There is some confusion about when to invert the subject and verb after question words such as what, when, where, why and how. These words can have two very different functions in a sentence. First, they can introduce a questions, and in this case the subject and verb that follow are inverted.
what is the homework?
when can i leave?
where are you going?
Also, these words can join together two clauses, and in this case the subject and verb that follow are not inverted.
i do not know what the homerwork is.
when i can leave, i will take the first train.
do you know where you are going?
In each of these examples there are two clauses joined by a question word. Notice that the subjects and verbs that follow the question words what, when, and where are not inverted in this case.
INVERTED SUBJECTS AND VERBS WITH QUESTIONS WORDS
who what when where why how
When the question word introduces a question, the subject and verb are inverted.
what are they?
QUESTION WORD V S
When the question word connects two clauses, the subect and verb that follow are not inverted.
i know what they are
S V QUESTION WORD S V
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