Grammar﹕Indirect questions
【明報專訊】Bill and Pat get lost in the new shopping mall, so they seek help from the concierge.
Bill: Excuse me, (1) do you know where the French bistro is?
MoMo: Sure, it is next to the optician's on the third floor. You can go straight on and take the escalator on the right.
Pat: But we just came from the optician's and we didn't see it.
MoMo: There are two entrances at the optician's. (2) Would you mind telling me which exit you took?
Pat: We went out from the main entrance and took the lift down here.
MoMo: I see. You can find the bistro on the other side.
Bill: Thanks a lot. Let's go, Pat. (3) I wonder when Dr. Panda will arrive. Maybe he's already waiting for us.
■English highway﹕
Sometimes we use indirect questions beginning with phrases such as "Do you know" and "I wonder". This makes the request more polite. Note that the structure of "question word + auxiliary verb + subject" in direct questions is inverted.
e.g. Where is the Italian cafe?
→ Do you know where the Italian cafe is?
■Now you try
(Answers on next text)
Rewrite the following sentences into indirect questions.
1. Who is James visiting this Saturday?
→ (1) Do you know ____________________________?
2. How much does the necklace cost?
→ (2) Would you mind telling me ____________________________?
3. Where is Murray House?
→ (3) I wonder if you could tell me ___________________________.
■Glossary
concierge (n) 禮賓服務
bistro (n) 小餐館
optician/ optician's (n) 視光師／眼鏡店
escalator (n) 電梯
[Smarties' Power English 第204期]
