Complete Grammar Syllabus (145 Units)

Grammar Mastery

Comprehensive reference, real-world IELTS band-boosting tips, clear structural formulas, and interactive short quizzes for intermediate to advanced English learners.

Questions: Word Order, Prepositions & Embedded Questions

Subject vs object questions (Who saw you? vs Who did you see?), prepositions at the end of questions, and indirect embedded questions.

Core Structure & Formula

Subject Question (No do/does/did): Who / What + Verb? (Who emailed you? / What happened?)

Object Question: Question Word + do/does/did + Subject + Verb? (Who did you email?)

Preposition at end: Who did you speak to? / What are you searching for?

Embedded Question: Do you know + Subject + Verb (Do you know where the office is? NOT where is the office)

ASubject Questions vs Object Questions

When who/what/which is the subject of the sentence, do NOT use do/does/did. The verb conjugates directly.

•Somebody emailed the whole department. -> Who emailed the department? (Who is subject)

•The department emailed somebody. -> Who did the department email? (department is subject, Who is object)

•What happened during the site visit? (not What did happen)

•Which bus goes to the conference centre? (not does go)

BPrepositions at the End

In natural English, prepositions usually appear at the end of question clauses.

•Where are you from?

•Who do you want to speak to?

•What was the presentation like?

•Which position has Amara applied for?

CEmbedded Indirect Questions (Do you know where ... ?)

When a question is inside a polite phrase (Do you know / Can you tell me / I wonder), normal sentence word order (Subject + Verb) is used.

•Direct: Where has the delegation gone? -> Embedded: Do you know where the delegation has gone? (not where has the delegation gone)

•Direct: What time does the seminar start? -> Embedded: Do you know what time the seminar starts?

•Direct: Why did she resign? -> Embedded: I wonder why she resigned.

IELTS Band 7–9 Exam Impact

Essential in IELTS Speaking Part 3 and interview discussions. Embedded questions provide sophisticated polite syntax.

Common Candidate Errors

✗ Can you tell me where is the station?

✓ Can you tell me where the station is?

Embedded indirect questions revert to affirmative subject-verb word order.

✗ Who did tell you that story?

✓ Who told you that story?

When 'who' is the subject of the question, auxiliary 'did' is not used.

Unit 49 Interactive Short Quiz

Test your understanding with 3 verified practice exercises.

Question 1 of 3

Somebody submitted the wrong file. -> ______ submitted it?

Question 2 of 3

Do you know what time ______ ?

Question 3 of 3

Can you tell me who you ______ to on the phone?