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Laborious Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Indirect questions

Hi there teachers,

Is it a correct sentence. please? Is it an indirect question? 

- please tell me what is bothering you. 

Could you please tell me how I can determine whether something is a direct question or an indirect one? I know that with the 'indirect questions', we can't put a 'question mark' at the end, but is there any other way, please?

Thank you all.
  

Top answer

Laborious Could you please tell me how I can determine whether something is a direct question or an indirect one? I know that with the 'indirect questions', we can't put a 'question mark' at the end, but is there any other way, please? An indirect question is always a dependent clause; usually the object of a verb such as "ask" or "tell" A direct question is an independent (main) clause.

— AlpheccaStars

  • Laborious Could you please tell me how I can determine whether something is a direct question or an indirect one?
  • I know that with the 'indirect questions', we can't put a 'question mark' at the end, but is there any other way, please?
  • An indirect question is always a dependent clause; usually the object of a verb such as "ask" or "tell" A direct question is an independent (main) clause.
  • P lease tell me what is bothering you.
  • W hat is bothering you?
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7 Answers
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LaboriousCould you please tell me how I can determine whether something is a direct question or an indirect one? I know that with the 'indirect questions', we can't put a 'question mark' at the end, but is there any other way, please?
An indirect question is always a dependent clause; usually the object of a verb such as "ask" or "tell"
A direct
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Thanks to you, Alphecca Stars, for your helpful reply.

Could you throw some light on this one as well, please?

- Can you tell me what you mean by xyz?

(please tell me if it's a direct question or an indirect one. Also, do we have two clauses here? If so, is the underlined part a dependent clause, please?)

Thank you once again!
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It is an indirect question inside of a direct question.

Can you tell me about Hercules? (Direct question)
Can you tell me what time it is? (An indirect question inside of a direct question.) The simplest question is "What time is it, please?"
These levels of indirect questions can continue, but the meaning gets murkier and murkier....
Can you tell me what you meant when you
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LaboriousHi there teachers,Is it a correct sentence. please? Is it an indirect question? - please tell me what is bothering you. Could you please tell me how I can determine whether something is a direct question or an indirect one? I know that with the 'indirect questions', we can't put a 'question mark' at the end, but is there any other way, please?Thank you all.
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Thank you, Calif Jim, for providing those really very informative links. Emotion: smile

I've just read your explanation (about direct an
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AlpheccaStarsCan you tell me what you meant when you asked me why I was unhappy with your performance?
Why are you asking me if I can tell you what I meant when I asked you why you were unhappy with my performance?

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