Questions 2

Embedded Questions: Do you know where …?

Compare a direct question with an embedded one:

Direct question	Embedded question
Where has Tom gone?	Do you know where Tom has gone?
What time is it?	Do you know what time it is?
Where can I find the project files?	Can you tell me where I can find the project files?
How much will it cost?	Do you have any idea how much it will cost?

When a question is part of a longer sentence (Do you know …? / I don’t know … / Can you tell me …?), the word order changes. The subject comes before the verb, just like a normal statement.

• Who are those people? → I don’t know who those people are. (not who are those people)
• Where can I find Louise? → Can you tell me where I can find Louise?

Be Careful with Do / Does / Did

In a direct question you use do/does/did before the subject. In an embedded question, you drop it and use normal word order.

Direct question	Embedded question
What time does the meeting start?	Do you know what time the meeting starts?
What do you mean?	Please explain what you mean.
Why did she leave early?	I wonder why she left early.

Notice that does and did disappear, and the verb takes its normal form: starts (not does start), left (not did leave).

If / Whether (Yes/No Embedded Questions)

When there is no question word (what, why, where, etc.), use if or whether.

• Did anybody see the error? → I don’t know if anybody saw the error.
• Is the report ready? → Could you check whether the report is ready?

Both if and whether work the same way here.

Reported Questions: He asked me where …

The same word-order change happens when you report a question someone asked.

Direct speech	Reported speech
“Where are you going?”	She asked us where we were going.
“What time do the shops close?”	She wanted to know what time the shops closed.

In reported speech, the verb usually shifts to the past (are → were, close → closed).

Reported Yes/No Questions: She asked if …

When you report a yes/no question, use if or whether — just like embedded questions.

Imagine a job interview. The interviewer asked:

• Are you willing to relocate?
• What do you do in your spare time?
• How long have you been working at your current company?
• Why did you apply for this position?
• Can you speak any other languages?
• Do you have a driving licence?

Later you tell a colleague what happened:

• She asked if I was willing to relocate.
• She wanted to know what I did in my spare time.
• She asked how long I had been working at my current company.
• She asked why I had applied for the position.
• She wanted to know if I could speak any other languages.
• She asked whether I had a driving licence.

Quick Self-Check