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    Embedded Questions: Rule One

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    Beatrice Gonzales
    1. An embedded question is a question contained within another statement or question, usually introduced with phrases like "I wonder", "Could you tell me", etc. 2. There are five rules for using embedded questions: use a period instead of question mark, omit auxiliary verbs, reverse subject-auxiliary word order, avoid contractions, and can use infinitives after question words. 3. Embedded questions are sometimes preferred over direct questions for politeness or when the speaker is unsure of information.

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    Embedded Questions: Rule One

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    Beatrice Gonzales
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    1. An embedded question is a question contained within another statement or question, usually introduced with phrases like "I wonder", "Could you tell me", etc. 2. There are five rules for using embedded questions: use a period instead of question mark, omit auxiliary verbs, reverse subject-auxiliary word order, avoid contractions, and can use infinitives after question words. 3. Embedded questions are sometimes preferred over direct questions for politeness or when the speaker is unsure of information.

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    1. An embedded question is a question contained within another statement or question, usually introduced with phrases like "I wonder", "Could you tell me", etc. 2. There are five rules for using embedded questions: use a period instead of question mark, omit auxiliary verbs, reverse subject-auxiliary word order, avoid contractions, and can use infinitives after question words. 3. Embedded questions are sometimes preferred over direct questions for politeness or when the speaker is unsure of information.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    90 views4 pages

    Embedded Questions: Rule One

    Uploaded by

    Beatrice Gonzales
    1. An embedded question is a question contained within another statement or question, usually introduced with phrases like "I wonder", "Could you tell me", etc. 2. There are five rules for using embedded questions: use a period instead of question mark, omit auxiliary verbs, reverse subject-auxiliary word order, avoid contractions, and can use infinitives after question words. 3. Embedded questions are sometimes preferred over direct questions for politeness or when the speaker is unsure of information.

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    Embedded Questions

    Introduction

    An embedded question is a question that is included inside another question or


    statement. They are common after introductory phrases, such as:

    I wonder
    Could you tell me
    Do you know
    Can you remember
    Let's ask
    We need to find out
    I'd like to know
    Could you tell me
    I'm not sure
    Would you mind explaining

    Five Rules for Using Embedded Questions

    Rule One

    If the embedded question is part of a statement, use a period and not a question mark
    at the end of the sentence. Also, if the question is in the present or past simple verb
    tense, omit the auxiliary verbs do, does, and did and change the verb to its appropriate
    form, as in the example below.

    Direct Question What time did he leave?

    Embedded Question I wonder what time he left.

    Rule Two

    If the embedded question includes an auxiliary verb or the verb "to be", reverse the
    positions of the subject and the auxiliary verb, as in the examples below.
    Direct Question What did he say?

    Embedded Question Could you tell me what he said?

    Direct Question Can you help me?

    Embedded Question I wonder if you could help me.

    Direct Question Is he a doctor?

    Embedded Question Do you know if he is a doctor?

    Rule Three

    Do not use a verbal contraction at the end of the sentence.

    Direct Question Where is she?

    Correct Embedded Question Do you know where he is?

    Incorrect Embedded Question Do you know where he's?

    Rule Four

    Embedded questions are introduced by whether, whether or not, and if when there is


    no question word in the sentence (yes/no questions).

    Direct Yes/No Question Will he be there?

    Do you know if he will be there?


    Embedded Question Do you know whether or not he will be there?
    Do you know whether he will be there or not?
    Rule Five

    The infinitive can follow a question word or whether in embedded questions, as in the
    following example.

    Direct Question What should I do?

    Embedded Question Please tell me what I should do.

    Embedded Question with an Infinitive Please tell me what to do.

    Using Embedded Questions

    There are times when native English speakers prefer to use embedded rather than
    direct questions. Here are two examples.

    1. Politely Asking for Information

    Direct Question What time does the bus arrive?

    Could you tell me what time the bus arrives?


    Embedded Question
    (more polite)

    2. Talking About Something Which Is Unknown to the Speaker

    Direct Question Why did she decide not to come with us?

    I don't know why she decided not to come with


    Embedded Question
    us.

    Note: The embedded question is in a statement, so it ends with a period, not a


    question mark.
    When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the
    exercises.

    https://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/courses/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/410-embedded-
    questions.htm#:~:text=An%20embedded%20question%20is%20a,Do%20you%20know

    Which one is correct, "What did I do wrong?" or "What I did


    wrong"?

    Ameer Ali, Language Expert,SoftSkills Book Author, Empowerment Trainer.


    Answered November 6, 2019 · Author has 794 answers and 1.7M answer views

    When we are trying to make a question out of a sentence which has only a Main Verb but
    no Auxiliary Verb, we have to split the Main Verb itself into its Auxiliary Verb+Main Verb
    components, and put the Auxiliary Verb part before the Subject part of the Question,
    immediately after the question word.

    In the given sentence, the Main Verb “did” has to be split into “did”(Auxiliary Verb)


    + “do” (Main Verb ), and the Auxiliary Verb “did” has to be placed before the subject “I”,
    which is to be followed by the Main Verb “do”, in the question format.

    So, "What did I do wrong?" is the correct form.

    However, when the same question becomes a part of another Statement, it becomes
    an Embedded Question, ( a question inserted into another Declarative Sentence), and the
    entire Statement still remains Declarative in nature, ending with a period, not a question
    mark. In such an event, the rule is slightly different for framing the question part of the
    statement. The main verb remains intact (un-split), and comes after the Subject, just like in
    any Declarative Statement. Only the Question Word which is placed before the subject
    indicates the interrogative aspect of it.

    So, in the case of an Embedded Question format, the sentence would become,

    https://www.quora.com/Which-one-is-correct-What-did-I-do-wrong-or-What-I-did-wrong

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