Cultural know-how: Grammar (Indirect Questions + Passive)

Let's start with Indirect Questions! On which occasion are they usually used?

• to sound more polite/when talking to strangers.

• they're only used with friends and family members.

Which sentence can be used to start Indirect questions?

• Could you please tell me...?

• Do you have any idea...?

• I would like to know...

• All of them!

Which is the correct structure of an Indirect question?

• verb + subject (e.g.: Is he...)

• subject + verb (e.g.: He is...)

If a Direct question has the verb "DO"/"DOES", do you have to include it in the Indirect question?

• Yes

• No

Answer explanation

Excluding the "do" that you might have in the introductory sentence, the verb "do" is NOT USED in the Indirect Question.

DQ: Where does she live?

IQ: Do you know where she lives?

"does" becomes the 's' in 'live'.

Is she living in London?

- Do you have any idea....

• where she living in London?

• If is she living in London?

• if she is living in London?

• Is she living in London?

Answer explanation

The questions that start with "BE" have to be done with "IF/WHETHER" in the Indirect question form.

"Did she pass the exam?"

- Do you know...

• when she pass the exam?

• if did she pass the exam?

• if she passed the exam?

• if she pass the exam?

Answer explanation

Folowing the "DO" rule, If the question is in past and uses "did", the Indirect question DOES NOT use "did" --> it just leaves the main verb in past simple (like it would happen in a normal sentence).

DQ: Did she go...?

IQ: Do you know if she went...?

"What time is it?"

- Could you tell me...

• what time it is?

• what time is it?

• what time it was?

• if the time is?

Make this into an indirect question:

"Why was the class canceled?"

Transform this direct question into an indirect one:

"Is she at her mother's house?"

Well done! Now let's move onto the Passive. What is the structure of the passive voice?

• Verb BE (in any tense) + past simple of verb

• Verb BE (in any tense) + past participle of verb

• Verb BE (in any tense) + present simple of verb

Answer explanation

Be in any tense (is - was - is being - has been - etc) + past participle (e.g: taken) --> that is the structure!