Some sentences act like questions. They are sentences, but they are actually asking a question.
Here are the most common sentence patterns.
- I don’t know…
- I can’t remember…
- I have no idea…
- I don’t know why…
- Tell me…
- I am not sure…
- I was wondering…
- I am curious…
We use noun clauses to express the questions after these expressions. Because embedded questions are actually sentences, we should use sentence word order.
Remember to use “if” or “whether” with yes/no questions. Look at some examples.
- “Did she leave?”
I have no idea if she left. - “Has she been to Europe?”
I can’t remember if she has been to Europe. - “Will it rain?”
I am not sure if it will rain. - “Is she coming?”
I am not sure whether she is coming or not.
Use question words for regular questions.
- “Where is the bank?”
I don’t know where the bank is. - “Why do people like it?”
I don’t know why people like it. - “What do you do?”
Tell me what you do.
“I was wondering…” is an important sentence to learn. We use “I was wondering…” to ask for help or a favor. It is very polite and you can use it in almost any situation to ask for help or a favor in an indirect and polite way.
It is often used when asking for help, a favor, or permission with yes/no questions as “I was wondering if…” or “I was wondering if I could…” or “I was wondering if you could…”
- I was wondering if I could move to a different room.
- She was wondering if she could turn in her homework one day late.
- I was wondering if you could lend me $20.
- We were wondering if you could help us.
Note: We use the past tense “was/were”, but we are not talking about the past. Think of it like this; I was wondering, but now I am asking.
Make sure that you understand this English grammar well. It is important to know if you want to speak English fluently.
