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Grammar: Indirect Questions

Published 29/05/2015 In Blog

 

Function and Form

Indirect questions are used in English when you want to be polite, usually with people you do not know.

 

For example:

What is the time? (direct question to someone you know)

Can you tell me what the time is? (indirect question to someone you do not know and you want to be polite)

Indirect questions often begin with the following phrases:

Can you tell me ...

May I ask ...

Sorry, do you know...

Would you mind telling me ...

 

The auxiliary verb ‘do’ is not used in indirect questions and other auxiliaries like ‘have’ move. For example:

Direct question

Where do you live?

What did you watch at the cinema?

Where have you been?

Indirect question

Can you tell me where you live?

May I ask what you watched at the cinema?

Would you mind telling me where you have been?

 

 

 

Indirect questions with the verb ‘to be’

 

Questions that have the verb ‘to be’ do not have auxiliaries and in indirect questions it moves to the end. For example:

 

What is the time? = can you tell me what the time is?

When is Christmas? = Do you know when Christmas is?

What is the best city to visit in your country? = May I ask what the best city to visit in your country is?

Where is the best place to eat? = Would you mind telling me where the best place to eat is?

  

 

Using ‘if’ or ‘whether’ in indirect questions

Some direct questions are closed. This means they do not begin with a ‘wh’ question word and the answer to the question is either YES or NO. For example:

Do you like pizza?   YES or NO

Do you have a car? YES or NO

Have you studied English for long? YES or NO

To make these questions indirect, we use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ to introduce them and the auxiliary ‘do’ is deleted. For example:

Can you tell me if/whether you like pizza?

May I ask if/whether you have a car?

Would you mind telling me if/whether you have studied English for long?

 

Activity

Change the closed direct questions into indirect questions:

  1. Do you like football?
  2. Do you work?
  3. Do you live in a house or flat?
  4. Have you seen Titanic the movie?
  5. Have you ever been travelling?
  6. Is your house near your work?

 

TO CHECK ANSWERS TO ALL ACTIVITIES WATCH THE VIDEO!

 

Hopefully this grammar explanation will have helped you to understand how we form indirect questions, but if it isn't so don't hesitate to send me an email with your questions at info@keelyalgarlanguages.com 

 I will be more than happy to answer! 

 

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