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A boy was bothered about the disappearance of clouds. What do we say : The question that bothered the boy was where the clouds went.
or The question that bothered the boy was where had the clouds gone.

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  • What direct speech question did the boy ask? "Where do the clouds go?" → ... was where the clouds went. "Where have the clouds gone?" → ... was where the clouds had gone. Commented Jan 21, 2016 at 4:12

2 Answers 2

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The question that kept bothering the boy was where the clouds had gone.

Or:

The question bothering the boy was what had happened to the clouds.

A bit of clarification might be in order. Here goes:

"The question" here doesn't have to be an inquiry per se. As in, To be or not to be, that is the question.

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The question of where clouds go bothered the boy.

Sounds superior to your options and avoids passive voice.

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  • Neither of the options being asked about uses the passive voice. The question uses the passive voice only in describing situation described by the examples.
    – phoog
    Commented Jan 21, 2016 at 4:28
  • You're right, I kneejerked over the 'was'.
    – user156476
    Commented Jan 21, 2016 at 4:30
  • Hi, user156476. Welcome to EL&U. We are not sure whether we have to use went instead of go. Please take the tour and visit our help center for additional guidance.
    – user140086
    Commented Jan 21, 2016 at 4:40

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