Question words

Question words are also called wh questions because they include the letters 'W' and 'H'.

Question

wordsMeaning Examples

who person Who's that? That's Nancy.

where place Where do you live? In Boston

whyreason Why do you sleep early? Because I've got to get

up early

when time When do you go to work? At 7:00

how manner How do you go? By car

what object, idea or action What do you do? I am an engineer

which choice Which one do you prefer? The red one.

whose possession Whose is this book? It's Alan's.

whom object of the verb Whom did you meet? I met the manager.

what kind description What kind of music do you like? I like quiet songs

what time time What time did you come home?

how many quantity (countable) How many students are there? There are twenty.

how muchamount, price

(uncountable)

How much time have we got? Ten minutes

how longduration, length How long did you stay in that hotel? For two

weeks.

how often frequency How often do you go to the gym? Twice a week.

how far distance How far is your school? It's one mile far.

how old age How old are you? I'm 16.

how come reason How come I didn't see at the party?

Asking questions

1.If you ask about the subject of the sentence, simply add the question word at the

beginning:

Example:

James writes good poems. — Who writes good pems?

2.If you ask about the predicate of the sentence (the part of a sentence which contains the

verb and gives information about the subject), there are three options:

If there is a helping (auxilary) verb that precedes the main verb ( foe example, can,

is, are, was, were, will, would...), add the question word and invert the subject and

the helping (auxilary) verb.

Examples:

He can speak Chinese. — What can he speak?

They are leaving tonight. — When are they leaving?

If you ask about the predicate and there is no helping (auxilary) verb and the verb

is "to be", simply add the question verb and invert the subject and the verb.

Example:

The play was interesting. — How was the play?

If there is no helping (auxilary) verb in the the predicate and the main verb is not

"to be", add the auxilary "do" in the appropriate form.

Examples:

They go to the movies every Saturday. — Where do they go to the movies? 

He wakes up early. — When does he wake up?

They sent a letter. — What did they send?

Types of questions

There are two types of questions:

Yes or no questions

Wh questions

Yes-no questions

Yes or no questions are questions whose expected answer is either "yes" or "no".

How to form yes-no questions

In English, a special word order (Verb Subject Object) is used to form yes-no questions.

Examples:

Affirmative Yes or No Question

They are American Are they American?

She is nice Is she nice?

The rules

1.If the main verb of the sentence is "to be", simply invert the subject and the verb to be:

Examples:

They are  American. — Are they American?

They are  nice. — Are they nice?

2.If the sentence includes a main verb and another or other helping (auxilary) verb(s),

invert the subject and the (first) helping (auxikary) verb.

Examples:

They are  visiting Paris. — Are they visiting Paris?

She has  done the housework. — Has she done the houswork

Nancy has  been working all night long. — Has Nancy been working all night long?

He will  be reading the book. — Will he be reading the book?

3.If the sentence includes a verb which is not the verb "to be" and doesn't include a

helping (auxilary) verb, the transformation is more complex.

a.If the verb is in the present tense, add either do or does and put the main verb in its

base form:

do if the subject is the first person singular, second person singular, first person

plural, second person plural and third person pural (I, you, we, they)

Examples:

I like apples. — Do you like apples?

They go to a high school. — Do the go to a high school?

does if the subject is the third person singular (he, she, it).

Examples:

Nancy reads a lot. — Does Nancy read a lot?

He hates basketball. — Does he hate basketball?

b.If the verb is in the past tense, add did and put the main verb in its base form:

Examples:

He discovered the truth. — Did he discover the truth?

She write a nice essay. — Did she write a nice essay?

They did the homework. — Did they do the homework?

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-yes-no-questions.php

WH Question Words

We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions).

We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for example

WHy, HoW).

Question Word Function Example

what asking for information about

something

What is your name?

  asking for repetition or confirmation What? I can't hear you.

You did what?

what...for asking for a reason, asking why What did you do that for?

when asking about time When did he leave?

where asking in or at what place or position Where do they live?

which asking about choice Which colour do you

want?

who asking what or which person or

people (subject)

Who opened the door?

whom asking what or which person or

people (object)

Whom did you see?

whose asking about ownership Whose are these keys?

Whose turn is it?

why asking for reason, asking what...for Why do you say that?

why don't making a suggestion Why don't I help you?

how asking about manner How does this work?

  asking about condition or quality How was your exam?

how + adj/adv asking about extent or degree see examples below

how far distance How far is Pattaya from

Bangkok?

how long length (time or space) How long will it take?

how many quantity (countable) How many cars are

there?

how much quantity (uncountable) How much money do you

have?

how old age How old are you?

how come

(informal)

asking for reason, asking why How come I can't see

her?

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/wh-question-words.htm

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

When?

Where?

Who?

Why?

How?

What?

Time

Place

Person

Reason

Manner

Object/Idea/Action

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

Which (one)?

Whose?

Whom?

How much?

How many?

How long?

How often?

How far?

What kind (of)?

Choice of alternatives

Possession

Person (objective formal)

Price, amount (non-count)

Quantity (count)

Duration

Frequency

Distance

Description

The "grammar" used with wh- questions depends on whether the topic being asked about is the "subject" or "predicate" of a

sentence. For the subject pattern, simply replace the person or thing being asked about with the appropriate wh-word.

(Someone has my baseball.)

(Something is bothering you.)

Who has my baseball?

What is bothering you?

For the predicate pattern, wh- question formation depends on whether there is an "auxiliary" verb in the original sentence.

Auxiliary or "helping" verbs are verbs that precede main verbs. Auxiliary verbs areitalicized in the following sentences.

I can do it.

They are leaving.

I have eaten my lunch.

I should have finished my homework.

To make a question using the predicate pattern, first form a yes/no question by inverting the subject and (first) auxiliary verb.

Then, add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.

(You will leave some time.) ? will you leave

When will you leave?

(He is doing something.) ? is he doing

What is he doing?

(They have been somewhere.) ? have they been

Where have they been?

If there is no auxiliary and the verb is "be," invert the subject and verb, then add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning

of the sentence.

(He is someone.) ? is he

Who is he?

(The meeting was some time.) ? was the meeting

When was the meeting?

If there is no auxiliary and the verb is not "be," add do to the beginning of the sentence. Then add the appropriate wh-

question word. Be sure to "transfer" the tense and number from the main verb to the word do.

(You want something.) ? do you want

What do you want?

(You went somewhere.) ? did you go (past tense)

Where did you go?

(She likes something.) ? does she like (third person -s)

What does she like?

http://www.eslgold.com/grammar/wh_questions.html

Question tags

We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English.

They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a

comment and so keep the conversation open.

Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no

auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with

a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

He has been, hasn't he?

You can, can't you?

It must be, mustn't it?

You know him, don’t you?

He finished it, didn't he?

He will come, won't he?

 

It isn't very good, is it?

It hasn't rained, has it?

It can't be, can it?

Jenny doesn't know James, does she?

They didn't leave, did they?

He won’t do it, will he?

Notice these:

There isn't an ATM here, is there?

Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?

To reply, use the same auxiliary:

It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous.

It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible.

Although, the rules are very simple and mechanical, in order to use them easily in

conversation, they have to be automatic. So you need to hear and practice them very

often.

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/questionstags/menu.php/

Tag Questions

You speak English, don't you?

A tag question is a special construction in English. It is a statement followed by a

mini-question. The whole sentence is a "tag question", and the mini-question at

the end is called a "question tag".

A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For example, the little

piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or washing instructions is a tag.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean

something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in

English.

The basic structure is:

statement question tag

+

Positive statement,

-

negative tag?

Snow is white, isn't it?

-

Negative statement,

+

positive tag?

You don't like me, do you?

Notice that the question tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb when be)

from the statement and changes it to negative or positive.

A question tag is the "mini-question" at the end. A tag question is the whole

sentence.

We will now look at positive statement tag questions.

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/questionstags/menu.php/

Form

positive statement ->question tag negative - You are Tom, aren't you?

negative statement->question tag positive - He isn't Joe, is he?

Examples

with auxiliaries

You've got a car, haven't you?

without auxiliaries (use: don't, doesn't, didn't)

They play football on Sundays, don't they? 

She plays football on Sundays, doesn't she?

They played football on Sundays, didn't they?

Questions tags are used to keep a conversation going. You can agree or refuse to a sentence with a

question tag.

You go to school, don't you?

You agree. You refuse.

Yes, I do. No, I don't.

You aren't from Germany, are you?

You agree. You refuse.

No, I'm not. Yes, I am.

Questions tags - Special

Although the negative word not is not in the sentence, the sentence can be negative. Then we use the

"positive" question tag.

He never goes out with his dog, does he?

have is a main verb in the sentence -> two possibilities

We have a car, _____?

We have a car, haven't we? We have a car, don't we?

mostly British English mostly American English

We use will/would with the imperative (Simple Present).

Open the window, will you?

Open the window, would you?Don't open your books, will you?

We use won't with a polite request.

Open the window, won't you?

We use shall after Let's.

Let's take the next bus, shall we?

Auxiliary must

We must be at home at 8 pm, mustn't we?

Yes, we must. No, we needn't.

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/qu_tags.htm

In English, there are two basic types of questions: yes/no questions and wh- questions.

Yes/no questions are asked using be, have, do, or a modal verb. Yes/no questions always

begin with one of these verbs and can be answered with a simple yes or no, or with the

question repeated as a statement.

Note: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without one of these auxiliary verbs.

He want a car? Does he want a car?

You going to eat with us? Are you going to eat with us?

BE

Use the verb be to ask about identity, description, location, and present or past activities

and situations.

Identity / Description

You can use be plus a noun or adjective to ask about the identity or description of a person,

place, or thing.

Am I your best friend? Yes (you are).

Is this interesting? No (it is not).

Are these islands part of Greece? Yes (they are).

Was his idea good? No (it wasn't).

Were they happy? Yes (they were).

Location

Be plus a prepositional phrase asks about present or past location.

Am I near your house? No (you aren't).

Is he in Panamá? Yes (he is).

Are we at the border yet? No (we're not).

Was his apartment above a bakery? Yes (it was).

Were the demonstrations downtown? No (they weren't).

Current activity / situation

To ask about a current activity or situation, use the present progressive: present tense

of be + present participle (verb+ing).

Am I going with you and Tom? Yes (you are).

Is England adopting the euro? No (it isn't).

Are we seeing a play tonight? Yes (we are).

Is she working today? No (she isn't).

Past activity / situation

To ask about a past activity or situation, use the past progressive: past tense of be +

present participle.

Was it raining? Yes (it was).

Was Anna cooking? No (she wasn't).

Were the prisoners rebelling? Yes (they were).

Were they singing? No (they weren't).

Past event

To ask about something that happened to someone or something, use the passive voice:

past tense of be + past participle (verb + ed or en):

Was he given a reward? Yes (he was).

Was I chosen? No (you weren't).

Were you driven home in a taxi? Yes (we were).

Were dinosaurs killed by meteors? No (they weren't).

HAVE

Use the verb have to ask if some action has taken place or whether somebody has done

something.

Notice that the auxiliary verb have is in the present tense* and the main verb is always a

past participle.

Has your brother left? No (he hasn't).

Have you flown before? Yes (I have).

Has the party started? Yes (it has).

Have the guests

eaten?No (they haven't).

*It is possible to ask a yes/no question with had, but this is done in very specific situations

and will be explained in a future lesson.

DO

Use the verb do to obtain facts about people, places, or things.

Do is always followed by the subject and then a verb in the infinitive without to.

Do they smoke? No (they don't).

Does Bogotá get cold? Yes (it does).

Did it work? No (it didn't).

Do flying fish really fly? No (they don't).

Does running hurt your knees? Yes (it does).

Did teaching challenge you? Yes (it did).

MODALS

Use modal verbs to obtain more information about possibilities or uncertainties.

Modals are always followed by verbs in the infinitive without to.

Can we stay? Yes (we can stay).

Could this be true? Yes (it could be true).

Should they stop? No (they shouldn't).

May I help you? Yes (you may).

Will it rain? No (it won't rain).

Would you go with me? Yes (I would).

Remember: When asking a question with do or a modal verb, the main verb remains in the

infinitive without to.

Incorrect Correct

Do you to drink coffee? Do you drink coffee?

Does she to work here? Does she work here?

Can I to go with you? Can I go with you?

Should we to email her? Should we email her?

However, if there are two verbs in the infinitive after do, the second infinitive must use to.

Incorrect Correct

Do you want drink coffee? Do you want to drink coffee?

Does she like work here? Does she like to work here?

Did you need go home? Did you need to go home?

Remember: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without an auxiliary verb.

He know your phone number? Does he know your phone number?

They returning today? Are they returning today?

Note that there are several ways to answer yes/no questions, especially with contractions.

Is he busy? No.

No, he isn't.

No, he's not.

No, he is not.

No, he isn't busy.

No, he's not busy.

No, he is not busy.

http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/esl/grammar/questionsyesno.html

The verb to be - yes / no questions 

Am I right?

Is he here?

Is she a nurse?

Is it second-hand?

Are we wrong?

Are you Alan Parker?

Are they American?

http://www.eclecticenglish.com/grammar/PresentSimpleToBe1C.html