Shifts from indirect to direct questions

An indirect question reports a question without asking it:

Example sentence: We asked whether we could visit Mimo.

A direct question asks directly:

Example sentence: Can we visit Mimo?

Sudden shifts from indirect to direct questions are awkward. In addition, sentences containing such shifts are impossible to punctuate because indirect questions must end with a period and direct questions must end with a question mark.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and, if so, did she report it to the police? Revised sentence: I wonder whether Karla knew of the theft and, if so, whether she reported it to the police.

The revision poses both questions indirectly. The writer could also ask both questions directly: Did Karla know of the theft and, if so, did she report it to the police?

Exercise: Shifts: mood and voice, questions and quotations 1

Exercise: Shifts: mood and voice, questions and quotations 2

Exercise: All shifts 1

Exercise: All shifts 2

Exercise: Editing for shifts