Collins Cobuild

Unit 9
Indirect questions
Main points
You use indirect questions to ask for information or help.
In indirect questions, the subject of the question comes before the
verb.
You can use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ in indirect questions.
1
 When  you  ask  someone  for  information,  you  can  use  an  indirect
question beginning with a phrase such as ‘Could you tell me…’ or ‘Do
you know…’.
Could you tell me how far it is to the nearest bank?
Do you know where Jane is?
2
When you want to ask someone politely to do something, you can use
an indirect question after ‘I wonder’.
I wonder if you can help me. I was wondering whether you could give
me some information?
You also use ‘I wonder’ followed by an indirect question to indicate
what you are thinking about.
I wonder what she’ll look like.
I wonder which hotel it was.

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I just wonder what you make of all that.
3
 In  indirect  questions,  the  subject  of  the  question  comes  before  the
verb, just as it does in affirmative sentences.
Do you know where Jane is?
I wonder if you can help me.
She asked me why I was late.
4
You do not normally use the auxiliary ‘do’ in indirect questions.
Can you remember when they open on Sundays?
I wonder what he feels about it.
The  auxiliary  ‘do’  can  be  used  in  indirect  questions,  but  only  for
emphasis, or to make a contrast with something that has already been
said. It is not put before the subject as in direct questions.
I was beginning to wonder if he does do anything.
He wondered whether it really did make any difference to the
outcome.
5
You use ‘if’ or ‘whether’ to introduce indirect questions.
I wonder if you’d give the children a bath tonight?
I’m writing to ask whether you would care to come and visit us.
‘Whether’ is used especially when there is a choice of possibilities.
I wonder whether it is the police or just a neighbour.
I wonder whether that is good for him or not.
Note  that  you  can  put  ‘or  not’  immediately  after  ‘whether’,  but  not
immediately after ‘if’.
I wonder whether or not we are so different from our ancestors.
Even optimists wonder if property prices can keep on rising.

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