mercredi 17 décembre 2014

Top Tips Grammar: Indirect questions

Main points

*You use indirect questions to ask for information or help.
*In indirect questions, the subject of the question comes before the verb.
*You can use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ in indirect questions.

 

a) When you ask someone for information, you can use an indirect question beginning with a phrase such as ‘Could you tell me...’ or ‘Do you know...’.

- Could you tell me how far it is to the bank?
- Do you know where Jane is?

 

b) When you want to ask someone politely to do something, you can use an indirect question after ‘I wonder’.

- I wonder if you can help me.

You also use ‘I wonder’ followed by an indirect question to indicate what you are thinking about.

- I wonder what she’ll look like.
- I wonder which hotel it was.

 

c) In indirect questions, the subject of the question comes before the verb, just as it does in affirmative sentences.

- Do you know where Jane is?
- I wonder if you can help me.
- She asked me why I was late.

 

d) You do not normally use the auxiliary ‘do’ in indirect questions.

- Can you remember when they open on Sundays?
- I wonder what he feels about it.

The auxiliary ‘do’ can be used in indirect questions, but only for emphasis, or to make a contrast with something that has already been said. It is not put before the subject as in direct questions.

- I wonder if he does do anything.

 

e) You use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ to introduce indirect questions.

- I wonder if you’ give the children a bath?
- I’m writing to ask whether you would care to come and visit us.

‘Whether’ is used especially when there is a choice of possibilities.

- I wonder whether it is the police or just a neighbor.
- I wonder whether that’s good for him or not.

Note that you can put ‘or not’ immediately after ‘whether’ but not immediately after ‘if’.

- I wonder whether or not were are so different from our ancestors.

 

 

 

 

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Top Tips Abz Ingles: Part A    -    Part B
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See also:

Words related to Failure to Cooperate Irregular Verbs list
Common Phrasal Verbs Common Slangs
Common misspellings Regular vs Irregular Verbs
Common Errors Frequently confused words
Common Slangs Lista de Términos Gramaticales
Common Clichés Common Prepositions

 

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