech? I suppose it could be, e.g.,
"She explained to him who I am."

But I believe it could be used in another way, as well, e.g.,
"I sometimes I am not so sure just who I [really] am."

Is this Reported Speech? I don't believe so, but perhaps I am wrong in this.

You might also say, "Who I am is none of your business." Now surely that is not Reported Speech!

So I guess the point is that you can only tell if you actually make it a full sentence.

 

[apiz]

Thank you for this. I had to look up the meaning of "Reported Speech." Now I believe I understand. Normally I have heard it expressed as "indirect speech."

So is this Reported Speech? I suppose it could be, e.g.,
"She explained to him who I am."

But I believe it could be used in another way, as well, e.g.,
"I sometimes I am not so sure just who I [really] am."

Is this Reported Speech? I don't believe so, but perhaps I am wrong in this.

You might also say, "Who I am is none of your business." Now surely that is not Reported Speech!

So I guess the point is that you can only tell if you actually make it a full sentence.

Thanks for your info kfredson..I think Reported Speech is BrEnglish.
Can I use both of them as in this sentence:

Could you please tell me who am I because I don't know who I am?

Which one is the WH Question? Which one is Indirect/Reported Speech?

 

[kfredson]

Thanks for your info kfredson..I think Reported Speech is BrEnglish.
Can I use both of them as in this sentence:

Could you please tell me who am I because I don't know who I am?

Which one is the WH Question? Which one is Indirect/Reported Speech?

I believe you would normally say "who I am" in both instances here. That being the case, I would say that the first would be a case of Reported Speech. I am only using seat-of-the-pants logic rather than knowledge, however, so it would be good if others could clarify this for us.

 

[BobK]

Thanks for your info kfredson..I think Reported Speech is BrEnglish.
Can I use both of them as in this sentence:

Could you please tell me who am I because I don't know who I am?

Which one is the WH Question? Which one is Indirect/Reported Speech?

:down:;-)

I often ask myself 'Who am I?' because I don't really know who I am.

The first is Direct Speech (and so needs a capital W and quotation marks if you're writing). The second is reported/indirect - but thought rather than speech. You could make it speech by changing the words to some thing like '...because nobody can say who they are' or ''I've never been able to say who I am'.

b