How to Formulate Embedded Questions

An embedded question is a question that is part of another sentence. It can appear in a declarative sentence or a question.

Direct Questions		Embedded Questions
Where is the museum?		Could you tell me where the museum is?
Why was the train delayed?		Do you know why the train was delayed?
Why are the children screaming?		I don’t know why the children are screaming.

These expressions are used to introduce embedded questions:

I was wondering…

The question is…

Who knows…

I’d like to know…

I’m not sure why…

It’s not clear…

Can you remember

Uses for embedded questions:

To ask for information politely

Direct Questions		Embedded Questions
What time is the show?		Can you tell me what time the show is?

Speaking about something the speaker doesn't know.

Direct Question		Embedded Questions
Why did the girl start to cry?		I was wondering why the girl started to cry?

More Information about Embedded Questions