Included Questions
Embedding yes/no and Wh-questions inside statements and polite requests (I wonder if..., Could you tell me where...).
An included (or embedded) question is a question placed inside another sentence, usually to sound more polite or to report uncertainty. Unlike a direct question, an included question keeps normal statement word order — subject before verb — and no question mark is used unless the whole outer sentence is a question. Yes/no included questions are introduced by 'if' or 'whether' (I don't know if she is coming; I wonder whether he called), while Wh-included questions keep the original question word but drop the inversion (Do you know where she lives? NOT 'Do you know where does she live?'). Included questions commonly follow polite request frames such as 'Could you tell me...', 'Do you know...', 'I'd like to know...', 'I wonder...' and 'I'm not sure...'. When the outer sentence is a question, the whole sentence still ends with a question mark (Could you tell me what time it is?), but the included question itself never inverts the subject and verb. Note that with 'whether', an alternative can be added with 'or not' (I don't know whether she is coming or not).
Key terms
| Direct question | Included question |
|---|---|
| Where does she live? | I wonder where she lives. |
| Is the shop open? | Do you know if the shop is open? |
| What time is it? | Could you tell me what time it is? |
| Why did he leave early? | I'd like to know why he left early. |
| Frame | Example |
|---|---|
| Could you tell me...? | Could you tell me where the museum is? |
| Do you know...? | Do you know if the train has left? |
| I wonder... | I wonder whether she got my message. |
| I'm not sure... | I'm not sure what he meant. |
| I'd like to know... | I'd like to know how much it costs. |
- 1Start: Direct question: 'Where is the nearest bank?'
- 2Apply the rule: Keep the wh-word 'where', but change to statement word order: subject 'the nearest bank' before verb 'is'.
- 3Answer: Could you tell me where the nearest bank is?
- 1Start: Direct question: 'Did she pass the exam?'
- 2Apply the rule: There is no question word, so add 'if' or 'whether', and use statement word order without the auxiliary 'did'.
- 3Answer: I wonder if she passed the exam.
Do not keep question word order inside the included question: 'Do you know where does he live?' is wrong; say 'Do you know where he lives?'
Do not drop 'if' or 'whether' before a yes/no included question: 'I don't know is she coming' is wrong; say 'I don't know if she is coming'.
The outer sentence controls the punctuation: 'Could you tell me what time it is?' ends in a question mark because the whole sentence is a question, but 'I don't know what time it is.' ends in a full stop.
Before 'or not' and before a to-infinitive, use 'whether', not 'if': 'whether to go or not', not 'if to go or not'.
Rules
- 1Included questions use statement word order (subject before verb) even though a question word or 'if/whether' is used: I wonder where he lives (NOT where does he live).
- 2Yes/no included questions are introduced by 'if' or 'whether': Do you know if/whether the shop is open?
- 3Wh-included questions keep the original wh-word but drop the auxiliary-subject inversion: Can you tell me what she wants? (NOT what does she want).
- 4The whole sentence ends with a question mark only if the outer sentence is itself a question: Could you tell me where the station is? but I don't know where the station is.
- 5'Whether' (not 'if') is preferred before 'or not' and before a to-infinitive: I'm not sure whether to go or not; whether or not I go depends on the weather.
Practice
15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard
10 random questions per test