Grammar for IELTS Direct & indirect questions

In English, a basic question can be formed using either an auxiliary verb or a question word.

For example:

Does he like swimming? (Auxiliary verb)

Where is the library? (Question word)

These are both examples of direct questions.

However, in English there are situations where it can be considered impolite to ask a direct question so we might ask an indirect question.

Whether we use direct and indirect questions depends on the situation, who we are talking to and what we are talking about. We tend to use direct questions with people we know well, in more informal situations and / or when the topic is not ‘sensitive’. Indirect questions are often used when talking to someone we don’t know well, in formal / professional situations, and / or where the topic might be ‘sensitive’.

Compare the following direct and indirect questions:

When can we discuss this problem? – Direct question which in some cases is not very polite; e.g. when asking your boss to discuss a payment problem.

Would it be possible to discuss this problem soon? – Indirect question which is considered more polite; e.g. a politer way of stating that there is a problem you want to talk about.

Here are some ways of asking indirect questions. NOTE: some indirect questions are technically not questions at all – they are simply a way to encourage a response from the person we are talking too.

Grammar differences in direct and indirect questions

There are three important grammatical changes between direct and indirect sentences.

1. When we start using an indirect question form (such as those on the right hand side of the table above), the word order is the same as a positive statement, not a question.

2. If the direct question uses the auxiliary verb ‘do’ (i.e. does, did, do), it is left out of the indirect question.

3. If the direct question can be answered with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, the indirect question needs ‘if’ or ‘whether’.