Embedded Questions

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Embedded questions are questions that appear inside another statement or question.[1]https://esllibrary.com/blog/embedded-questions

This can be confusing for many English learners because of the usual sentence pattern in English.

Sentence Patterns

embedded questions

Normally in English a question follows the (Question Word)-Auxiliary Verb-Subject-Main Verb pattern.

For example:

  • What did you do yesterday?
  • Where are we going to go for dinner?
  • Did you swim last night?

However, embedded questions do not follow the inverted pattern. Instead, they follow the Subject-Verb pattern of a statement. These sentences end with a question mark.

For example:

  • Do you know when we start the test?
  • Do you think your mom will bake a cake for your birthday?
  • Could you tell me when you plan on arriving?

You can also find imbedded questions in phrases that don’t end with a question mark.

For example:

  • I wonder whether the test is today.
  • I asked if I could help with the assignment.
  • Let’s ask them if they like horror movies.

Usage of Embedded Questions

So why do we used embedded questions rather than the usual inverted question format?

Be Polite

You can use an embedded question to be more polite.

For example:

  • Inverted Question: Where is the restroom?
  • Imbedded Question: Can you tell me where the restroom is?

Give Additional Information

You can use an embedded question to add additional information. This usually helps express intent.

For example:

  • Inverted Question: Will he call me?
  • Imbedded Question: I wonder if he will call me. (this expresses the intent of curiosity)

Change from Direct to Indirect Speech

You can use an embedded question to change direct speech to indirect speech.

For example:

  • Inverted Question: What did you do yesterday?
  • Imbedded Question: She asked me what I did yesterday.

References[+]