Grammar-Quizzes › Clauses › Subordinate Clauses › Wh-Questions
Subordinate Wh-Questions
Restate a question within a clause (reported or indirect questions)
| QUOTED WH-QUESTION | |
|---|---|
An interrogative pronoun—who, what, where, when, why, or how—is used in an "open interrogative", a question which accepts a wide range of answers. (Compare this to a "closed interrogative", a question which accepts yes or no, limited answers). A wh-question may be restated within a clause. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | QUOTED SPEECH |
My friend always asks, |
"Where have you been?" |
My friend always asks, |
"What have you been doing?" |
My friend inquires, |
"How is your family?" |
My friend often asks, |
"When can you join me for coffee?" |
My friend asked, |
"Who have you been hanging out with?" |
My friend asked, |
"Who cuts your hair?" |
| REPORTED WH-QUESTION | |
|---|---|
In a reported question, the wh-word (used in the question) becomes the connective pronoun that joins (subordinates) the question-clause to the main clause. The wording of the subordinated clause returns to statement word order (SVO)¹, and the auxiliary verb is "reunited" with the rest of the verb. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | REPORTED SPEECH |
My friend always asks |
where I have been. (location) |
My friend always asks |
what I have been doing. (which activity) |
My friend inquires |
how my family is. (manner/method) |
My friend often asks |
when I can join her for coffee. (timing) |
My friend asked |
who I had been hanging out with. with whom I had been spending time. (for.) |
My friend asked |
who cut my hair. (single action) who had been cutting my hair. (routine) (person) |
¹(SVO) is typically used to represent standard word order. To be correct, it should not mix word name and functions, for example, SubjPredicateComplement (SPC) or NounVerbObject (NP-V-Obj)
A quoted wh-question begins with a main clause that mentions: (1) the speaker; (2) a verb expressing inquiry, mostly the verb ask; (3) a comma; (4) the exact words of the quote enclosed in quotation marks. Note that the quoted question may also be placed before the main clause: "How are you?" my friend asked. (See Quotation Marks regarding punctuation.)
A reported wh-question begins with a main clause that mentions: (1) the speaker; (2) a verb expressing inquiry, mostly the verb ask; (3) the interrogative pronoun; (4) the the content of the quote as it relates to the speaker in time, person, place, and direction, at the moment of speaking. (See Deixis regarding adjusting tense and perspective.)
clausal head v. subordinator — in reported questions, the interrogative pronoun at the front (head) of the clause becomes the connector that relates the content of the subordinate clause to the main clause. An interrogative pronoun (who, what, where, when, why, or how) is called a clausal head because it carries meaning as the head (as part) of the subordinated clause. (It cannot be omitted.) In contrast, a subordinator (that) marks subordination but is not actually part of the clause. It carries no meaning. Compare: *I know who the president is. I know that the president is a nit-wit. The clausal head who cannot be omitted, but that can be omitted without a loss of meaning.
Similar to a clausal head is a phrasal head, in which the head of the phrase is the connective that carries meaning as part of the phrase. See How is a preposition a connective?
The main clause (matrix clause) is the independent clause and the subordinate clause (embedded clause) is the dependent clause. In reported question, no additional punctuation (quotation marks, comma, or question mark) is used. Related page Quotation Marks.
Ask Synonyms
- ask (V) – request information → My father always asks how I am doing. (commonly used)
- inquire (V) – request information → Mr. Smith inquired how my family was. (formal; not for quoted question)
- question (V) – settle doubt, challenge someone's answers → My father questioned why he had to pay a fine. (formal; not for quoted question)
- request (V) – ask for → My father requested information about his income taxes. (formal; not for quoted question)
- wonder (V) – question in one's mind → We wondered where they were last night. (not used with quoted question)
- was like (V) – expresses opinion, contrary expectation→ She was like "where did you go?" (very informal; direct-quote only; see "Like" interpretations.)
- go (V) – spoken-only "live" narration → I go "where were you?" and then she goes "like here waiting for you!" (very informal; direct-quote only)
Related page: Said Synonyms.
Steps to Subordinating a Wh-Question
"Repackage" a question into the object position of a clause
Adjust Person and Number
| SUBJECT–AUX INVERSION | |
|---|---|
The subordinate clause changes from question to statement word order: (1) the word order changes from [Aux-Subj-Verb] to [S- Aux+Verb]. That is, the subject is placed before the verb in the subordinate clause. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | SUBORDINATE CLAUSE |
Remove punctuation. My friend always asks, |
"How is she?" |
(1) subord. marker¹ |
how is she |
(2) inversion [Subj-Aux] |
|
(3) person & number |
— |
(4) tense |
— |
(5) time / place |
— |
My friend always asks |
how she is. |
| PERSON & NUMBER ADJUSTMENT | |
|---|---|
The subordinate clause also adjusts in person and number: (2) personal pronouns (i.e., I→you, me→you, we→you, etc.) and verb number (e.g., I am→you are)adjust to the perspective of the speaker. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | SUBORDINATE CLAUSE |
My friend always asks, |
"How are you?" |
(1) subord. marker¹ |
how are you |
(2) inversion [Subj-Aux] |
|
(3) person & number |
|
(4) tense |
— |
(5) time / place |
— |
My friend always asks |
how I am. |
¹subordinate marker – who, what, where, why, when, how
perspective (N) – point of view; how someone relates to surroundings: person (you, i we); place (here, there); time (now, then); direction (coming, going) See deixis.
| TIME ADJUSTMENT | |
|---|---|
The subordinate clause adjusts in time: (3) adverbs and prepositional phrases adjust if the verb in the main clause is an earlier time. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | SUBORDINATE CLAUSE |
Remove punctuation. My friend asked, |
"Where is she now? |
(1) subord. marker¹ |
where is she now |
(2) word order [Subj-Pred] |
|
(3) person & number |
— |
(4) tense |
|
(5) time / place |
|
My friend asked |
where she was then. |
| LOCATION ADJUSTMENT | |
|---|---|
The subordinate clause adjusts in location and direction: (4) adverbs and prepositional phrases for location are changed to reflect something that is near or far from the speaker. |
|
| MAIN CLAUSE | SUBORDINATE CLAUSE |
My friend asked, |
"When is she coming here? |
(1) subord. marker¹ |
when is she coming here |
(2) word order [Subj-Pred] |
|
(3) person & number |
— |
(4) tense |
|
(5) time / place |
|
My friend asked |
when she was going there. |
¹subordinate marker– who, what, where, why, when, how
²direction: change coming to going if both speaker and listener do not share a location
Adjust Perspective Deixis
Relate references to persons, timing and location
Deictic words
Deictic words, such as pronouns, time and location words, require contextual information; they are relative to the speaker. From my point of view ⇒ "I am here now." From your point of view (same time but different place) ⇒ "You are there now." From their point of view (different time and different place) ⇒ "She was there then." Deixis /ˈdaɪk sɪs/
Adjust Person(s)
| MY CENTER | YOUR, HIS, HER, THEIR CENTER |
|---|---|
I / me → you |
You → I / me |
We / our → you |
You → we / us |
I / me → he / him |
He / him → I / me |
I / me→ she / her |
She / her → I / me |
We / us → they / them |
They / them → we / us |
I / me / we / us → it |
It → I / me / we / us |
Adjust Timing and Location
| EARLIER | NOW | LATER |
|---|---|---|
before then |
← now → |
after then |
recently |
today |
in the future |
|
tomorrow |
the next day |
the day before |
yesterday |
|
last week |
this week |
next week |
| CENTER — NEAR | FAR |
|---|---|
here → |
there |
this city |
that city |
these towns |
those towns |
to my house |
from my house |
come |
go |
Deixis (N) / deictic (Adj) – indicating identity, time, or location from the perspective of one or more speakers. "Words are deictic if their semantic meaning is fixed but their denotational meaning varies depending on time and/or place." (Wiki – deixis)
Also see Prepositions for Time, Prepositions for Place, Adverbs for Time and Pop-Q "Deictic"
Adjust Tense
Relate the timing to the time-frame of the main clause
Verb Tense — Backshifting
| QUESTION – VERB TENSE |
|---|
The verb tense in the subordinate clause adjusts (backshifts) to the point of view of the speaker: the past is used for an earlier event, the past perfect is used toemphasize a difference in time. Past perfect is not used if the time relationship is clear already. |
| PRESENT |
"How many children do you have? " |
| PRESENT |
"How are you now ?" |
| PRESENT PROGRESSIVE |
"Where are you going today?" |
| PAST |
" Whom did you call yesterday?" |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
" Whom were you calling last week?" |
| PRESENT PERFECT |
" Where have you been recently?" |
| PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE |
" How have you been doing so far?" |
| PRESENT |
"How hot is the sun?" (general truth) |
"What do you think?" (permanently) |
| EMBEDDED VERB TENSE |
|---|
An exception to this occurs when using a verb that expresses a general truth; that is, something that exists, is timeless, is a state of being (sensory, cognitive, possession, emotion, measurement) In such cases, the verb remains in its present tense form. |
| PRESENT–GENERAL TRUTH |
She asked how many children I have. |
| PAST |
She asked how I was then. |
| PAST PERSPECTIVE |
She asked where I was going that day. |
| PAST PERFECT |
She asked whom I called / had called the day before. |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE |
She asked whom I was/ had been calling last week. |
| PAST PERFECT |
She asked where I was / had been recently. [lately] |
| PAST PROGRESSIVE OR PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE |
She asked how I was doing / had been doing up until then. [so far] |
| PRESENT OR PAST |
She asked how hot the sun is. (general truth) |
She asked what I think. (permanently) |
General Truth – The simple present tense is used to state fact, how things exist or behave. The verb in a noun clause stays in present tense to express mental states and attitudes such as —thinks, recognizes, understands — which are more permanent than what a person —is thinking,is recognizing, is understanding— which are more temporary and "at the moment". See Stative Verbs
Related pages: Same Time vs. Earlier Agreement | Formal vs. Informal Agreement | Adv for Degree (how hot)
Comment on Wh- Question
Add personal opinion or thought on a question
Subordinate Wh-clauses
| QUOTED WH-QUESTION |
|---|
In a WH-question, the question word becomes the pronoun that joins the clause to a main sentence. |
"Where did he go?" |
"How long were you there?" |
"Which way shall we turn?" |
"What time is it?" |
"Where are you tonight?" |
"Who is she?" |
"Why are you always late?" |
"Whose baggage is this?" genitive (possessive) pronoun |
| COMMENT WITH WH-QUESTION |
|---|
The quote can be placed within a statement. The speaker restates the quote and adds a personal comment. The same tense, pronoun and adverb changes need to be applied. |
I don't know where he went. (go → went) |
I can't remember how long I was here. (there → here.) |
I have no idea which way we should turn. |
Can you tell me what time it is? (A comma separates the unusual occurrence of two auxiliaries.) |
He couldn't tell me where he was that night. (tonight → that night.) |
Do you happen to know who she is. (there → here) |
She couldn't answer why she is always late. (Do not change verb tense for "general truth".) |
I don't know whose baggage that is.
|
Related page That/What Clauses | Adjusting perspective.
Keep Question Word Order
Create an effect on listeners (rhetorical device)
Examples of Keeping the Question Word Order for Impact
| QUESTION WITHIN A STATEMENT |
|---|
More frequently, we hear an embedded question with [Aux+Subj+Verb] word order rather than [Subj+Aux-Verb] word order. This usage is creeping into formal situations such as political questiones and news reports. Is it an error or intentional? |
| ORATORICAL DEVICE? |
Let's think carefully about WHERE ARE we going as a country. (emphasis) [Aux-S-V] |
| PARENTHETICAL SPEECH? |
Let's think carefully, where are we going as a country. Where, let's think carefully, are we going as a country? |
| THOUGHT SHIFT |
Let's think carefully… Where are we going as a country. |
| TRADITIONAL / PREFERRED USE |
Let's think carefully about where we are going as a country. |
| QUESTION WITHIN A QUESTION |
|---|
An embedded question with [Aux+Subj+Verb] word order doesn't seem to occur as much within a question as it does within a comment. This usage occurs mostly in question. Why do you suppose the speaker is shifting from direct to reported question? |
| OCCASIONALLY HEARD OR USED |
~Is there any doubt WHERE ARE we going as a country? [Aux-S-V] |
~Is there any doubt (pause) where are we going as a country?" [Aux-S-V] |
~Can you tell me WHO IS the better candidate? ~Do you know where DO WE turn for help? [Aux-S-V] |
| TRADITIONAL / PREFERRED USE |
Let's think carefully about where we are going as a country. |
* not used / ~ used by some speakers but not by others (informal use)
oratory (N) – the skill of making public questiones
rhetorical device – creative and effective means of public speaking with the goal of making an impact on listeners. See Rhetorical Device (Wikipedia)
parenthetical (Adj) – a comment which interrupts thought and which is set off with comma(s) [informal use] See Comma-comments.
shift (N) – put something aside and replace it with something else
Also see Pop-Q – What Phrase.
Shorten Clause w/ Infinitive
Express methods and instructions
Commenting on a Means or Method Question
| REQUESTING INSTRUCTIONS |
|---|
A WH-question that asks means or method (instructions) often includes the modals should or could. |
"Where should you __ go?" |
"How do you use an encyclopedia?" method |
"Which way shall we turn?" |
"What time should we leave?" |
"Where can I find a pharmacy?" |
"Who shall we invite?" |
"Why should we be late?" (This question asks about plans.) |
| COMMENTING ON REQUEST |
|---|
The verb can be shortened to an infinitive (to + verb) in an embedded statement on means or method of doing something (instructions). |
I don't know where to go. |
I can't remember how to use an encyclopedia. |
I have no idea which way to turn. |
Can you tell me what time to leave? |
He couldn't tell me where to find a pharmacy. |
Let's decide who to invite. |
She couldn't answer why to be late. (This is not a statement of means or method.) |
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
~The man asked what time is it. (word order) This word orderis becoming more common among some speakers. Others judge it as awkward. |
~She asked where are we going for lunch. This word tense use is becoming more common among some speakers. Others judge it as awkward. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
The man asked what time it was.
|
She asked where we were going for lunch. (asking plans) She asked where to go for lunch. (asking instructions) |
* not used / ~ used by some speakers; transitional usage
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional / ESL and Linguistic Descriptions
| TRADITIONAL & ESL DESCRIPTION |
|---|
direct and Indirect question (Swan 274-6) "Words that are spoken or thought in one place by one person may be reported in another place at a different time, and perhaps by another person. Because of this, there are often grammatical differences between direct and indirect question. |
Question-word clauses. Question-word clauses as objects (Swan 485) Clauses beginning with question words can refer both to questions and to the answers to questions. They often act as the objects of verbs.
Indirect Speech – who, what, when, where, how
12-2 Noun Clauses Beginning with a Question Word (Azar) A. What she said to him surprised me. In the above sentence, "what she said" is the subject. B. I don't know where she lives. In the above sentence, "where she lives" is the object of the verb know. "Do not use question word order in a noun clause." That is, question form [Aux S V] is changed to [S-V].
Note that in the Azar book, form and function are not distinguished. Most grammar systems agree that [A] What she said to him is a subject (a function); however, they would not call [B]where she is an "object". The term object is reserved for a noun or noun phrase that serves as the direct or indirect object. (Even to him, (alternative wording for an indirect object) is not called an indirect object. It is a prepositional phrase that names the recipient or beneficiary of the action.) |
Also see "Clause in clause". (Swan 515) |
| LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Direct reported question expresses the actual wording of the question. The major difference between direct and indirect question is deixis. The deictic expressions are interpreted in relation to the original utterance, whereas in indirect question they are interpreted wholly or predominantly in relation to the act of reporting. (1025) deictic – specifying identity or spatial or temporal location from the perspective of one or more of the participants in an act of question or writing, in the context of either an external situation or the surrounding discourse, as we, you, here, there, now, then, this, that, the former, or the latter. Interrogative content clauses. Subordinated Questions: The main structural difference between subordinate and main clause interrogatives is that subject-auxiliary inversion does not generally apply to the subordinate structure. (11 §5.1) |
Subordinate Interrogatives mainly occur in complement function where they have to be licensed by an appropriate head: [a particular verb or S-V wording]: ask, inquire, wonder investigate, know, find out, remember, tell, show, decide, determine, make up one's mind, agree, doubt, question, etc. (list of verbs 976) Survey of constructions containing subordinate interrogatives. As complement or supplement (Huddleston 11 §5.3.1)
(Huddleston 977-981) |
who, what, when, where, how – markers of subordination in interrogative clauses (Huddleston 956) |
Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner.
Phrasal Categories: NP – Noun Phrase; VP – Verb Phrase; AdjP – Adjective Phrase; AdvP – Adverb Phrase; PP – Prepositional Phrase; DP – Determinative Phrase.
Clausal Categories: Cls – clause; F – finite clause; NF – nonfinite clause (Ger – gerund; Inf – infinitive; PPart – past participle).
Word Functions: Subj – subject; Pred – predicate/predicator; Comp – complement: an element or elements required by a word or structure to complete its meaning in the clause (e.g., DO – direct object; IO – indirect object; PP - prep. phrase); Adjunct – adjunct: elements not required by an expression to complete its meaning (Subord – subordinator; Coord – coordinator); Supl – supplement: a clause or phrase added onto a clause that is not closely related to the central thought or structure of the main clause.
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
- "Deixis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 3 May 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deixis. Accessed on 25 Aug. 2016.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Practice
"Busybody"
Reporting What Someone Said
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 1-15" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.
Practice 2
Lost and Found
Decide if the wording is formal (correct) .
- Select "correct" or "incorrect".
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" button to the left or the "check 11-20" button at the bottom.
Practice 3
What did you say?
Read for Errors
I can't exactly remember when was it that I first decided to become a dentist. I just know that I have always wanted to be in the field of health care. My friends ask me why did I want to be a dentist, and I tell them that "There's nothing more beautiful than a healthy smile. Also, dentists have more regular hours than doctors. I can't imagine what did people do before the dentistry profession came along. People must have had terrible breath and missing teeth as they aged. Kissing was probably just for the young!
In fact, no one knows exactly who was the first dentist. In the old days, people used to go to the barber shop to get a tooth pulled.
The only pain killer was a shot of whiskey. Can you imagine what was that like? One minute the barber was cutting hair and the next minute he was pulling a tooth out. It must not have been a very sterile place to do oral surgery.
Dentistry has progressed a lot. Now, patients receive much better care. I'm always glad to see my patients return with a big, white smile. What's that? Did you want to say something? I can't understand what are you're saying.
dentist (N) – doctor who cares for the teeth (the prevention of disease and treatment of tooth decay)
oral surgery – an operation on teeth, gums, or other part of the interior of the mouth
patient (N) – someone who is under medical care
profession (N) – a vocation, a particular kind of work, requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science
shot (N) – a small bar glass full of alcohol usually consumed quickly
sterile (Adj) – very clean, free from germs, ascetic
Edit for errors
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.