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fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M14.234 10.162L22.977 0h-2.072l-7.591 8.824L7.251 0H.258l9.168 13.343L.258 24H2.33l8.016-9.318L16.749 24h6.993zm-2.837 3.299l-.929-1.329L3.076 1.56h3.182l5.965 8.532l.929 1.329l7.754 11.09h-3.182z\"\u002F>",{"id":47,"title":48,"author":49,"body":50,"cefrLevel":841,"date":49,"description":842,"exercises":843,"extension":937,"faqs":938,"gcseTier":49,"intro":49,"language":951,"lastUpdated":49,"meta":952,"navigation":953,"path":954,"seo":955,"stem":956,"verbSlugs":49,"__hash__":957},"pages\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Findirect-questions.md","Indirect questions in English: Could you tell me where the station is, and the word order that goes with it",null,{"type":51,"value":52,"toc":828},"minimark",[53,61,67,70,75,87,100,103,108,222,237,241,253,296,306,310,319,353,363,378,427,430,434,437,541,551,562,566,569,594,603,607,613,639,645,649,652,675,696,703,707,710,787,791,794,811,820],[54,55,56,60],"p",{},[57,58,59],"em",{},"Where is the station?"," is a perfectly good English sentence. Nothing is wrong\nwith it. It is grammatical, it is clear, and if you say it to a stranger on a\nplatform you will get an answer.",[54,62,63,66],{},[57,64,65],{},"Could you tell me where the station is?"," gets you the same answer and makes\nyou sound like you have been in the country a while.",[54,68,69],{},"That is the whole value of this structure, and it is worth being honest about\nit up front: an indirect question is not more correct than a direct one. It is\nsofter. It buys a second of distance between you and the person you are\ninterrupting. Knowing how to build one is easy; knowing when the extra softness\nis worth the extra words is the actual skill, and native speakers deploy it\nconstantly without thinking about it.",[71,72,74],"h2",{"id":73},"what-changes-exactly","What changes, exactly",[54,76,77,78,82,83,86],{},"An indirect question has two parts: an ",[79,80,81],"strong",{},"opener"," that carries the politeness,\nand the ",[79,84,85],{},"question clause"," that carries the information you want.",[88,89,90],"blockquote",{},[54,91,92,95,96,99],{},[79,93,94],{},"Could you tell me"," | ",[79,97,98],{},"where the station is","?",[54,101,102],{},"The opener is the part that is genuinely a question. The clause after it is no\nlonger a question at all: it has been demoted to an object of the opener, and\nobjects take statement word order. So one thing changes, and everything else\nfollows from it.",[54,104,105],{},[79,106,107],{},"The subject goes back in front of the verb.",[109,110,111,124],"table",{},[112,113,114],"thead",{},[115,116,117,121],"tr",{},[118,119,120],"th",{},"Direct question",[118,122,123],{},"Indirect question",[125,126,127,147,165,184,204],"tbody",{},[115,128,129,139],{},[130,131,132],"td",{},[57,133,134,135,138],{},"Where ",[79,136,137],{},"is"," the station?",[130,140,141],{},[57,142,143,144,99],{},"Could you tell me where ",[79,145,146],{},"the station is",[115,148,149,157],{},[130,150,151],{},[57,152,153,154,156],{},"What ",[79,155,137],{}," your name?",[130,158,159],{},[57,160,161,162,99],{},"Could you tell me what ",[79,163,164],{},"your name is",[115,166,167,176],{},[130,168,169],{},[57,170,171,172,175],{},"When ",[79,173,174],{},"does"," it start?",[130,177,178],{},[57,179,180,181,99],{},"Do you know when ",[79,182,183],{},"it starts",[115,185,186,195],{},[130,187,188],{},[57,189,190,191,194],{},"Why ",[79,192,193],{},"did"," he leave?",[130,196,197],{},[57,198,199,200,203],{},"I wonder why ",[79,201,202],{},"he left",".",[115,205,206,214],{},[130,207,208],{},[57,209,210,211,213],{},"How much ",[79,212,174],{}," it cost?",[130,215,216],{},[57,217,218,219,99],{},"Can you tell me how much ",[79,220,221],{},"it costs",[54,223,224,225,228,229,231,232,231,234,236],{},"Read the right-hand column and notice how ordinary it looks. ",[57,226,227],{},"The station is",",\n",[57,230,164],{},", ",[57,233,183],{},[57,235,202],{},". That is exactly how you would say them\nin a plain statement, because grammatically that is what they now are.",[71,238,240],{"id":239},"do-does-and-did-vanish","Do, does and did vanish",[54,242,243,244,231,247,249,250,252],{},"This is the half of the rule learners forget. In a direct question with an\nordinary verb, English inserts ",[57,245,246],{},"do",[57,248,174],{}," or ",[57,251,193],{}," to carry the tense and the\ninversion. Once the inversion is gone, that auxiliary has no job left, so it\ngoes, and the tense moves back onto the main verb.",[254,255,256,270,283],"ul",{},[257,258,259,263,264],"li",{},[57,260,171,261,175],{},[79,262,174],{}," becomes ",[57,265,266,267,99],{},"Do you know when it ",[79,268,269],{},"starts",[257,271,272,263,277],{},[57,273,134,274,276],{},[79,275,193],{}," you park?",[57,278,279,280,99],{},"Could you tell me where you ",[79,281,282],{},"parked",[257,284,285,263,290],{},[57,286,153,287,289],{},[79,288,246],{}," they want?",[57,291,292,293,203],{},"I have no idea what they ",[79,294,295],{},"want",[54,297,298,299,301,302,305],{},"Leaving the ",[57,300,246],{}," in is the tell: ",[57,303,304],{},"Do you know when does it start?"," is a\nsentence with two questions bolted together, and it is the most recognisable\nerror in this whole topic.",[71,307,309],{"id":308},"yesno-questions-need-if-or-whether","Yes\u002Fno questions need if or whether",[54,311,312,313,249,316,203],{},"A direct question that starts with a verb has no question word to hang the\nclause on, so you supply one: ",[79,314,315],{},"if",[79,317,318],{},"whether",[254,320,321,332,343],{},[257,322,323,263,326],{},[57,324,325],{},"Is she ready?",[57,327,328,329,331],{},"Do you know ",[79,330,315],{}," she is ready?",[257,333,334,263,337],{},[57,335,336],{},"Did you post it?",[57,338,339,340,342],{},"Could you tell me ",[79,341,318],{}," you posted it?",[257,344,345,263,348],{},[57,346,347],{},"Does the bus stop here?",[57,349,328,350,352],{},[79,351,315],{}," the bus stops here?",[54,354,355,356,359,360,203],{},"The word order rule is unchanged: ",[57,357,358],{},"if she is",", not ",[57,361,362],{},"if is she",[54,364,365,368,369,371,372,374,375,377],{},[57,366,367],{},"If"," and ",[57,370,318],{}," are interchangeable most of the time, and in speech ",[57,373,315],{}," is\nfar more common. Four places prefer ",[57,376,318],{},":",[254,379,380,399,408,417],{},[257,381,382,383,386,387,390,391,394,395,398],{},"before ",[79,384,385],{},"or not",": ",[57,388,389],{},"whether or not it rains"," (you can also say ",[57,392,393],{},"if it rains\nor not",", but not ",[57,396,397],{},"if or not it rains",")",[257,400,401,402,386,405],{},"before a ",[79,403,404],{},"to-infinitive",[57,406,407],{},"I cannot decide whether to go",[257,409,410,411,386,414],{},"straight after a ",[79,412,413],{},"preposition",[57,415,416],{},"it depends on whether they agree",[257,418,419,420,423,424],{},"as a ",[79,421,422],{},"subject"," clause or in formal writing: ",[57,425,426],{},"Whether he knew is another\nquestion.",[54,428,429],{},"Everywhere else, use whichever you prefer.",[71,431,433],{"id":432},"the-openers-and-how-much-softening-each-one-buys","The openers, and how much softening each one buys",[54,435,436],{},"The opener does the politeness work, so choosing it is choosing a register.",[109,438,439,449],{},[112,440,441],{},[115,442,443,446],{},[118,444,445],{},"Opener",[118,447,448],{},"Feel",[125,450,451,461,471,481,491,501,511,521,531],{},[115,452,453,458],{},[130,454,455],{},[57,456,457],{},"Do you know ...?",[130,459,460],{},"neutral, everyday",[115,462,463,468],{},[130,464,465],{},[57,466,467],{},"Could you tell me ...?",[130,469,470],{},"polite, the safe default with a stranger",[115,472,473,478],{},[130,474,475],{},[57,476,477],{},"Can you tell me ...?",[130,479,480],{},"slightly more casual",[115,482,483,488],{},[130,484,485],{},[57,486,487],{},"Would you mind telling me ...?",[130,489,490],{},"very polite, faintly formal",[115,492,493,498],{},[130,494,495],{},[57,496,497],{},"I wonder if you could tell me ...?",[130,499,500],{},"very polite, a little old-fashioned",[115,502,503,508],{},[130,504,505],{},[57,506,507],{},"Have you any idea ...?",[130,509,510],{},"informal, often mildly exasperated",[115,512,513,518],{},[130,514,515],{},[57,516,517],{},"I would like to know ...",[130,519,520],{},"firm, sometimes a complaint",[115,522,523,528],{},[130,524,525],{},[57,526,527],{},"I wonder ...",[130,529,530],{},"thinking aloud, not addressed to anyone",[115,532,533,538],{},[130,534,535],{},[57,536,537],{},"I have no idea ...",[130,539,540],{},"a statement, not a request",[54,542,543,544,368,547,550],{},"Note the bottom of that table. Not every indirect question is a request.\n",[57,545,546],{},"I wonder where she went",[57,548,549],{},"I have no idea what he meant"," contain embedded\nquestions with the same word order, but they are statements about you. The\ngrammar is identical; the social act is not.",[54,552,553,554,557,558,561],{},"Two of these carry a warning. ",[57,555,556],{},"I would like to know why nobody told me"," is\ngrammatically a polite frame around a question and is, in practice, a\ncomplaint. And a rising, drawn-out ",[57,559,560],{},"Have you any idea what time it is?"," is not\na request for the time. Softening machinery can be used sarcastically, and\nEnglish speakers do it often.",[71,563,565],{"id":564},"punctuation-question-mark-or-full-stop","Punctuation: question mark or full stop",[54,567,568],{},"Look at the opener, not at the embedded clause.",[254,570,571,577,583,589],{},[257,572,573,576],{},[57,574,575],{},"Could you tell me where she lives**?**"," The opener is a question, so the\nsentence is a question.",[257,578,579,582],{},[57,580,581],{},"Do you know if the shop is open**?**"," Same.",[257,584,585,588],{},[57,586,587],{},"I wonder where she lives**.**"," The opener is a statement, so the sentence\nis a statement.",[257,590,591,582],{},[57,592,593],{},"I have no idea what he wants**.**",[54,595,596,597,599,600,203],{},"A question buried inside a statement does not make the statement a question. If\nyou are punctuating ",[57,598,527],{}," with a question mark, you have been misled by\nthe word ",[57,601,602],{},"wonder",[71,604,606],{"id":605},"when-nothing-changes-at-all","When nothing changes at all",[54,608,609,610,612],{},"If the question word is already the ",[79,611,422],{}," of the clause, there is no\ninversion in the direct question either, so there is nothing to undo:",[254,614,615,623,631],{},[257,616,617,263,620],{},[57,618,619],{},"Who called?",[57,621,622],{},"Do you know who called?",[257,624,625,263,628],{},[57,626,627],{},"What happened?",[57,629,630],{},"Could you tell me what happened?",[257,632,633,263,636],{},[57,634,635],{},"Which train goes to York?",[57,637,638],{},"Do you know which train goes to York?",[54,640,641,642,644],{},"Learners often \"fix\" these by adding a ",[57,643,193],{}," that was never there. Resist it.\nThe test is simple: if the direct question already reads as a statement, leave\nit alone.",[71,646,648],{"id":647},"indirect-questions-are-not-reported-speech","Indirect questions are not reported speech",[54,650,651],{},"They look similar and they are often taught together, so keep the difference\nstraight.",[254,653,654,665],{},[257,655,656,657,660,661,664],{},"An ",[79,658,659],{},"indirect question"," is a question you are asking, now, wrapped in a\npolite frame: ",[57,662,663],{},"Could you tell me where he lives?"," The tense stays exactly as\nit would be in the direct question, because nothing has moved into the past.",[257,666,667,670,671,674],{},[79,668,669],{},"Reported speech"," is you telling a third person what somebody else asked\nearlier: ",[57,672,673],{},"She asked where he lived."," The reporting verb is in the past, so\nthe tense inside backshifts.",[54,676,677,678,249,680,682,683,687,688,691,692,695],{},"Both use statement word order and both use ",[57,679,315],{},[57,681,318],{}," for yes\u002Fno\nquestions, which is why they get confused. The tense is what separates them.\n",[684,685,669],"a",{"href":686},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Freported-speech"," covers the backshift in\nfull; if you find yourself changing ",[57,689,690],{},"lives"," to ",[57,693,694],{},"lived"," in a question you are\nasking right now, you are on the wrong page.",[54,697,698,699,203],{},"For the wider pattern of when English inverts and when it does not, see\n",[684,700,702],{"href":701},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Finversion-and-word-order","inversion and word order",[71,704,706],{"id":705},"common-mistakes","Common mistakes",[54,708,709],{},"Ranked by how often they actually appear.",[711,712,713,726,738,750,759,775],"ol",{},[257,714,715,718,719,722,723,725],{},[79,716,717],{},"Keeping question word order."," ",[57,720,721],{},"Could you tell me where is the station?","\nshould be ",[57,724,98],{},". This one error accounts for most indirect\nquestions that sound wrong.",[257,727,728,718,731,733,734,737],{},[79,729,730],{},"Keeping do, does or did.",[57,732,304],{}," should be\n",[57,735,736],{},"when it starts",". The tense goes onto the main verb.",[257,739,740,718,743,746,747],{},[79,741,742],{},"Dropping if or whether from a yes\u002Fno question.",[57,744,745],{},"Do you know she is\nready?"," means something completely different. You need ",[57,748,749],{},"Do you know if she\nis ready?",[257,751,752,718,755,758],{},[79,753,754],{},"A question mark after I wonder.",[57,756,757],{},"I wonder where he is?"," should end with\na full stop. The opener is a statement.",[257,760,761,718,764,767,768,771,772,203],{},[79,762,763],{},"If or not.",[57,765,766],{},"I do not know if or not he is coming"," is wrong. Use ",[57,769,770],{},"whether\nor not he is coming",", or move it: ",[57,773,774],{},"if he is coming or not",[257,776,777,718,780,783,784,203],{},[79,778,779],{},"Backshifting when you should not.",[57,781,782],{},"Could you tell me where he lived?","\nasks where he used to live. If he still lives there, it is ",[57,785,786],{},"where he lives",[71,788,790],{"id":789},"practice","Practice",[54,792,793],{},"Rewrite each direct question as an indirect one, starting with the words given.\nAnswers are below.",[711,795,796,799,802,805,808],{},[257,797,798],{},"Where is the post office? (Could you tell me ...)",[257,800,801],{},"What time does the film start? (Do you know ...)",[257,803,804],{},"Is this seat free? (Could you tell me ...)",[257,806,807],{},"Why did she leave early? (I wonder ...)",[257,809,810],{},"How much do these cost? (Do you know ...)",[54,812,813,816,817,819],{},[79,814,815],{},"Answers:"," 1. Could you tell me where the post office is? 2. Do you know what\ntime the film starts? 3. Could you tell me if this seat is free? (or ",[57,818,318],{},") 4. I wonder why she left early. (full stop, not a question mark) 5. Do you know\nhow much these cost?",[54,821,822,823,827],{},"If you want the other tool English uses to soften a question, the page on\n",[684,824,826],{"href":825},"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Fquestion-tags","question tags"," covers the short tag on the end\nof a statement that turns a claim into an invitation to agree.",{"title":829,"searchDepth":830,"depth":830,"links":831},"",2,[832,833,834,835,836,837,838,839,840],{"id":73,"depth":830,"text":74},{"id":239,"depth":830,"text":240},{"id":308,"depth":830,"text":309},{"id":432,"depth":830,"text":433},{"id":564,"depth":830,"text":565},{"id":605,"depth":830,"text":606},{"id":647,"depth":830,"text":648},{"id":705,"depth":830,"text":706},{"id":789,"depth":830,"text":790},"B1-B2","How indirect questions work in English: the word-order flip after Could you tell me and Do you know, why do and did disappear, when to use if or whether, and why the punctuation changes.",[844,886,913],{"type":845,"instructions":846,"items":847},"which-one","Choose the correct word order for each indirect question.",[848,852,857,862,866,871,876,881],{"prompt":849,"answer":146,"options":850},"Could you tell me where ___?",[146,851],"is the station",{"prompt":853,"answer":854,"options":855},"Do you know what time ___?","the shop opens",[854,856],"does the shop open",{"prompt":858,"answer":859,"options":860},"I wonder why ___ so late.","he came",[859,861],"did he come",{"prompt":863,"answer":221,"options":864},"Can you tell me how much ___?",[221,865],"does it cost",{"prompt":867,"answer":868,"options":869},"Do you know if ___ ready?","she is",[868,870],"is she",{"prompt":872,"answer":873,"options":874},"I would like to know when ___.","the train leaves",[873,875],"does the train leave",{"prompt":877,"answer":878,"options":879},"Could you tell me where ___ a ticket?","I can buy",[878,880],"can I buy",{"prompt":882,"answer":883,"options":884},"Do you remember what ___?","he said",[883,885],"did he say",{"type":887,"instructions":888,"items":889},"fill-blank","Write the missing joining word in each indirect question.",[890,893,896,899,902,905,908,910],{"prompt":891,"answer":892},"Could you tell me ___ the bank is?","where",{"prompt":894,"answer":895},"Do you know ___ time the meeting starts?","what",{"prompt":897,"answer":898},"Can you tell me ___ much this costs?","how",{"prompt":900,"answer":901},"I wonder ___ she said that.","why",{"prompt":903,"answer":904},"Do you know ___ that man is?","who",{"prompt":906,"answer":907},"Could you tell me ___ the next train leaves?","when",{"prompt":909,"answer":318},"I do not know ___ he will come or not.",{"prompt":911,"answer":315,"hint":912},"Do you know ___ the shop is open today?","a yes\u002Fno question, in speech",{"type":914,"instructions":915,"pairs":916},"match","Match each direct question to its indirect version.",[917,918,921,923,926,929,932,934],{"left":59,"right":65},{"left":919,"right":920},"What time does it open?","Do you know what time it opens?",{"left":325,"right":922},"Do you know if she is ready?",{"left":924,"right":925},"Why did he leave?","I wonder why he left.",{"left":927,"right":928},"How much is it?","Could you tell me how much it is?",{"left":930,"right":931},"Who is that?","Do you know who that is?",{"left":347,"right":933},"Do you know if the bus stops here?",{"left":935,"right":936},"Where can I buy a ticket?","Could you tell me where I can buy a ticket?","md",[939,942,945,948],{"q":940,"a":941},"What is an indirect question?","An indirect question is a question wrapped inside a polite opener: Could you tell me where the station is? instead of Where is the station? The information you want is identical. What changes is that the question itself becomes a clause inside the sentence, so it takes statement word order rather than question word order.",{"q":943,"a":944},"Why is it where the station is and not where is the station?","Because only one question can be a question in a sentence, and in an indirect question that job belongs to the opener. Could you tell me is already inverted, so the clause after it goes back to normal subject-then-verb order: where the station is. Inverting twice is the single most common error learners make with this structure.",{"q":946,"a":947},"When do you use if and when do you use whether?","Both join a yes\u002Fno question to the opener and in most sentences they are interchangeable: I do not know if he is coming and I do not know whether he is coming. Prefer whether before or not (whether or not it rains), before a to-infinitive (whether to go), directly after a preposition (the question of whether to stay), and in formal writing. Use if freely everywhere else in speech.",{"q":949,"a":950},"Does an indirect question end with a question mark?","Only if the opener is itself a question. Could you tell me where she lives? takes a question mark because Could you tell me is a question. I wonder where she lives and I do not know where she lives are statements about your own state of mind, so they end with a full stop, even though a question is buried inside them.","english",{},true,"\u002Fenglish\u002Fgrammar\u002Findirect-questions",{"title":48,"description":842},"english\u002Fgrammar\u002Findirect-questions","mVgyyj5h_pZnL3V7I0lgKg0TUlCjKOFgvfZby29LLgE",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":959},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M13 21h8M15 5l4 4m2.174-2.188a1 1 0 0 0-3.986-3.987L3.842 16.174a2 2 0 0 0-.5.83l-1.321 4.352a.5.5 0 0 0 .623.622l4.353-1.32a2 2 0 0 0 .83-.497z\"\u002F>",{"left":4,"top":4,"width":5,"height":5,"rotate":4,"vFlip":6,"hFlip":6,"body":961},"\u003Cpath fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M11 4.702a.705.705 0 0 0-1.203-.498L6.413 7.587A1.4 1.4 0 0 1 5.416 8H3a1 1 0 0 0-1 1v6a1 1 0 0 0 1 1h2.416a1.4 1.4 0 0 1 .997.413l3.383 3.384A.705.705 0 0 0 11 19.298zM16 9a5 5 0 0 1 0 6m3.364 3.364a9 9 0 0 0 0-12.728\"\u002F>"]