Future embedded questions

Article excerpt · target grammar marked

Nobody is quite sure yet whether there is a way to reopen the window. Researchers wonder whether this neural separation is what makes it so hard to pass for a native speaker.

Grammar Reference · Future embedded questions

Embedded Q + will

Nobody knows whether dialects will survive the next century. — speculative future inside a noun clause

Embedded Q + may/might

I wonder whether the window may reopen with intensive training. — softer speculation; hedge with may or might

Embedded Q + be

Scientists question how quickly English is likely to spread online. — likelihood framing inside an embedded clause

Word-order reminder

Do you know what will happen next? ✓ — not what will happen? — embedded questions keep statement order

01Exercise 1 — Form · Write the Correct Form

Future embedded questions

1.I wonder whether accent fossilisation fully reversed in adults.

2.Nobody knows how quickly the dominant language of a workplace to change.

3.Scientists are asking whether neural plasticity in speakers over forty.

4.Do you have any idea whether the critical period artificially extended?

5.Linguists question how significantly code-switching in digital communication over the next decade.

6.It is not yet clear whether a second critical period for heritage language learners.

02Exercise 2 — Transform

rewrite with the new structure

1.Will dialects survive the next century?

2.How quickly is English likely to spread online?

3.Can the critical period be extended?

4.Will accent fossilisation be reversed one day?

5.How many languages may disappear by 2100?

6.Is neural plasticity likely to improve with training?

03Exercise 3 — About You

in your notebook

Personalise: complete five sentences about yourself using the target grammar.

Future embedded questions01EnglishPlans.com