Indirect questions in the English language test. Indirect questions in English

Indirect questions and statements (indirect questions and statements) are used in English language 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 an ordinary (direct) question is part of a longer sentence beginning with the above introductory phrases, the word order changes. Compare the examples in the table:

Direct questions in EnglishDirect 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?	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 don't have any the slightest idea, When does it begin.
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? 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 how you spend your free time. Tell me what you do in your free time.
Do you have a driving license?	I wonder if you have a driving license.
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?

That is, 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 an introductory conjunction if / whether (=whether). Using it we enter .

These are the basic rules for constructing indirect questions in English. About how to submit questions to indirect speech, read the next article.

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What is this - an indirect question?

First, let's compare Direct and Indirect questions. If you want to literally reflect someone’s statement or quote it, then it is better to use ordinary questions using direct speech (read more in “Types of questions in English”). But, to convey other people's words, you can use Inderect questions, which consist of two parts: the main one, where it says “who asked, took an interest” and the secondary one - “what exactly, the question itself,” and they are connected by a conjunction or a pronoun. But that is not all. It is necessary to grasp the essence of only two rules:

Valid tense agreement rule (the entire diagram can be found in the article “Time Coordination Table”). In other words, the time used in the main part of the sentence must be sent one step back, into the past. This way we remove the quotes, and the logical chain of events is not interrupted. Please note that neither do nor does can be used in this case. For example: in the main sentence we have the verb “speak” in quotation marks - Present Simple. According to the transition of tenses, Present Simple changes to Past Simple: spoke.

I would also like to remind you about pronouns, which change from direct speech to indirect speech according to the same principle as in Russian.

He said: " Have youtranslated this article? - He said: “Have you translated the article?” ( Present Perfect moves according to the rule to Past Perfect).

He asked if Ihad translated that article. — He asked if I translated the article.

Although we call such sentences questions, we do not observe the familiar violation of word order. Namely: the structure of the affirmative sentence is preserved: subject + predicate + object + etc.

She said: "Where did she ski in summer?" “She said, 'Where did she ski in the summer?'

She asked where she had skied in summer. — She asked where she skied in the summer.

Two models of indirect questions in English

So, we know that there are several types of questions: general, special, alternative, dividing and question to the subject. In indirect speech we can construct only some of them.

1. General and alternative indirect question is constructed using the conjunctions if or whether, which in Russian sound like the particle “li”. Thus, maintaining the direct word order, we can derive the following diagram:

Subject + predicate + if (whether) + subject + predicate + minor members

Direct Speech
Present Simple - Past Simple
"Is anybody at home?" he asked. - "Is anybody home?" he asked.	He asked if anybody was at home. - He asked if there was whether is anybody home.
Past Simple - Past Perfect
She asked: “Were she at school yesterday?” - She asked: “Was she at school yesterday?”	She asked if she had been at school the day before. - She asked if there was whether she was at school yesterday.
Future Simple - Future in the Past
He said: “Will you go to the theater tomorrow?” “He asked: “Are you going to the theater tomorrow?”	He asked if I would go to the theater the next day. - He asked if I would go whether I'm going to the theater tomorrow.

My mother said: “Are you laughing at me?” - Mom said: “Are you laughing at me?”	My mother asked if I was laughing at her. - Mom asked, I laugh whether I'm over her.

He said: “Have you heard about the latest events?” - He asked: “Have you heard about the latest events?”	He asked if I had heard about the latest events. - He asked, heard whether I'm talking about the latest events.
Present Perfect Continuous- Past Perfect Continuous
My friends asked: “Have you been living in this old house for a year?” — My friends asked: “Have you lived in this old house for a year?”	My friends asked if I had been living in that old house for a year. My friends asked if he lived whether I've been in that old house for a year.
Can-could
He asked: “Can you play tennis?” - He asked: “Can I play tennis?”	He asked if I could play tennis. - He asked if I can whether I play tennis.
Must - had to
She said: “Must I write it today?” “She said, 'Should I write this today?'	She asked if she had to write it that day. - She asked if she should whether she will write this today.

2. B special indirect question two parts are connected by interrogative words: what, why, where, which, whose (in the article “Interrogative words” you will find full information about use and meaning). And everything else is the same as in the previous model.

Subject + predicate + question word + subject + predicate + minor members

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
Present Simple - Past Simple
He asked: “Where is the underground?” - He asked: “Where is the metro?”	He asked where the underground was. -He asked where the metro was.
Present Continuous - Past Continuous
Mary said: " What are are you playing now? - Mary said: “What are you playing now?”	Mary asked what I was playing than. — Mary asked what I was playing.
Present Perfect - Past Perfect
She asked: “Where has he been?” - She asked: “Where was he?”	She wanted to know where he had been. She wanted to know where he was.
Past Simple - Past Perfect
His parents asked: “Whose hat have you been wearing?” — His parents asked: “Whose hat were you wearing?”	His parents asked whose hat I had been wearing. — His parents asked whose hat I was wearing.

A few more secrets!

must be distinguished if in subordinate clauses and If in indirect questions. So, in the first case we translate with the meaning “if”, and in the second - with the particle “whether”.

If you come home late, we will have to punish you. - If you come home late, we will be forced to punish you.

She asked me if I would come home late the next day. — She asked if I would come late tomorrow.

short answers indirect questions in English are given using auxiliary or modal verbs, as in direct speech, but taking into account the rules of tense agreement. And the connection of two parts in this model occurs due to the conjunction “that”, and yes/no are omitted.

“Does she live in the hostel?” - she asked. — Yes, she does (No, she doesn’t).

She asked if she lived in the hostel. — Ianswered that shedid (she didn’t).

There is nothing complicated here! It is worth remembering that the direct word order is observed, having a table of tense coordination at hand, working through the exercises, and soon you will easily overcome this, at first glance, difficult topic.

Positive direct questions signal direct, open communication, in which clarification of facts and the state of affairs is consciously placed in the first place, while the questioner takes into account the personal characteristics of the interlocutor and the topic of conversation. Of course, the interlocutor, analyzing the questions asked to him, understands exactly what the person asking them is getting at. Thus, he himself can make a fundamental decision about whether to answer him directly, avoid answering, or wait for the question to be so frank that it is possible not to answer.

Examples of positive direct questions

“What purpose do you pursue with your official announcement of a visit to the company’s branch in Bonn?”

“In fact, you spent five hours trying to

get to our branch?

"So you are also in similar situation?»

Negative direct questions touch on certain forbidden topics and put pressure on the interlocutor.

Examples of negative direct questions

“Did this trick help you get a lot of clients?”

Indirect questions are negative if they are used to disguise or hide the true purpose of the question, or, by asking, for example, provocative questions, they use negative false statements. Prejudices, negative assessments, provoking hints, calling into question openly expressed opinions and clear assessments given by the interlocutor are used.

Examples of indirect provocative questions

“Are you an aggressive driver who doesn’t care about speed limit signs?!” - Model of the question “Is it true that...”

“What, environmentally conscious or committed people don’t recognize speed limit signs?!”

“So, you’re talking about something that really doesn’t interest you at all?!”

It is clear that such indirect questions are not always formulated in interrogative form; sometimes they take the form of a statement. The interrogative form of an indirect provocative statement indicates that, although a direct question is not asked, this statement can be used as a question. Trick questions are often two-level: the interlocutor is asked a question on some topic, but the second level or subtext remains hidden for the time being.

An example of such a conversation

“Are you considered a careful driver?”

"Yes, sure".

“Anyone who drives so many kilometers in a year without a single accident

He undoubtedly drives very carefully, do you agree?”

“Yes, and, moreover, the ability to foresee critical

situations."

“You probably travel more than 50,000 km?”

“On average, even more: from 80,000 to 90,000 km!”

“And the fact that with every new kilometer you pollute more and more

environment, apparently you don’t care at all?”

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

I hope you have already familiarized yourself with the rules for constructing direct questions ( direct questions) different types: general, alternative, special and dividing (or, as they are also called - even goosebumps - dismembered). If not, then follow the link to the page and study this topic. This is very important, because you have to take the Unified State Exam in English! On the exam in the section Letter Task 39 You will be asked to write a personal letter to a nominal pen pal and ask him three questions. You will also have to formulate questions in Oral part of the exam, in Task 2. The condition strictly stipulates that these must be direct questions.

Imagine the following situation: Sally really liked a new student from 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 question word “what”, followed by a verb and then a subject, that is, 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 a subject and then a verb, that is, word order straight)

Another example:

Where does he live? - Where does he live? (This direct question, word order back: auxiliary verb does, subject he). "Naked Question"
Could you tell me where he lives? - Tell me, please, where does he live? (this is an indirect question, which is introduced by the polite phrase “could you tell me”, and therefore the word order straight: where he lives) “The question is within the 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 the group Nirvana. They sat under a maple tree and played guitars. In the evening Sally attacked Nick with questions:

Does he like rock music? – Does he like rock music? ( direct question, word order reversed: auxiliary verb does, subject he) “Naked question”
Nick, would you mind telling me if he likes rock music? - Nick, could you tell me how you like it? whether rock music for him? ( indirect question, word order straight: he likes. Pay attention to the meaning of the word if. In an indirect question it is translated as "LI" not “if.”) “The question is the 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 received answers to all her questions, Sally went home. Nick invited her to 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, to summarize:

1) IN direct questions(“naked question”) – word order back:

How long have you been studying French?

2) IN indirect issues(“question within a question”) – word order straight:

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

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

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

5) Indirect questions are introduced with 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...

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?) - Do you know where Tom has gone?

2. (Where is the post office?) — Could you tell 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...

Direct questions in English
Direct questions in English

Pronoun This (This)

It – This

In the last lesson we looked at the question What is it? and as an example they gave the answer It’s a dog.

In continuation of the same topic, we can add that the word it(it, that) can be replaced by demonstrative pronoun this(this) which would mean the same thing:

What is it? = What is this?
It is a book = This is a book

What is this? – This is a dog
What is this? – This is a chair
What is this? – This is a car

These designs are absolutely similar to each other. They allow you to construct simple sentences in two ways, which is so common in English speech. It’s up to you to decide which of the two options you prefer.

It is or it’s = This is

Note that this is is not abbreviated as it’s. Don't say: This's

Direct questions and answers

Is it? – Yes, it is

We have already learned to ask the question “What is it?” in English. (What is this?). When answering this question, we must name some object.

What is it? - What is this?

– It’s a table – This is a table.

However, there are questions that require a Yes or No answer. Agree, to the question What is it? It’s not very correct to answer Yes (Yes) - it’s illogical. Here's a good question:

Is it a table? - It is a table?

- Yes, it is a table - Yes, this is a table.

Such a question (Is it a table?) is called direct, since we must give a direct answer Yes or No. And we ask this question when we want to ask whether this is the object we are thinking about. Maybe it's not a table, but, for example, a chair?

Let us consider in more detail the construction of a direct question.

To ask a direct question, first of all, we must remember the usual affirmative sentence It is a table. When translating into an interrogative form, we must rearrange the verb is and pronouns it. Verb is in the question should always come first: Is it a table? In this case, the intonation, of course, should be interrogative.

look at various examples with other words:

It is a book – Is it a book?

It is a chair – Is it a chair?

It’s a pen – Is it a pen?

Try to construct direct questions yourself from the following sentences:

It is a cat
It is a computer
It is a window
It is a house
It is a pencil

Attention: If in a regular sentence we can shorten it is – it’s, then in an interrogative sentence we will never be able to do this.

Is it a book? – Yes, it is a book = Yes, it’s a book

Is it a bed? – Yes, it is a bed = Yes, it’s a bed

Say it yourself in English:

This is a book? - Yes, this is a book
This is a car? - Yes, this is a car
Is this a door? - Yes, this is the door
Is this a wall? - Yes, this is a wall
It's a bed? - Yes, this is a bed

Test yourself by moving your mouse over each sentence.

Exercises
Exercises

1. Replace It with This in sentences

What is it? – It's a pencil;

What is it? – it's photo;

What is it? – It's a wall;

What is it? – It's a house;

What is it? – it's bicycle;

What is it? - It's a bed.

2. Translate sentences into English using the pronoun This

What is this? - This is a window;

What is this? - This is a wall;

What is this? - This is a pen;

What is this? - This is a car;

What is this? – This is a computer;

What is this? - This is a book.

3. Answer yes to the questions

Example:

Is it a car? – Yes, it is a car

1. Is it a cat? – ______________________;

2. Is it a girl? – ______________________;

3. Is it a sofa? – ______________________;

4. Is it a pencil? – ______________________;

5. Is it a house? – ______________________;

6. Is it a bed? – ______________________;

7. Is it a window? – ______________________;

8. Is it a door? – ______________________;

9. Is it a tree? – ______________________;

10. Is it a chair? – ______________________.

4. Ask direct questions to proposals

Example:

It is a phone – Is it a phone?

1. It is a boy – ______________________;

2. It is a wall – ______________________;

3. It is a tree – ______________________;

4. It is a guitar – ______________________;

5. It is a lamp – ______________________;

6. It is a table – ______________________;

7. It is a chair – ______________________;

8. It is a pencil – ______________________;

9. It is a pen – ______________________;

10. It is a book – ______________________;

A. Translate sentences into English using the pronoun it

It is a table? - Yes, this is a table;

This is a chair? - Yes, this is a chair;

Is this a house? - Yes, this is a house;

Is this a computer? – Yes, it’s a computer;

It's a bed? - Yes, this is a bed;

This is a car? - Yes, this is a car;

Is this a bicycle? - Yes, this is a bicycle.

B. Translate sentences into English using the pronoun this

This is a tree? - Yes, this is a tree;

This is a dog? - Yes, it’s a dog;

Is this a girl? - Yes, it’s a girl;

This is a lamp? - Yes, this is a lamp;

This is a pencil? - Yes, this is a pencil;

This is a book? - Yes, this is a book;

Is this a door? - Yes, this is the door.

Indirect questions in the English language test. Indirect questions in English

You may also like:

Did you like the article? Share with your friends:

What is this - an indirect question?

Two models of indirect questions in English

Direct Speech

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

A few more secrets!

So, to summarize:

Direct questions in English
Direct questions in English

Exercises
Exercises

Indirect questions in the English language test. Indirect questions in English

You may also like:

Did you like the article? Share with your friends:

What is this - an indirect question?

Two models of indirect questions in English

Direct Speech

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

A few more secrets!

So, to summarize:

Direct questions in English Direct questions in English

Exercises Exercises

Direct questions in English
Direct questions in English

Exercises
Exercises