Yishun English Tuition Ai Tong Primary School is rebuilt as a focused Primary English guide to question-word + infinitive structures: forms such as what to do, how to answer, where to go, when to leave, which option to choose and who to ask. Families searching for Primary English tuition in Yishun, Ai Tong Primary School English tuition, PSLE English, grammar, comprehension, sentence transformation, situational writing and small-group English tuition often see pupils produce a full indirect question where a concise infinitive phrase would be natural, or mix the two structures.
I don’t know what to do is different from I don’t know what should I do. In standard English, the first uses what + to-infinitive; the second attempts an embedded question but keeps direct-question word order. Can you show me how to register? asks for a method. Please tell me where to wait asks for a location. The structure packages a practical decision or instruction compactly.
This page therefore owns one distinct learning job: how to express unresolved choices, instructions and methods through question-word + infinitive phrases.
This historical school-name title is retained for archive continuity. eduKate is independent of Ai Tong Primary School and does not claim affiliation, endorsement, a school-based tuition venue or access to internal school materials.
The 50-Second Question-Word + Infinitive Router
- Thing/action choice? what to do.
- Method? how to do it.
- Place? where to go.
- Time? when to leave.
- Choice among options? which one to choose.
- Person to consult/contact? who to ask.
What To Do
I don’t know what to do.
The phrase represents an unresolved action choice.
How To…
She showed me how to use the form.
The phrase describes method or procedure.
Where To…
Do you know where to wait?
The phrase asks for the correct location for an action.
When To…
Tell me when to submit the form.
The phrase packages timing.
Which To…
I cannot decide which route to take.
The phrase presents a choice among identifiable alternatives.
Who To…
Do you know who to ask?
The phrase identifies the person who should receive the question or request.
Why + Infinitive Is More Restricted
English commonly uses why with full clauses:
I don’t know why we need to wait.
Why to wait is not the ordinary general pattern used like what to do.
Teach question words individually rather than assuming every one combines freely with to.
The Subject of the Infinitive Is Often Understood
Maya knows what to do.
Maya is normally understood as the person who should do it.
But Context Can Supply a Different Understood Subject
The teacher told Maya what to give Ben.
Maya is understood as giver, Ben as recipient.
Event roles still matter.
Question-Word + Infinitive After Know
I know where to go.
She knows how to answer.
After Decide
We decided where to meet.
Maya decided what to bring.
After Learn
Pupils learn how to organise a paragraph.
After Explain
The guide explains how to use the index.
Do not write explains me how to; the recipient frame is explains how… or explains it to me.
After Show
Please show me how to upload the file.
The object recipient me fits show naturally.
After Tell
Tell me where to wait.
Tell us what to bring.
After Ask
Ask the organiser where to report.
The question-word phrase represents the information sought.
After Wonder
I wonder what to do next.
The phrase presents uncertainty.
Do Not Keep Direct-Question Word Order
Wrong embedded question:
I don’t know where should I go.
Full embedded clause:
I don’t know where I should go.
Infinitive alternative:
I don’t know where to go.
Do Not Mix Modal and Infinitive Frames
Wrong:
I don’t know what should to do.
Choose one structure:
I don’t know what I should do.
or
I don’t know what to do.
Question-Word + Infinitive Can Be More Concise
Full:
Can you tell me where I should wait?
Concise:
Can you tell me where to wait?
Both can be correct, with small differences in emphasis and subject interpretation.
Concise Does Not Mean Always Better
If the subject must be explicit, use a full clause:
Please tell Maya where Ben should wait.
This is clearer than a phrase that might make Maya the understood waiter.
Subject Ambiguity Requires Care
Maya told Ben where to wait.
Ben is normally understood as the person who should wait.
But longer sentences can create ambiguity; expand when needed.
How To Is Not the Same as Whether To
I know how to fix it. — method.
I don’t know whether to fix it now. — choice between doing and not doing, or between timing options.
Whether To…
We are deciding whether to move the session.
This structure packages a yes-no choice.
Whether To A or B
We are deciding whether to use the hall or the library.
The alternatives are explicit.
What To Bring in Practical Writing
The notice explains what to bring and where to report.
The structure is useful when summarising instructions.
How To in Informational Writing
A heading such as:
How to Register
signals a procedure.
Question-Word + Infinitive in Comprehension
Maya did not know where to place the folder.
This tells us her uncertainty concerns location.
Question-Word + Infinitive in Oral Communication
I’m not sure how to explain this clearly.
This can be a useful metacognitive statement before the pupil asks for specific help.
A Fictional Learner: Maya and Where Should I Go
Maya writes:
I don’t know where should I go.
The tutor shows two options:
I don’t know where I should go.
I don’t know where to go.
Maya learns not to carry direct-question inversion inside the larger sentence.
A Fictional Learner: Ben and Why To
Ben assumes every question word can use the same infinitive pattern:
I don’t know why to leave.
The tutor asks what he means.
If he wants the reason, he writes:
I don’t know why I should leave.
If he wants the time, he writes:
I don’t know when to leave.
Reading Laboratory
Original fictional notice: New helpers will receive a guide explaining how to register visitors, where to place completed forms and who to contact if information is missing. The guide also explains which tray to use for late forms and when to close the registration desk.
Ask pupils to identify the function of each question word:
- how — method;
- where — location;
- who — person;
- which — choice among trays;
- when — time.
Diagnostic
- Repair: I don’t know where should I wait.
- Complete: Please show me ___ to use the form.
- Complete: Tell me ___ to submit it. when asking for time.
- Explain the difference between how to and whether to.
- Explain why why to is more restricted.
- Rewrite a full embedded question as a question-word + infinitive phrase.
Possible Answers
I don’t know where I should wait or where to wait. Use how for method and when for time. Whether to expresses choice. Why normally introduces a full reason clause rather than behaving like how/where/when in this pattern.
Writing Clinic
Faulty message: “I don’t know where should I go and what should to bring. Please explain me how I register and why to wait there.”
A clearer version is:
I don’t know where to report or what to bring. Could you please explain how to register and why I need to wait there?
Primary 4
Begin with what to do, where to go and how to complete familiar procedures.
Primary 5
Add when/which/who/whether and comparison with full embedded questions.
Primary 6 and PSLE English
Pupils should use these structures accurately in grammar, practical writing and comprehension without mixing direct-question and infinitive patterns.
A 90-Minute Question-Word + Infinitive Lesson
- 10 min: identify information type.
- 15 min: what/how/where.
- 15 min: when/which/who.
- 15 min: whether to.
- 15 min: embedded-question comparison.
- 15 min: practical-writing transfer.
- 5 min: fresh independent rewrite.
What Parents Can Look For
- direct-question inversion disappears after I don’t know…;
- how/where/when/which/who map to correct information types;
- whether to expresses choices clearly;
- why is not forced into the same pattern;
- practical summaries become more concise;
- the child expands the phrase when subject ambiguity appears.
The Independence Test
Give a fresh notice containing missing information about action, method, place, time, person and choice. Ask the pupil to write six question-word + infinitive phrases and convert two into full embedded questions.
The Larger Goal
Question-word + infinitive structures let English package a practical decision compactly. Pupils who control them can move between questions, instructions and concise reporting with less grammatical strain.
Related eduKate Yishun Reading
Official Reference
Ministry of Education: English Language Syllabus 2020 Primary
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