embedded questions
 

I'm trying to figure out the reason behind embedded questions. The form is clear, as a number of websites and grammar dictionaries explain the structure. It's also clear when the questions are used to report information, as in: He doesn't know when he will get here. But what about the following?

Do you know (what his job is)?
Do you remember (what his job is)?
Could you tell me...?

How do the usage of these questions differ from direct questions, as in: What is his job?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Re: embedded questions
 

Doesn't it leave room for the listener not to know. It's softer. If you ask directly, it seems the listener should know the answer.

Just a thought ...

Re: embedded questions
 

Yeah, I thought of that. But certainly there has to be a more grammatical reason. Any other ideas?

Re: embedded questions
 

good question
I agree with you ,there has to be a more grammatical reason

Re: embedded questions
 

As a non-native speaker, I can share here what I was taught about this kind of questions by my teachers long ago.
In case of "Do you know what his job is", the actual question is "Do you know" and thus it's formed as a question. The second part refers to the information that is supposed to be known, but is not a question per se, so no reason to inverse the verb and the noun, as in a question.
I guess it's kind of khaki of me to respond to problems posted by native speakers ;)