Examples of direct and indirect questions. Indirect questions in English

It is no secret that many students indirect questions in English cause some difficulty. But, as folk wisdom says: It's as easy as ABC. In this article, we will try to figure out what an indirect question is, how it differs from a direct question and how to build it.

I hope you have already familiarized yourself with the rules for constructing direct questions ( direct questions) of various types: general, alternative, special and divisive (or, as they are also commonly called - goosebumps - dissected). If not, then follow the link to the page and study this topic. This is very important, because you have to take the exam in English! On the exam in the section Letter Task 39 You will be asked to write a personal letter to a hypothetical pen-friend and ask him three questions. You will also need to formulate questions in The oral part of the exam, in Task 2. The condition strictly stipulates that these should be direct questions.

Imagine the following situation: Sally really likes a new student from the 10th grade, but she doesn't know anything about him yet. Let's look at the following pairs of questions:

What is his name? - What's his name? (This direct question special type, begins with the interrogative word “what”, followed by the verb and then the subject, i.e. word order back)
I wonder what his name is. – I wonder what his name is? (This indirect question, in which the word “what” is followed by the subject, and then the verb, that is, the word order straight)

Another example:

Where does he live? - Where does he live? (This direct question, word order back: auxiliary verb does, subject he). "The Naked Question"
Could you tell me where he lives? – Tell me, please, where does he live? (this is an indirect question that is introduced by the polite phrase “could you tell me”, and therefore the word order straight: where he lives) "Question within a question"

Unfortunately, none of Sally's classmates knew anything about the new student. And suddenly she saw him in the garden of her neighbor Nick, a passionate fan of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana. They sat under a maple tree and played guitars. In the evening, Sally pounced on Nick with questions:

Does he like rock music? Does he like rock music? ( direct question, word order is reversed: auxiliary verb does, subject he) “Naked question”
Nick, would you mind telling me if he likes rock music? – Nick, could you tell me if you like it? whether him rock music? ( indirect question word order straight: he likes. Pay attention to the meaning of the word if. In an indirect question, it translates as "LI" not "if".) "Question within a question"
how long has he beenplaying the guitar? (direct question)
Do you know how long hehasbeenplaying the guitar? (indirect question)

Having satisfied her curiosity and having received answers to all her questions, Sally went home. Nick suggested that she spend the weekend in the company of rock lovers, where Greg would be present (that, it turns out, was the name of the boy Sally liked).

So let's sum it up:

1) AT direct questions("naked question") - word order back:

how long have you been studying French?

2) AT indirect matters("question within a question") - word order straight:

Could you tell me how long you have been studying French?

3) Two tenses (Present Simple and Past Simple) in direct questions have auxiliary verbs Why do do you like studying french? and When did you start learning it?, and in indirect questions do, did, did not used: I wonder why you like studying French./Can you tell me when you started learning it?

4) If the question can be answered yes or no (that is, a direct question is a question of a general type), then in an indirect question you need to use the word if= li: Would you mind telling me if do you like studying french?

5) Indirect questions are introduced by the phrases:

Could you tell me... /Can you tell me...
Would you mind telling me...
I wonder...
I wonder if you could tell me...
Do you know...
Do you happen to know...
I want to know...
I don't know
I can't remember...
I have no idea...

In order to better remember the structure of indirect questions, do the following exercise:

Make a new sentence from a question in brackets.

1. (Where has Tom gone?)

2. (Where is the post office?) - Could you tel me where ...

3. (What "s the time?) - I wonder what ...

4. (What does this word mean?) - I want to know what ...

5. (When did they leave?) - Do you know when...

6. (Is Sue going out tonight?) - I don't know if...

7. (Where does Caroline live?) - Do you have any idea where...

8. (Where did I park the car?) - I can "t remember where ...

9. (How far is it to the airport?) - Can you tell me how...

10. (Who is that girl?) - I have no idea who ...

Indirect questions in English

Indirect questions are indirect or indirect questions.

There are different types of indirect questions, but here we will look at those whose main task is to make the question more polite and less direct.

Indirect questions are quite common in English. Well, still, the British - and indeed the entire Western culture, for that matter - are known for their unobtrusiveness. This is reflected in the language.

So, indirect questions in English are needed to:

make the question more polite
ask a personal question without sounding rude
ask a question in an unobtrusive manner

Indirect questions: rules

We have decided on the use of indirect questions. Let's analyze the rules of indirect questions and typical clichés.

For general issues(yes/no, for example, Do you speak French?) the rule is:

direct questions	indirect questions
	Introductory phrase	+	if / whether	+	statement
Are they coming to the party?	Do you know...				are they coming to the party?
Can you help me?	I was wondering...				you can help me.
Does he work here?	Can I ask (you)...				he works here?
Does this train go to London?	Can you tell me...		if / whether		this train goes to London?
Have you ever been in love?	I'd like to know...				you have ever been in love.
Are you from Russia?	I'd be interested to know...				you are from Russia.
Does she earn a lot of money?	Do you mind me asking...				she earns a lot of money?
Did you go to the party last Friday?	Would you mind telling me...				you went to the party last Friday?

For specific issues(with a question word, for example, When will it be over?) the rule is:

direct questions	indirect questions
	Introductory phrase	+	question word	+	statement
When will it be over?	Do you know...		when		will it be over?
How much does he earn?	I was wondering...		how much		he earns.
Where did you buy this bag?	Can I ask (you)...		where		did you buy this bag?
how long have you lived here?	Can you tell me...		how long		have you lived here?
Who does she work for?	I'd like to know...		who		she works for.
What time will the meeting be over?	I'd be interested to know...		what time		the meeting will be over.
How many children do you have?	Do you mind me asking...		how many children		you have?
Why did you choose this job?	Would you mind telling me...		why		did you choose this job?

But with cliches...do you think... it's a little different. Here the introductory phrase...do you think... comes after the question word:

direct questions	Indirect questions
	interrogative word	do you think	statement	Translation
When will it be over?	When	do you think	will it be over?	How do you think, when will it end?
Why did she choose this job?	why	do you think	she chose this job?	Why do you think she chose this job?
Where are they going?	Where	do you think	are they going?	How do you think, where are they/are they going?
how much does he earn?	how much	do you think	he earns?	How do you think, how much does he earn?
How many children does she have?	How many children	do you think	she has?	How do you think, how many children does she have?

When is a question mark needed?

Have you noticed that in indirect questions there is a question mark at the end somewhere, but not somewhere else? Everything is simple here - we look at the introductory phrase (cliché). And if it is a question, then there will be a question mark at the end of the sentence.

Introductory phrase - question	at the end - a question mark	Introductory phrase - not a question	at the end - dot
Do you know...	what time it finishes?	I'd like to know...	what time it starts.
Can you tell me...	what your favorite color is?	I'd be interested to know...	what your favorite film is.
Can I ask (you)...	if you"ve done this before?	I was wondering...	if you've tried nails before.
Would you mind telling me...	are you coming?
Do you mind me asking...	how much do you weigh?

Open and closed questions

Direct and indirect questions

Question in direct form appeals directly to the respondent's opinion (eg, "What do you think about...?"). If the topic of the question can cause the respondent to feel unpleasant or desire to embellish reality, then the question should be asked. in an indirect form irrespective of the identity of the interviewee. It is not recommended to use direct questions about the respondent's awareness, say: "Do you know about ...?"; some participants are likely to answer in the affirmative, fearing to appear ignorant of a fact (or subject) that may be widely known.

When choosing a closed or open question form, the respondent's ability to provide reliable information should be taken into account.

Closed questions offer the respondent "hints" in the form of a set of possible answers. Having a hint, it is easier for the respondent to answer the question posed if an option is offered that corresponds to his opinion or position. However, the absence of the desired option will lead to distortion of information.

open the form of the question does not imply any hints and can be recommended in a number of cases:

In the absence of information about possible answers;

If the audience has a clear understanding of the problem being studied (for example, experts, specialists);

If necessary, rearrange answers for more in-depth analysis.

An example of this type of question would be: "Which drink do you prefer?" Most often, you can get an honest answer, although somewhat vague. For example, a customer might say "Soft drinks" (whereas more specific types of drinks would be expected). Therefore, the wording of open-ended questions should be treated with particular care.

To achieve the purpose of the survey, open-ended questions should be asked without prompting. If a question is originally asked in the "no prompt" form, the same prompted question cannot be repeated later. For example, it is asked: “When you are thirsty, what drinks do you prefer?” If the interviewee finds it difficult to answer, the interviewer may prompt: “Fruit juice? Beer?" In this case, the interviewer begins to give answers instead of the respondent. Thus, an answer given after a hint will never be as "correct" as an answer given without a hint.

It is not always possible to provide all the answers in a closed question. At the same time, if the researchers have an idea of the most common answers and a closed form would facilitate the processing of respondents' answers, then a semi-closed form of the question can be used. semi-closed question is a combination of some list of possible answers and a free line for the option “other” or “your own answer”.

The form of the questions depends on the nature of the data being collected, the form of the survey, and the methods of analysis. Large-scale quantitative surveys are accompanied by the use of small, highly structured questionnaires that are processed on a computer. Qualitative surveys typically use large, unstructured questionnaires that are usually processed manually.

indirect questions and statements (indirect questions and statements) are used in English when we want to be polite. They begin with the following introductory phrases: Can/could you tell me…? Do you have any idea…? Do you know...? I wonder … I don’t know … I’m interested to know … Tell me (please) … Please explain … +special question word or if/whether.

When a regular (direct) question is part of a longer sentence beginning with the above introductory phrases, the word order is reversed. Compare the examples in the table:

Direct questions in RussianDirect questions in English	Indirect questions and statements in EnglishIndirect questions and statements in English
Where did you go?	Can you tell me where you went?
What time is it?	Do you know what time it is?
How do I get to the center? How do I get to the center?	Could you tell me how to get to the center?
When does it start?	Do you have any idea when it starts? I don't have any idea when it starts. I have no idea when it starts.
Who is going to come?	Do you know who is going to come? I wonder who is going to come. I wonder who's going to come.
How much will it cost?	Can you tell me how much it will cost?
What does this mean?	Do you know what it means? Please explain what it means. Please explain what this means.
Why did you move?	Can you tell me why you moved? I'm interested to know why you moved. I wonder why you moved.
What do you do in your spare time? How do you spend your free time?	Tell me what you do in your spare time Tell me what you do in your free time.
Do you have a driving lisense?	I wonder if you have a driving lisense.
Can you give me a lift?	I wonder if you can give me a lift.
Have you ever been to the US?	Can you tell me whether you have ever been to the US?

I.e, indirect questions in English have a direct word order, such as in : after the introductory phrase, the order changes to subject + predicate.

Be careful with questions containing do/does/did! Forms of the auxiliary verb do are not used in indirect questions:

How far did they travel? Do you happen to know how far they traveled? Do you happen to know how far did they travel?

If not, then use the introductory union if / whether (=whether). Use it to enter .

These are the basic rules for constructing indirect questions in English. Read about how to convey questions in indirect speech in the next article.

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Indirect questions with interrogative words (what, when, etc.)

Consider a few examples of the transition from direct speech to indirect speech, while remembering that during the tense of the verb it can change to the past compared to the moment of conversation. This is also true for reported questions.

direct question	Indirect question
Who lives in that palace?	He wants to know who lived in that palace.
Why doesn't this device work?	She asked why that device didn't work.
When does the next train arrive?	He asked me when the next train arrives.
Where has Alice gone?	He wanted to know where Alice had gone.
Where were you going on holiday?	Our neighbors asked where we were going on holiday.

Like direct questions, reported questions begin with an interrogative word, they also require an answer, but are expressed as an affirmative sentence without the formal characteristics of the question. That is, they have no word order change, no question marks, and no interrogative intonation.

Indirect yes-no questions

In addition to questions with interrogative words - informational questions, there are questions, the answer to which can be “yes” or “no”. Such questions are converted into indirect questions with the help of words. if or whether.

direct question	Indirect question
Can you speak English?	He wants to know if I could speak English.
Do you have a driving licence?	She asked me if I had a driving license.
Are you glad to be back?	He wanted to know whether I was glad to be back.
Did Alice get your letter?	He asked if Alice got my letter.
Is Tom going out tonight?	She asked whether Tom is going out tonight.

Reported questions start with words if or whether , word order as in the affirmative sentence.

How are direct English questions converted to indirect English questions (reported questions)?

John asked, ‘What time does the shop close?’

2. Paste if or whether before the question. Or, if the question starts with a question word, leave it out.
3. Make the necessary changes to the tense of verbs and personal pronouns (see previous article).
4. Change the word order in the indirect question - the subject comes first, then the predicate.

John asked what time the shop closed.