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Indirect Questions, SVO Clauses and SVOC

An indirect question sits inside another sentence and uses statement word order: "Do you know where the station is?" Some verbs (think, know, say) take a that/what clause as their object (SVO). With make, call, name, find and keep we use SVOC, where the complement describes the object.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. Here is a direct question: "Where is the station?" The red word is the verb. It comes right after "Where".
  2. Now we put the question inside another sentence: "Do you know where the station is?" Watch the lines. The verb moves to the end.
  3. For yes/no questions we add "if": "Is he home?" becomes "I wonder if he is home". The verb is after "he" again.
  4. Some verbs take a whole clause as the object: "I think that she is kind." "I know what she wants." The green block is the object.
  5. Now SVOC. In "We call the cat Tama", Tama is another name for the cat. In "The news made me happy", happy tells how I feel.
  6. Free play: press each button and look at the colours. Subject, verb, object, complement. Try to say your own sentence in the same pattern.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

Why does the verb move to the end?

Inside a sentence the question becomes a statement, and a statement puts the subject first. Watch the red block move in the 3D.

Do I use a question mark?

Only if the whole sentence is a question ("Do you know where it is?"). "I wonder where it is." ends with a full stop.

Is it if or whether?

Both work for yes/no questions. "If" is easier in speech, "whether" is more formal.

Can the object really be a whole sentence?

Yes. The green block is a clause with its own subject and verb; it answers "think what?" or "know what?".

How do I tell SVOC from SVOO?

In SVOC the amber block describes the green block (the cat is Tama). In SVOO the two blocks are different things.

Direct and indirect questions

A direct question stands alone: "Where is the station?" The verb comes before the subject.

An indirect question is hidden inside a longer sentence. We start with a frame like "Do you know", "Could you tell me" or "I wonder". Then we use statement order: question word + subject + verb.

There is no question mark after "I wonder where he lives". In "Do you know where he lives?" the whole sentence is still a question, so it keeps the mark.

Yes/no questions with if or whether

A yes/no question has no question word. When we move it inside a sentence we add if or whether.

"If" is common in speaking. "Whether" is a little more formal and works well with "or not": "I don't know whether he will come or not."

SVO with a that-clause or wh-clause

SVO means Subject + Verb + Object. Usually the object is a noun: "I like music". But the object can also be a clause, a small sentence with its own subject and verb.

Verbs often followed by such a clause: think, know, say, hope, believe, tell, ask, understand, remember.

SVOC: make, call, name, find, keep

SVOC means Subject + Verb + Object + Complement. The complement says what the object is, or what the object becomes. You can test it: Object is Complement.

Compare SVOO: "She gave me a book" (me is not the same as a book). In SVOC the object and complement are about the same thing.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. Change to an indirect question: "Where does Ravi live?" Start with "Do you know".

Do you know where Ravi lives? Remove "does", put the subject first, and the verb gets the -s.

2. Join with "if": "Is the shop open?" / "I wonder".

I wonder if the shop is open.

3. Name the pattern: "The teacher made the class quiet."

SVOC. S = The teacher, V = made, O = the class, C = quiet. The class is quiet.

4. Which is correct? "I don't know what is his name" or "I don't know what his name is"?

"I don't know what his name is." After the wh-word, use statement order: subject (his name) then verb (is).

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. Which is a correct indirect question?
2. Choose the word that fits: "I wonder ___ it will rain."
3. In "They named the puppy Moti", Moti is the:
4. "I know that he is right." The clause is:
5. "The movie made us sad." The pattern is:

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

What is an indirect question?

It is a question placed inside another sentence, such as "Could you tell me where the library is?". It uses normal statement word order.

When do we use if and whether?

Use them to join yes/no questions: "I don't know if/whether he is coming". Whether is a little more formal.

How can I know if a sentence is SVOC?

Say "object is complement". If it makes sense (the cat is Tama, I am happy) the sentence is SVOC.

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