Lesson 25 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Build a Sentence, Writing. An embedded question is a question inside a bigger sentence: Do you know where the box office is?
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Build a Sentence (Writing)
English focus
Statement word order inside questions that begin Do you know / Could you tell me / Do you have any idea: wh- words and phrases, if and whether, and the tense moving from do/does/did onto the verb
Task skill
Undo question order inside an embedded question when building the sentence, and test the leftover tile (often the question-order does/did) as the extra tile
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
An embedded question is a question inside a bigger sentence: Do you know where the box office is?
The frame at the front does the asking (Do you know, Could you tell me) or makes the sentence a statement or a request (I wonder, Let me know).
So the question part uses statement order: question word, subject, verb, with no do to make it a question.
In Build a Sentence the frame is usually fixed and the question part is in the tiles, so this one change decides many answers.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Turn a direct question into an embedded question after Do you know, Could you tell me, Do you have any idea, I wonder or I’m not sure: question word, subject, verb, with the question-making do/does/did gone and its tense (‑s, ‑ed) on the main verb.
Embed a yes/no question with if or whether, keep a whole wh- phrase together (which room, how long, whose turn), leave a preposition where the statement has it (usually at the end) in everyday English, and tell whose from who’s.
In Build a Sentence, read the fixed words first, build question word → subject → verb in the slots, then test the leftover tile before leaving it in the bank: often does/did, but sometimes a verb form that doesn’t fit or a sound-alike such as who’s.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 25
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Direct questions become statements
7
Cycle 2
English
if, whether and whole wh- phrases
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Building embedded questions from tiles
7
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
course reserves noun phrase
books or chapters a library keeps for one course, often for short loans
Professor Okafor put two chapters on course reserves, so nobody has to buy the whole book.
Goes with:
put a book on course reserves
Word family:
reserve (verb): set something aside; on reserve (phrase); reservation (noun)
happen to know verb phrase
a polite way to ask whether someone knows something
Do you happen to know if the dining hall is open during spring break?
Goes with:
Do you happen to know + an embedded question (Would you happen to know … is even more polite)
Word family:
happen to have (phrase); by any chance (similar meaning)
help (someone) with verb phrase
to make a task easier for someone by doing part of it
Sofia helped me with my cover letter before the career fair.
Goes with:
help someone with homework / with a move
Word family:
helpful (adjective); helper (noun); help (noun): ask for help
Hi there expression
a friendly, informal way to say hello to someone
Hi there, is this seat taken?
Goes with:
Hi there + a friendly question or offer (Hi there, can I help?)
Word family:
hello there (a little more formal); hey there (very casual)
any idea noun phrase
an informal way to ask “Do you know…?”
Any idea what time the fireworks start tonight?
Goes with:
Do you have any idea when …, I have no idea why …
Word family:
no idea (I have no idea …); Any idea …? (short and casual)
charger noun
a device that puts power back into a phone or laptop battery
The train has outlets under every seat, so bring your phone charger.
Goes with:
a phone charger / a laptop charger
Word family:
charge (verb): charge your phone; rechargeable (adjective)
robotics noun (a field of study)
the study and building of robots
Hassan’s robotics team built a machine that sorts recycling by color.
a room with equipment for science experiments; short for laboratory
Our chemistry lab report is due before Friday’s class.
Goes with:
a computer lab / a lab report / a lab partner
Word family:
laboratory (the full word)
leave verb (leave, left, left)
to let something stay in a place when you go
You can leave your coat on the rack by the door.
Goes with:
leave something at home / leave the light on
Word family:
left (past tense and past participle); leave behind (phrasal verb)
could be modal + be
might be; is possibly
That could be Olu at the door; he said he’d stop by.
Goes with:
could be anyone’s, could be right
Word family:
might be (possible); must be (almost sure); can’t be (sure it isn’t)
The takeaway: Inside Do you know, Could you tell me or any idea, the question part is a statement: question word (or if/whether for a yes/no question), subject, verb, with no do/does/did to make it a question.
In the full course
Embedded questions is part of the full TOEFL course
Unlock all 41 lessons with the TOEFL plan, or try one of the free lessons first.
✓All 3 teaching cycles of this lesson, with 21 drills and feedback on every answer
✓The 10-word bank, each word with a recall drill
✓A walk-through, guided practice and a Check on Build a Sentence