Topic 16
Indirect Questions
A. Indirect Questions -------------- If / Whether
When a Direct Question gives ‘Yes/No’
answer, you have to use the subordinating
conjunction ‘if / whether’ to introduce
the Indirect Question.
[S] V ……if / whether [S]
V…………………………………………………………………
Examples:
1. Paul asked, “Are [you] ready to start
now, children?”
Paul asked the children if/ whether [they] were ready to start then.
2. “Do you write in English every day? ” Hudson asked
Hudson
asked me if [I] write in English every day.
Hudson
asked me if [I] wrote in English every day.
3. Joan asked, “Does Maria feed her pet every
morning?”
Joan asked Tommy if [Maria] feeds
her pet every morning.
Joan asked Tommy if [Maria] fed
her pet every morning.
4. Luke asked Lucy, “Have you decided to go to
the picnic next Sunday?”
Luke asked Lucy whether [she] has
decided to go to the picnic next Sunday.
Luke asked Lucy whether [she] had
decided to go to the picnic the following
Sunday.
5. Becky asked her mother, “Will the train come
in time?”
Becky asked her mother whether [the train] would come in time.
6. Yalee asked, “Can [Ali] swim
very well?”
Yalee wanted to know if [Ali] could swim very well.
You may use such introductory verbs:
I wonder if/whether[S] V……………………………………………………………….
Jane wants/wanted to know if/whether [S]
V…………………………………..
Do
[you] know if/whether [S] V ……………………………………………………..?
Could [you] tell me if / whether [S] V ……………………………………………….?
B. Indirect Questions ----------- Question-Words
Question-Words
-----
What / Where / When / Who / Whose / Whom / Which / Why / How
The Direct Question that begins with a
Question-word will have the Question word
to introduce the Indirect Question.
Examples:
Whether you have to change the tense or not depends on
the action that you are reporting to be in the present / past.
1. James asked, “What does Rita do on Sunday?”
James was curious what
[Rita] does /did on Sunday.
2. Peter asked, “Where does May live?”
Peter wanted to know where [Mary] lives/lived.
3. Hassan asked, “When are you going to start?”
Hassan asked us when [we] are /
were going to start.
--------
4. My mother asked, “Who is that girl?”
My mother wondered who
[that girl] is/was.
5. “Whose hand-phone is this? ” Tina asked.
Tina wanted to know whose hand-phone this
is / that was.
6. Jean asked, “Whom will you go with?”
Jean didn’t know whom [her sister] will/would
go with.
7. “Which house belongs to Mr Huang?” Thomas asked.
Thomas was curious to know which house
belongs/ belonged to Mr Huang.
8. “Why is the little girl crying?” Alice
asked.
Alice
was anxious to know why [the little girl] is / was
crying.
9. “How do you go to school every day?” Luke asked.
Luke wanted to know how [I] go / went to school every day.
The word order of the subject and the verb in the
indirect question is just like that of a statement.
If the introductory verb is in the Present Tenses / Future Tenses, the tense in the Indirect
Statement /Question remains the same as that in the Direct Statement / Question.
1. Who is that man?
Please find out who [that man] is.
2. When did man first exist on the earth?
Nobody knows exactly when [man] first existed on the earth.
3. Why didn’t he come for the meeting yesterday?
Kelly will let you know why [he] didn’t come for the meeting yesterday.
4. Has Mary been to Japan?
I am curious whether [Mary] has
been to Japan.
5. Are they going to Singapore for a holiday this
December?
Have they decided if [they] are going
to Singapore
for a holiday this December?
Notes: To report somebody’s speech about something
in the past
Direct
Speech Indirect
Speech
F3 had F4
was/were F2 had
been F2
1. Did you come early this morning?
The teacher asked Timothy if he had
come early that morning.
(The teacher is asking Timothy if
he came early this morning.)
2. What were the children doing here yesterday?
Mrs Wong wanted to know what the
children had been doing there the day before.
( Mrs Wong wants to know what the
children were doing here yesterday.)
No comments:
Post a Comment