B1 – Intermediate
An embedded question is a question that is used as a part of another question or a statement.
Uses
1. Part of another question
It’s called an indirect question and is often used to be polite.
Normal question: Where is the supermarket?
Indirect question (with an embedded question): Could you tell me where the supermarket is?
2. Part of a statement
The embedded question is a noun clause and functions as a noun. It can be used as the subject or the object of the main clause.
Normal question: Where did he travel to?
Embedded question in a statement (noun clause is the subject): Where he traveled to was Japan.
Normal question: Where did he travel to?
Embedded question in a statement (noun clause is the object): I don’t know where he traveled to.
Forms
The same rules are applied to embedded questions in statements the same way it is used with embedded questions in indirect questions.
- If there is a question word, it is retained.
Ex. Do you know what time the train leaves?
2. If there is no question word, ‘if’ or ‘whether’ is used.
Ex. Do you know if the movie starts at 5:00?
3. We use normal sentence grammar so “do”, “does”, or “did” is not necessary.
Ex. Can you tell me what she said?
Not: Can you tell me what did she say?
4. We use normal sentence word order which is: subject + verb; and not verb + subject.
Ex: Can you explain to me what this means?
Not: Can you explain to me what means this?
5. A full stop is used instead of a question mark at the end of the sentence.
Ex. I don’t know where the office is.
Not: I don’t know where the office is?
Verbs Used with Embedded Questions
- Wonder: He wonders why it rains a lot in April.
- Know: You don’t know what you’re saying.
- Remember: She doesn’t remember where her mobile phone is.
- Be sure: They are sure when the wedding will be.
- Find out: Let’s find out what their specialty is.
- Think about: I’m thinking about how he’s going to travel without any money.
- Forget: I forgot why I did that.
Subject Questions
If the sentence starts with a subject question, there is no need to change the grammar that much because it is almost like a statement.
Normal subject question: Who likes pizza?
Embedded subject question: I don’t know who likes pizza.
Normal subject question: What happened?
Embedded subject question: I am trying to find out what happened.