Line英会話クラス

Lesson Plan October 4, 2024

Topic: Direct & Indirect Questions

When we ask for information, we often use direct questions: Where is it?
If we want to be more polite or formal, we can use indirect questions: Can you tell me where it is?

Section A: Direct Questions

Direct questions are normal questions.

• What time is it?

• How long does the journey take?

• Why are you crying?

• How long have you been living here?

• Is he at home?

• Did she reply to your email?

Section B: Indirect Questions

Indirect questions begin with various phrases:

• Can you tell me what time it is?

• Do you know how long the journey takes?

• I’d like to know why you are crying.

• Could you tell me how long you’ve been living here?

• Do you know if he is at home?

• I wonder if she replied to your email.

Section C: Rules for forming Direct and Indirect Questions

Direct questions can be simple questions (Are you at home?), subject questions (Who won the match?) or object questions (What did they win?).

With simple questions and object questions we use special word order for questions:

• If there is a helping verb (auxiliary verb), for example will, was, have, and can, we put the subject after the auxiliary verb

  • Can you help me?

  • Where will Allie be tonight?

  • How many languages can you speak?

In present simple and past simple questions, we use do / does / did:

• Where do they live?

• Did you call me?

Indirect questions have the same word order as statements (subject before verb):

• Do you know how long the journey takes?

We do not use do / does / did in the question: Do you know how long does the journey take?

If there is no question word (who, where, why, how, etc) in the direct question, we can use if or whether in the indirect question:

• I wonder if she replied to your email.

• I wonder whether she replied to your email.

Lesson Notes

There are multiple ways to same the same polite question, for example:

• May I ask you what time it is?

• May I ask what time it is?

• Could you tell me what time it is?

• Do you know what time it is?

• Would you mind telling me what time it is?

• Can you let me know what time it is?

• Can I ask what time it is?

• Would you be able to tell me what time it is?

• Do you happen to know what time it is?

• Could you possibly let me know what time it is?

Generally, you can use the base form “to + verb” when asking “how” questions; however you can also use “I” or “You” as the subject

Tourist: Could you explain _____?

Staff: It's quite simple. You find your destination on the left and read the times across the page.

• “Could you explain how I use this timetable?”

• "Could you explain how you use this timetable?”

• "Could you explain how to use this timetable?"