Hi Mike,


this is a reported speech and not a question.

the direct sentence is.... He said to the captain ' Are in these seas any negro countries?'--> ( Yes & No ) type of questions.

in reported speech we do a tense back shift, which means
Present simple --> Past Simple
Past simple --> Past Perfect
Present perfect --> Past perfect

so in our case ARE was changed to WERE

besides in your sentences there is IF , we use IF in case we are dealing with a ( Yes & No ) question and we can use as well ( weather ).

Thanks,
Amr

These ones are not gerund phrases; they are participial verb phrases:

1. When he entered the room his teachers sat waiting for him.

2. He spent nearly an hour getting dressed.

4. The farmer was sitting in the neighborhood bar getting drunk.

This one is different:

3. He asked the captain if in these seas there were any negro countries.

The underlined sequence is a subordinate interrogative clause. It means:

"He asked the captain the answer to the question, 'Were there any negro countries in these seas'"



PaulM