Question 1

How do I use present perfect in embedded questions?

Accepted Answer

Present perfect embedded questions keep "has" or "have" but use statement word order: direct question "How long has she lived here?" becomes "Do you know how long she has lived here?" — notice "she has" (statement) replaces "has she" (question). For present perfect continuous, the pattern works the same way: "What has he been doing?" becomes "I wonder what he has been doing." For negative present perfect embedded questions, "not" stays with "has/have": "I'm not sure whether she hasn't already left." Remember that "do/does/did" are removed in embedded questions, but "has" and "have" are kept because they carry the perfect tense meaning — without them, the sentence changes from present perfect to present simple.

Question 2

Do embedded questions always need a question mark?

Accepted Answer

No — an embedded question only needs a question mark if the whole sentence is a question. "Do you know where she lives?" ends with a question mark because the main sentence is asking you something. But "I wonder where she lives." ends with a full stop because the main sentence is a statement — you are expressing curiosity, not asking someone directly. "I don't know what time it starts." is also a statement, so no question mark. The test is simple: look at the main clause, not the embedded part. If the main clause asks a question (Do you know, Can you tell me, Could you explain), use a question mark. If it makes a statement (I wonder, I don't know, Nobody told me), use a full stop.

Question 3

What is the difference between simple and advanced embedded questions?

Accepted Answer

Simple embedded questions have one level: "Do you know where the station is?" — one embedded question inside one main question. Advanced embedded questions add complexity in several ways. First, the embedded part uses complex tenses: "I wonder how long they had been waiting" (past perfect continuous). Second, double embedding nests one embedded question inside another: "Can you find out if anyone knows where he went?" Third, the main clause can be negative: "She never explained why she hadn't called." Each layer increases the difficulty because you must maintain statement word order throughout while keeping the correct tense in each part. Cambridge B2 First regularly tests these multi-layered structures.

Embedded Questions (Hard) — Advanced Indirect Questions

Quick Rule

All 20 questions

Continue Practising

Wh- Questions Hub

Question Formation Error Correction

Question Order (Medium)

-ed vs -ing Adjectives

Conditionals

Present Perfect