Indirect questions can be confusing, so I decided to go over them with you guys.
We use question marks when the first part of the sentence is a question. Have you any idea what time he’s coming?
When there is no question word (who, what, where, etc), we use if/whether. I’d like to know whether you agree.
Use
We use indirect questions in more formal situations and to be more polite. We can also use indirect questions to ask a big favor from someone we know well.
Dad, I was wondering if I could take the car tonight.
Form
I’d like to know why you came.
I wonder what you prefer.
Do you know whether they won?
Could/can you tell me what the problem is?
In the second part of these sentences, we do not put the verb before the subject.
I wonder if you could tell us what you thought of the show.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Use between two and five words.
- How long did it take to figure out where your hotel was? TOOK
Can you tell me how __________________ to figure out where your hotel was?
2. Why did you decide to give the picture away? WHY
Can I ask _________________ the picture away?
3. Was she talking to her parents? WHETHER
I’d like to _______________________ to a friend.