Indirect Question

Indirect questions are classified as noun clauses. (A noun clause is a multi-word noun that features a subject and a verb.) Read more about noun clauses.

Why Indirect Questions Are Important

(Issue 1) Don't use a question mark with a non-question.

By far the most common mistake with indirect questions is using a question mark at the end of a sentence that isn't a question.

• She needs to know where you're going ?
• Tell the staff if you feel cold ?
• Mark is trying to determine whether he's allergic to cats ? (These are not questions. There should be no question marks.)

• Does she need to know where you're going ?
• Will you tell the staff if you feel cold ?
• Is Mark trying to determine whether he's allergic to cats ?

(Issue 2) Use "whether" unless you're presenting a condition.

• I'm asking if you are cold .
• I'm asking whether you are cold . (The embedded direct question is "Are you cold?". This is a yes-no question.)

• Tell the staff if you need a seat . (This means tell the staff only if you need a seat. In other words, needing a seat is a condition that needs to be true before the staff are told. This is called a conditional sentence.)
• Tell the staff whether you need a seat . (This means tell the staff about your seating needs. There are two alternatives: needing a seat and not needing a seat. The staff are to be told in either case. In other words, there is no condition that needs to be true.)

(Issue 3) Get the word order right.

Remember that the word order in an indirect question is the same as for a declarative sentence (i.e., a statement) and not an interrogative sentence (i.e., a question). For example:

Word Order in a Question:

• Where are you? (The word order is verb-subject: verb (are) then subject (you).)

• You are there. (The word order is subject-verb: subject (you) then verb (are).)

• I want to know where you are . (The word order is subject-verb: subject (you) then verb (are). It's the same word order as a statement.)
• I want to know where are you .

Key Points

• An indirect question does not warrant a question mark. Only a direct question does.
• Bear in mind that "if" and "whether" are not always interchangeable. "If" heads a condition. "Whether" doesn't.
• The word order of an indirect question is the same word order as a statement (subject-verb) not a question (verb-subject).

This page was written by Craig Shrives.