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13-Oct-2007, 15:13
| | Newbie | | Join Date: Oct 2007 Country: spain
Posts: 12
Current Location: malaga First Language: spanish Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 1
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| |  indirect, polite ,questions
Hi!
I have a little problem about a polite question using "wonder". What is the correct or more usual form?
I wonder if you could tell me what time the bus leaves
or
I wonder if you could tell me what time leaves the bus?
Thanks for your help |
13-Oct-2007, 15:37
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
Posts: 3,025
Current Location: Canada First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 4
Thanked 481 Times in 442 Posts
| | Re: indirect, polite ,questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by alvarofernandez  Hi!
I have a little problem about a polite question using "wonder". What is the correct or more usual form?
I wonder if you could tell me what time the bus leaves
or
I wonder if you could tell me what time leaves the bus?
Thanks for your help | The first is the normal word order. There's no need to invert the subject and the verb because the whole sentence isn't really a question and secondly, we don't invert anyway to ask 'what time' questions. We use the auxiliary verb 'does'. |
13-Oct-2007, 15:48
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Country: Poland
Posts: 1,143
Current Location: Swindon, England First Language: Polish Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 10
Thanked 178 Times in 169 Posts
| |  Re: indirect, polite ,questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by alvarofernandez Hi!
I have a little problem about a polite question using "wonder". What is the correct or more usual form?
I wonder if you could tell me what time the bus leaves
or
I wonder if you could tell me what time leaves the bus?
Thanks for your help | If you really want to be very, very polite, then use the verb wonder in the past continuous form: I was wondering if... ?  |
13-Oct-2007, 15:50
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Aug 2006 Country: Canada
Posts: 3,025
Current Location: Canada First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher Thanks: 4
Thanked 481 Times in 442 Posts
| | Re: indirect, polite ,questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by engee30 If you really want to be very, very polite, then use the verb wonder in the past continuous form: I was wondering if... ? |
Excellent point, Engee. |
13-Oct-2007, 16:02
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2006 Country: Poland
Posts: 1,143
Current Location: Swindon, England First Language: Polish Member Type: Student or Learner Thanks: 10
Thanked 178 Times in 169 Posts
| | Re: indirect, polite ,questions
Quote:
Originally Posted by riverkid Excellent point, Engee. | Thank you, Riverkid. 
The idea of putting the verb in question into that particular form is quite fresh to me - I'm looking through all the grammar books I possess, creating a computer program.
If you'd like to know what exactly I'm writing about, download the .RAR file, unpack it, click on the setup.exe file, and watch it work (I hope)!  RapidShare: 1-Click Webhosting | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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