ESL Term:

Embedded Questions

ESL/EFL Glossary: A Guide to applied linguistics terminology.

 

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embedded questions:

These are noun clauses that begin with who, what, where, when, why, how, or if. They are called embedded questions because they look as if they are questions inside sentences. Here are some examples:

            I don't know who he is.

            I can't remember where I put it.

            I wonder when she left.

            Can you tell me where it is?

            Ask her who the new teacher is.

            I'm not sure what time it is.

            Tell me who you are.

Note: The verb order is not transposed as it is in a question.