Introduction
There are many different ways to form questions. We will look at two kinds of questions. One is called a yes / no question and the other is called a WH- question.
Yes / No Questions
A yes / no question is a question that can be answered with yes or no. Yes / no questions can be formed using the words is / are or do / does.
The most common type of yes / no question is formed by putting a to be verb (for example, is or are) at the beginning of a question.
Making a Question with a “To Be” Verb
Example (be-verb: IS)
| Statement | Question | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Elliot is reading a book. | Is Elliot reading a book? | Yes, he is. No, he isn't. |
Example (be-verb: ARE)
| Statement | Question | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| They are from Greece. | Are they from Greece? | Yes, they are. No, they are not. |
Another common type of yes / no question is formed by adding do or does at the beginning of a sentence.
The form of this kind of yes / no question is: Do / Does + subject +verb*
Making a Question with “Do” or “Does”
| Statement | Question | Answers |
|---|---|---|
| I eat breakfast at 7 a.m. | Do you eat breakfast at 7 a.m.? | Yes, I do. No, I don't. |
| I listen to music. | Do you listen to music? | Yes, I do. No, I don't. |
| He doesn't work on the computer. | Does he work* on the computer? | Yes, he does. No, he doesn't. |
| We don't watch TV every night. | Do we watch TV every night? | Yes, we do. No, we don't. |
| I start work at 8 p.m. | Do you start work at 8 p.m.? | Yes, I do. No, I don't. |
| It takes* an hour to walk home. | Does it take an hour to walk home? | Yes, it does. No, it doesn't. |
* Note that the -s is never added to the verb when using do / does in a question.
WH- Questions
Questions can ask for information. You ask for information using WH- question words (who, what, where, how, whose, why, and when).
WH- questions have a different structure when "who" is the subject.
Information Questions
| Question | WH- Word | Structure | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the hotel? | Where Information about place |
question word + auxiliary verb + subject | The hotel is on Douglas Street. |
| What is your name? | What Information about things |
question word + auxiliary verb + subject | My name is Rachael. |
| Why is the road wet? | Why Information about the reason for something |
question word + auxiliary verb + subject | The road is wet because it was just raining. |
| When do you get up? | When Information about time |
question word + auxiliary verb + subject (+ verb) | I get up at 7:00 every morning. |
| How do you drink your coffee? | How Information about the manner or way in which something is done |
question word + auxiliary verb + subject (+ verb) | I drink my coffee with milk and sugar. |
| Who lives in that house? | Who (subject) Information about people |
question word + verb | My mother lives in that house. |
| Whose pen is this? | Whose Information about possession (who the owner is) |
question word + subject + verb | That is Camilla's pen. |
When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.