12-2 NOUN CLAUSES BEGINNING WITH A QUESTION WORD

(EMBEDDED QUESTION)

Introduction
An embedded question is a question that is included inside another question or statement.
They are common after introductory phrases, such as:
I wonder
Could you tell me
Do you know
Can you remember
Let's ask
We need to find out
I'd like to know
Could you tell me
I'm not sure
Would you mind explaining
Examples:
Direct question: Where is her house?
Noun Clause: Could you tell me where her house is?
Direct question: Why did she want to come with us?
Noun Clause: I dont know why she wanted to come with us.
*Question words: who, what, where, when, how, how many, why, which, whom.

How to form a noun clauses beginning with a question word

Wh question words + S + V +
position)

(Subject

What I discovered was exciting

+ Wh question words + S + V
position)

(Object

a) In a noun clause, the subject precedes (comes before) the verb. Do not use
auxiliary verbs (do, does, and did) order in a noun clause:
Direct Question: What time did he leave?
Noun Clause: I wonder what time he left.

b) If the question word is the subject of both a question and a noun clause, the word
order will be the same:
Direct Question: Who closed the window?
Noun Clause: I dont know who closed the window.
c) If another noun is the subject of the question, it is placed in front of the verb in the
noun clause:
Direct Question: Where is he?
Noun Clause: I dont know where he is.
d) A question word noun clause can also be the subject of a sentence:
Direct Question: Where did he get married?
Noun Clause: Where he got married was very pretty.
e) A question word noun clause used as a subject takes a singular verb:
Direct Question: What are my classes studying?
Noun Clause: What my classes are studying has to be clear.

References:
http://www.mpc.edu/home/showdocument?id=1296
http://www.elc.byu.edu/classes/aoyama/grammar5/aoyg5w01/charts/noun_clause
s.pdf
http://www.englishlessonsbrighton.co.uk/embedded-questions-exercises/