Indirect question

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Indirect Questions

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Look at these sentences

1. Where does she live?
2. I want to know where she lives.
3. Can you tell me where she lives?

What is the difference?
? There is no does in sentences 2 and 3.
? They are indirect questions.
And sentence 1 is direct question.
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What is indirect question?

• A sentence that reports a question and ends with
  a period rather than a question mark.
• gtlt Direct question A sentence that asks a
  question and ends with a question mark.
• They demand a response, but they are expressed as
  declarations without the formal characteristics
  of a question. So, they have no inversion, no
  interrogative words, and no special intonation.

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Direct questions ? Indirect questions
Question with question word

• Question words
• Who Who is that man?
• Whom To whom did you talked to yesterday?
• Which Which does she like, milk or wine?
• What What have you finished?
• Where Where will Mary spend on holiday?
• When When did the children go to bed?
• How How could they do that?

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Direct questions ? Indirect questions

• Question with question word

What time did the train leave?
She wonders
what time
the train
leaved.
When will Susan arrive?
Could you tell me
when
Susan
will arrive?
Introductory phrase wh-word positive statement
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Direct questions ? indirect questions

• Question without question word

Are they in the garden?
if
Do you know
they are
in the garden?
whether
Did he break the vase?
if
Mom wants to know
the vase.
he broke
whether
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Direct questions ? indirect questions

• Question without question word

Do you like tea or coffee?
if
I cant remember
you like
tea or coffee.
whether
Introductory phrase whether/if positive
statement
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Direct questions ? indirect questions

• In general

wh-word if whether
Positive statement
Introductory phrase
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Direct questions ? indirect questions

• Asking for instruction

How can I start this machine?
Do you know how to start this machine?
How do you do this exercise?
Would you mind telling me how to do this exercise?
Use to infinitive
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Introductory phrase

• Could you tell me
• Do you know
• Do you happen to know
• Have you got any idea
• Do you remember
• Would you mind telling me

?
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Introductory phrase

• I dont know
• I wonder
• I cant remember
• I have no idea
• Id like to know
• Im not sure

.
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When do we use indirect question?

• Consider the following situation
• At a meeting you, are talking to a man that you
  have never met. However, you know his name and
  also that this man knows a colleague named Jack.
  You turn to him and ask Where is Jack?
• The man seems a little bothered and says he
  doesn't know. He isn't very friendly.

Why so?
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When do we use indirect question?

• To make the questions sound softer or more
  polite
• Did you use my pen?
• vs. Id like to know whether you used my pen.
• What does he want?
• vs. Would you mind telling me what he wants?
• Have you finish your work?
• vs. I wonder if you have finished your work.

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Role play

• Student A You are at the information desk of a
  hotel / an office block / a museum / etc. and
  want information about services, people,
  exhibitions, etc. Think of as many Indirect
  question as you can
• Student B You are a new receptionist and dont
  know any information
• Ex A Can you tell me where the toilet is?
• B Sorry, I dont know where it is.

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Suggestion

• You can ask about
• Where is the lift?
• How can I get to my room?
• Is there refrigerator in the room?
• Who is the manager here?
• When should I come back here?
• Which stamp should I buy?