2. Indirect Questions
* Direct questions are often
considered rude when speaking to
strangers. (são muitas vezes considerado rude ao falar
com estranhos.)
* To be more polite we often use
INDIRECT QUESTION FORMS.
Indirect questions serve the same
purpose as direct questions, but are
considered more formal. Para ser mais educado,
muitas vezes usamos FORMAS pergunta indireta. Perguntas indiretas têm
a mesma finalidade como perguntas diretas, mas são considerados mais
formal.)
3. Indirect Questions
using wh-words
FORMULA:
Introductory phrase + question word (what, when,
where, why, which…) + subordinate clause (positive
sentence structure)
Direct question: Where can I find El Prado Museum?
Could you tell me where I can find El Prado Museum?
Introductory question subordinate
phrase word clause
When using an indirect question, use an introductory phrase followed
by the question itself in positive sentence structure.
4. Indirect Questions
with yes/no questions
FORMULA:
Introductory phrase + if/whether (what, when,
where, why, which…) + subordinate clause (positive
sentence).
Direct question: Are you travelling on business?
Could you tell me if/whether you are travelling?
Introductory if/whether subordinate
phrase clause
When using an indirect question, use an introductory phrase followed
by the question itself in positive sentence structure.
5. Indirect Questions
• Here are some of the most common phrases
used for asking indirect questions.
Do you know … ?
Can/Could you tell me … ?
Do you happen to know ...?
I wonder / was wondering …
I wonder if you´d mind telling me. . .
Would you mind telling me . . .?
Can I ask . . .?
May I ask you . . .?
I'd like to know ...
6. Examples
Direct question:
Where's the tourist information office?
Indirect question:
Could you tell me where the tourist information
office is?
-------------------------ooooo--------------------------
Direct question:
Do you like flying?
Indirect question:
Could you tell me if you like flying?
7. When are
you going
to invite
me to go
to the
USA?
Can I ask you when you are going to invite me to go
to the USA?
8. What is the
purpose of
your visit?
Would you mind telling me what the purpose
of your visit is?
9. How did
you get to
the
airport?
Can you tell me how you got to the airport?
10. Tag Questions
Question tags are used in English at the end of
statements to ask for confirmation. They mean
something like, Am I right? or Do you agree?
Question tags are mini-questions tagged on to
longersentences. They are very common in English.
You aren’t from Minas, are you?
The basic strucutre is:
+ Positive statemet Negative tag –
– Negative statement Positive tag +
11.
12.
13.
14. Adapted by M. Luisa Ochoa from
http://katechao.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/lesson-6.ppt#4
15. Answers to Exercise
practice.page 37
• 1) a) Can you tell me where the supermarket is?
• b) Could you tell me where Peter went ?
• c) I would like to know if Chris answered the letter.
• d) I wonder what you are doing.
• e) Do you know where John works?
• f ) I don’t know why Peter didn’t come to the
meeting .
• g) I would like to know if Robert will win the
elections.
• h) Can’t you remember where you found the keys?
• i) Could you tell me how much it costs to eat there?
• j) I want to know what time it is.
16. 2) a) Do you know how much she
weighs?
• b) I’d like to know how old she was
when she joined the Spice Girls.
• c) I want to know if she has got pets.
• d) Have you got any idea what she
thinks of Madonna?
• e) Could you tell me who her
favourite designers are?
• f) Do you know why he shaved his
head?
• g) I’d like to know if he has got
tattoos.
17. 3) E H D J I A C G B F O K L N M
4) a) You can’t swim, can you?
b) She should be here by now, shouldn’t she?
c) I am your best friend, aren’t I?
d) Do your exercices, will/would you?
e) They will travel next year, won’t they?
f ) Peter could help us, couldn’t he?
g) Let’s travel next holiday, shall we?
h) They had to study until late at night, didn’t they?
i) You would like it in blue, wouldn’t you?
j) Peter doesn’t like pagode, does he?
k) It isn’t right, is it?
l) Let’s go to the movies, shall we?
m) Stop it, will/ would you?
n) I’m too fat, aren’t I?
o) Stop complaining, will/ would you?
p) Let’s get it straight, shall we?
q) They don’t like popcorn, do they?
