Direct and Indirect Questions

Indirect Questions with WH and H

Notice the difference between a direct question and an indirect question.

Direct : "Where are you going?" Mary asked.
Indirect: Mary asked where we were going.

Indirect questions
- use verbs of speech for questions (asked, wondered, enquired, wanted to know, tried to find out, etc.)
- use question words (where, when, who, why,how, etc) instead of that
- change verb tenses, pronouns, and time expressions (just like reported statements)
- use question word + subject + verb word order (unlike a direct question)

question word + subject + verb
He asked when they would arrive.

Note:
If the question word is who, the direct question and the indirect question have the same word order.

"Who is there?"
She wondered who was there.