Indirect Questions
What Is It?
Indirect Questions refers to questions embedded inside statements or polite question frames.
B1-B2 reference topic in Questions and Responses.
Why Use It?
- Sound more polite.
- Report questions or uncertainty.
- Use statement word order after the question word.
Formation and Patterns
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Wh indirect | Could you tell me + wh + S + V? | Could you tell me where the class is? |
| Yes/no indirect | Do you know if/whether + S + V? | Do you know if she is coming? |
| Statement | I wonder + wh/if + S + V | I wonder why it changed. |
Common Mistakes
- Using question order after the embedded question word.
- Adding do/does/did inside the embedded clause unnecessarily.
- Using a question mark after a statement such as I wonder.
Exceptions & Nuances
- The outer clause decides punctuation: a polite question takes a question mark.