Indirect Questions and Subject/Object Questions

• When we want to be more polite in English, we use indirect questions like 'Could you tell me...?' or 'Do you know...?'. We also need to know the difference between subject and object questions when meeting new people.
• Direct Question
• Indirect Question
• Where does Jessica live in Chicago?
• Could you tell me where Jessica lives in Chicago?
• What did Marcus say in Seattle?
• Do you know what Marcus said in Seattle?
• Who met Sarah in Boston?
• Do you know who met Sarah in Boston?
• Remember
• In indirect questions, the word order changes to subject + verb, just like in a normal sentence.
• Do not use 'do', 'does', or 'did' in the second part of an indirect question.
• Use 'if' or 'whether' for yes/no indirect questions.
• In subject questions, the question word is the subject, so we do not use auxiliary verbs.
• Examples
• Could you tell me where the nearest coffee shop is in Boston?
• Do you know if Brian liked the restaurant in Chicago?
• Who organized the blind date in New York?
• Common mistakes
• Could you tell me where does she live in Austin?
• Could you tell me where she lives in Austin?
• Do you know what did he order in San Francisco?
• Do you know what he ordered in San Francisco?

Complete the sentences

• Could you tell me where (live) ____ in Seattle?
• Do you know what time (arrive) ____ in Boston?
• Could you explain why (leave) ____ early from Chicago?
• Do you know if (like) ____ the movie in New York?
• Could you tell me who (call) ____ Emily in Austin?
• Do you know how much (cost) ____ in San Francisco?

Sources: photo by Min An on Pexels