Indirect Questions Exercises
Do more with this exercise
Keep statement word order inside the question
An indirect question puts a question inside an opening such as Could you tell me...? The embedded part has statement word order: question word + subject + verb. For yes/no questions, use if or whether.
- Question word:
- Direct: Where is the station? Indirect: Could you tell me where the station is?
- No do-support inside:
- Direct: Where does she live? Indirect: Do you know where she lives? Drop does and use lives.
- Yes/no question:
- Direct: Is the shop open? Indirect: Do you know if the shop is open? Use if or whether.
- Tense stays:
- Direct: When did they leave? Indirect: Could you tell me when they left? Keep the past meaning.
- Punctuation:
- Use a question mark if the whole sentence asks a question: Can you tell me where it is? Use a full stop in a statement: I know where it is.
Examples
Could you tell me where the bank is?
subject before verb inside the question
Do you know what time the train leaves?
no does in the embedded part
Can you tell me if the library is open?
if introduces a yes/no question
I wonder why she left early.
a statement with an embedded question
Could you tell me when they arrived?
past meaning remains past
Audio uses a synthetic voice.
Practice exercises
Choose the indirect question
Choose the version with correct word order in the embedded question.
1.Could you tell me ___?
2.Do you know ___?
3.Can you tell me ___?
4.I wonder ___ yesterday.
5.Could you tell me ___?
6.Do you know ___?
Complete the embedded question
Write the missing part with statement word order. Use every word in the hint.
Fix the indirect question
Replace the incorrect phrase with the correct embedded question. Keep the opening and punctuation.
13.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
14.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
15.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
16.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
17.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
18.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
Make questions sound natural and polite
A direct question is short: “Where is the bank?” In conversation, you may start more politely with “Could you tell me...?” The question inside that opening has the word order of a statement: “Could you tell me where the bank is?” The whole sentence still ends in a question mark because the speaker is asking for information.
With a yes/no question, there is no question word such as where or when. Add if or whether: “Can you tell me if the bank is open?” For questions with do, does or did, remove that helper from the embedded part and put the tense on the main verb: “Do you know where she lives?” or “Could you tell me when they left?”
Check the embedded part on its own. If it reads like a statement after the question word, its order is probably right. Keep the original time meaning, then check punctuation according to the whole sentence. “I wonder where she lives” is a statement, while “Do you know where she lives?” is a question.
Frequently asked questions
What is an indirect question?
It is a question embedded in a longer expression, often a polite opening: “Could you tell me where the station is?”
Why is it where the station is, not where is the station?
The embedded part follows statement word order: question word + subject + verb. Only the opening question uses question order.
How do I make an indirect yes/no question?
Use if or whether before the embedded statement: “Do you know if the shop is open?”
Do I keep did or does in the embedded part?
Usually no. Change “Where does she live?” to “Do you know where she lives?” and “When did they leave?” to “Do you know when they left?”
Answer key
1. Could you tell me ___?
Answer: where the station is
Inside an indirect question, put the subject before is.
2. Do you know ___?
Answer: what time the shop closes
Use statement word order and no does in the embedded part.
3. Can you tell me ___?
Answer: if the museum is open
A yes/no question takes if plus statement word order.
4. I wonder ___ yesterday.
Answer: why she left
The embedded part uses subject + past verb: she left.
5. Could you tell me ___?
Answer: when they arrived
Use statement order and keep the past meaning in arrived.
6. Do you know ___?
Answer: whether the bus will stop here
After whether, use subject + verb order.
7. Could you tell me ___?
Answer: where the station is
After where, put the subject before is.
8. Do you know ___?
Answer: what time the train leaves
Keep statement order and use leaves, without does.
9. Can you tell me ___?
Answer: if the shop is open
A yes/no question takes if + statement order.
10. I wonder ___ yesterday.
Answer: why she left
Put she before left; no did is needed.
11. Could you tell me ___?
Answer: when they arrived
The embedded part keeps subject + past verb order.
12. Do you know ___?
Answer: whether the bus stops here
Whether introduces the yes/no question; the bus stops has statement order.
13. Could you tell me where is the station?
Answer: Could you tell me where the station is?
Use subject before verb inside the question.
14. Do you know what time does the train leave?
Answer: Do you know what time the train leaves?
Drop does and put the verb after the subject.
15. Can you tell me is the library open?
Answer: Can you tell me if the library is open?
Use if or whether and statement order for a yes/no question.
16. I wonder why did she leave early.
Answer: I wonder why she left early.
A statement containing an indirect question uses subject + past verb.
17. Could you tell me when did they arrive?
Answer: Could you tell me when they arrived?
Keep the past meaning without did in the embedded part.
18. Do you know whether will the bus stop here?
Answer: Do you know whether the bus will stop here?
After whether, use subject before will.