1. Q. When is a question not a question? A. When it’s an indirect question. But this isn’t quite right, is it? QUESTIONS

2. “Is this a question?” asked Susan. “Yes,” replied George. “It’s a direct question.” It is a direct question, because someone is speaking and is asking for information.

3. QUESTIONS What punctuation mark ends all questions?

4. QUESTIONS A question mark (?) always ends a question … except...

5. QUESTIONS Except when the question is indirect. Susan asked George if it was a question.

6. QUESTIONS “Who let the cat in?” asked Fred, “because it’s made muddy pawprints on the kitchen table!” Fred asked who had let the cat in, because there were muddy pawprints on the kitchen table. direct indirectreveal

7. QUESTIONS In both examples a question is being asked. In the direct question someone is asking someone else in speech; the indirect question is used for reported speech, when someone’s words are reported by another person, possibly a narrator.