Student handout — Grammar for Korean Speakers
Indirect questions trip up Korean speakers: fixing 'what is this'
"I don't know what is this" (and how to fix it)
Word bank
| Word | Simple meaning |
|---|---|
| embed | to put one sentence inside another |
| invert | to swap the order of two words |
The rule in one line
A question standing alone flips word order. A question hiding inside another sentence does not.
- What is this? → I don't know what this is.
- Where is he? → Can you tell me where he is?
Fix it
- I don't know what is your name. → ______________________
- Tell me where is the station. → ______________________
- I'm not sure what time is the movie. → ______________________
- Do you know is he busy? → ______________________ (hint: add "if")
Sentence frames
Use these to talk about your own life:
- I don't think ___ because ___.
- I don't know where ___ is.
- Can you tell me why ___ ?
Write three true sentences about your school using the frames above.