Our topic today is English language issues. Namely: how to ask them correctly, the difference between general and special questions, questions to the subject, and we will also talk about the use of various question words. This topic is relevant for students of any level of language proficiency, because making mistakes is possible even at a higher level when it comes to constructing questions in English. They confuse word order, miss auxiliary verbs, and use incorrect intonation. Our mission is to prevent such errors from occurring. Can we start?
The first thing you need to know about questions in English is that they differ from the structure of affirmative sentences. We usually (but not always!) ask questions in English by changing the word order: we put the auxiliary verb first before the subject. Another (main) verb is placed after the subject.
Continuing to delve deeper into this topic, it is worth mentioning what types of questions there are in the English language. The differences in the construction of those same questions in English depend on this.
5 types of questions in English
Common question in English
We ask this question when we want to know general information. Are you learning English? We can answer it with one word “yes” or “no”.
Special question
We need such questions in order to find out certain, specific information that interests us. When did you start learning English?
Question to the subject
We set it when we want to find out who is performing the action. Who teaches your English courses?
Alternative question
This is a question in which you are given a choice of 2 options. Do you study English with a teacher or on your own?
Separated question
This question requires confirmation of some information. You continue to learn English in the summer, don’t you?
Now let's look at how each of these questions is constructed in English.
General issues
When forming such questions, reverse word order is used. This means that we put the auxiliary verb in first place, the subject in second place, and the main verb in third place.
Tom likes swimming in the sea. - Does ( auxiliary) Tom ( subject) like ( main verb) swimming in the sea?
She goes to work everyday. - Does ( auxiliary) she ( subject) go ( main verb) to work everyday?
General questions in English are also constructed with modal verbs. In this case, the modal verb will replace the auxiliary verb, that is, it will be placed in first place.
Could you close the door, please? - Could you close the door, please?
May I come in? - May I come in?
Should I put on a sweater? - Should I wear this sweater?
We draw your attention to the verb to be. We can safely consider it special - in general questions there is no need to add an auxiliary verb to it.
Is he a teacher? - He is a teacher?
Was the weather good yesterday? - Was the weather good yesterday?
We form a negative general question. To do this you need to add a particle not. It will come immediately after the subject. However, if we use the short form not - n't, she will stand in front of him. Let's look at an example:
Does she not go to work on Sunday? = Doesn’t she go to work on Sunday? - She doesn't go to work on Sunday?
Have you not watched this movie? = Haven’t you watched this movie? -Have you seen this film?
Special questions
This type of question requires an extensive and detailed explanation. A special question can be asked of any member of an interrogative sentence in English. The word order in such questions is the same as in general, only one of the question words must be placed at the beginning:
- What?- What?
- When?- When?
- Where?- Where?
- Why?- Why?
- Which?- Which?
- Whose?- Whose?
- Whom?- Whom?
In a descriptive format, we will build a special question according to the following scheme:
Question word + auxiliary (or modal) verb + subject + predicate + object + other parts of the sentence.
Easier - with an example:
What (question word) are (auxiliary) you (subject) cooking (predicate)? - What are you cooking?
What (question word) do (auxiliary verb l) you (subject) want to eat (predicate)? - What do you want to eat?
When (question word) did (auxiliary) you (subject) leave (predicate) the house (addition)? - When did you leave home?
Due to the fact that a special question in English is posed to almost any member of a sentence (addition, circumstance, definition, subject), it can be used to find out any information.
Questions to the subject
This type of question differs from the previous topics discussed because it does not use auxiliary verbs. You just need to replace the subject with who or what, add a questioning intonation and veil - the question is ready.
The scheme for constructing a question to a subject in English is as follows:
Question word + predicate + minor parts of the sentence
Who went to the supermarket? - Who went to the supermarket?
What happened to your friend? - What happened to your friend?
Who did that? - Who did it?
At first glance it is very simple. But you should not confuse questions to the subject and special questions - questions in English to the object. An addition is a member of a sentence that gives some additional information and answers questions in English: “who?”, “what?”, “to whom?”, “what?”, “what?”. And most often the question to the addition begins with the interrogative pronoun who or whom and what. This is where there is a similarity with questions to subjects. Only context will help you understand. Examples for comparison:
The girl saw me yesterday. - The girl saw me yesterday.
Whom (Who) did the girl see yesterday? -Who did the girl see yesterday?
We are waiting for the train. - We're waiting for the train.
What are you waiting for? - What are you waiting for?
Alternative questions
Based on the name, it is clear that these questions presuppose an alternative or the right to choose. By asking them, we give the interlocutor two options.
Will you fly to England or Ireland? - Will you fly to England or Ireland?
In such a question there is always a conjunction “or” - or. The question itself is constructed as a general one, only at the end with the help of the above or We're adding choice.
Scheme for constructing a question:
Auxiliary verb + actor + action performed + ... or ...
Will they go to the park or to the cinema? - Will they go to the park or to the cinema?
Did you buy an apples or pears? - Did you buy apples or pears?
Does he work or study? - Does he work or study?
If an alternative question contains several auxiliary verbs, then we place the first one before the subject, and the rest immediately after it.
She has been studying for several years. - She has been studying for several years.
Has she been studying or working for several years? - Is she studying or working for several years?
An alternative question in English can also begin with a question word. Then such a question consists directly of a special question and the following two homogeneous members of an interrogative sentence in English, which are connected by means of a conjunction or.
When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech? - When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech?
Dividing questions
These questions in English can hardly be called questions in full, since their first part is very similar to an affirmative sentence. We use them when we are not 100% sure about something and want to verify or clarify information.
Dividing questions consist of two parts: the first is an affirmative or negative sentence, the second is a short question. The second part is separated from the first comma and is called tag or in the Russian version "tail". That is why dividing questions are also called tag-questions or English tail questions.
Dividing questions are very popular in spoken English. And that's why:
- They do not ask the question directly, but encourage the interlocutor to answer.
- They can express many emotions and states (irony, doubt, politeness, surprise, etc.).
- They use direct word order. A regular sentence is constructed, a “tail” is added to it, and the question is ready.
“Tails” are translated into Russian by the words “truth”, “isn’t it true”, “isn’t it so”, “correctly”, “yes”.
Let's look at examples and see for ourselves:
I am your friend, aren’t I? - I'm your friend, aren't I?
He isn’t your brother, is he? - He's not your brother, right?
They aren't at home now, are they? - They are not at home now, are they?
Your friend worked in IT, didn’t he? - Your friend worked in the IT field, didn’t he?
You used to get up at 5 a.m., didn’t you? - You used to get up at 5 am, right?
Pay attention to the “tails” for the pronoun I (I) - in a negative sentence the auxiliary verb changes.
I am not right, am I? - I'm wrong, right?
I am right, aren’t I? - I'm right, right?
If you have a sentence with a verb have, then several options for “tails” are possible with it.
You have a cat, have you? (British English) - You have a cat, right?
We have a car, don’t we? (American English) - We have a car, right?
Also sometimes there is no negative in the first part of the sentence not before the auxiliary verb and it will still be considered negative. For example: They never went there, ...What will we deliver? Right, did they! And all because the word never(never) has a negative meaning. To words like never, can be attributed rarely(rarely), scarcely(barely) hardly(hardly), Barely(barely) little(few), few(some).
They rarely go out, do they? - They rarely go out, right? ( there is a word with a negative meaning rarely)
It's unbelievable, is it? - It's incredible, right? ( the word unbelievable with a negative prefix, so the first part is considered negative)
Nothing is impossible, is it? - Nothing is impossible, right? ( nothing and impossible are words with a negative meaning)
They have nowhere to go, do they? - They have nowhere to go, do they? ( nowhere - a word with a negative meaning)
Conclusion
As you managed to replace, there is nothing difficult in asking a question and finding out the information you are interested in. We hope that this article will help you understand all the subtleties and nuances. Learn English, be inquisitive and ask correct English questions to your interlocutors. Cheers!
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
Special questions in English are very common and are used regularly. Specific cases of their use and individual varieties, formation patterns and nuances should be studied.
Special questions are asked to obtain specific information about a phenomenon or subject. A specific feature of such questions in English is the presence of question words. How to ask questions in English is described here. When forming a special question, the basis is a general question. To make it special, it is enough to supplement the question with a question word, which is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Did they visit the exhibition? - Did they visit the exhibition?
When did they visit the exhibition? - When did they visit the exhibition?
In this case, the auxiliary verb must be placed before the noun, and the semantic verb must be placed after it.
The general scheme for forming a special question is as follows:
question word + auxiliary verb + subject + predicate + other parts of the sentence.
What is she writing? - What is she writing?
A special question can be posed to different members of the sentence. Due to this, we can obtain information about what specifically interests us.
A separate category consists questions with who in English, as well as questions with what. This type of question stands out from the crowd. Its peculiarity is the absence of auxiliary verbs when forming special questions to the subject. It's simple - just replace the subject with who or what, adding also a questioning intonation. In general, the scheme for forming a question to the subject looks like this: question word + predicate + other parts of the sentence.
Who has built this bridge? -Who built this bridge?
Questions with what in English, like questions with who, can be posed to an addition - a member of a sentence that allows you to obtain additional information and answers the following questions: whom? what? to whom? what? What? The word who or what is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
They are waiting for the taxi. - They are waiting for a taxi.
What are they waiting for? -What are they waiting for?
She read a new book at the library. - She read a new book in the library.
What did she read at the library? - What did she read in the library?
The question “what is this?” with the corresponding question word what is asked in relation to an inanimate subject or object. If we are talking about a person, the question “who is this?” is used. with the question word who?
What did he write? - What he wrote?
What is she? - Who is she? (by profession)
The interrogative word what can also be part of interrogative phrases. Their list is given below.
What is he doing for a living? - What does he do for a living?
An auxiliary verb in a special question in English is not needed in all cases. If a sentence is composed using the semantic verb to be, you can ask a question by changing the places of the subject and predicate.
Last Sunday she was at home. - She was at home last Sunday.
Where was she last Sunday? -Where was she last Sunday?
If there is a modal verb, there is also no need to use an auxiliary. The question is formed by rearranging the subject and predicate.
They can meet at the bus stop. - They can meet at the bus stop.
Where can they meet? -Where can they meet?
The examples given clearly show how to ask questions in English.
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Mikhail Chukanov
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Milana Bogdanova
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Do you already have a lot of interesting questions that don’t have enough answers? Then it's time to learn how to clearly formulate a question in English to get all the solutions you need. So, go ahead with Mr Question!
Welcome, dear Questions!
Today we will talk about the rules for formulating the most famous interrogative sentences. Just a few years ago, schools and universities studied 4 varieties, but modern linguistics suggests considering 5 types of questions in the English language. What happened and what Questions should you know about?
General question
In another way it is also called “yes/no-question”. This is a basic type of question that requires an affirmative or negative answer. The statement STRICTLY begins with an auxiliary verb, followed by the subject, semantic verb, etc. The table below shows auxiliary verbs according to tenses.
| Present Simple | Do/Does | Does he like milk? | Yes, he does. / No, he does not. |
| Past Simple | Did | Did she watch TV yesterday? | Yes, she did. / No, he didn’t. |
| Present Progressive | Am/Is/Are | Are you listening to music? | Yes, I am. / No, I am not. |
| Past Progressive | Was / Were | Were they reading a newspaper? | Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. |
| Present Perfect Tenses | Have/Has | Have you found the umbrella? | Yes, I have. / No, I have not. |
| Past Perfect Tenses | Had | Had they built this house? | Yes, they had. / No, they had not. |
| Future Tenses | Will | Will you come to our new flat? | Yes, I will (shall). / No, I will (shall) not. |
NB! If a sentence in Present Simple or Past Simple is constructed using the verb TO BE, then it also acts as a “helper”. As a rule, these are statements about the state, attribute of an object, etc. (and not about its action). For example:
Is this dog angry? Or Was the trip long?
If a modal verb is used in a statement, it also comes first in the question, for example:
Can the girl swim? - Yes, she can. / No, she can’t.
Word order in a general question
Please note that a general question can also be negative (the particle not is added to the auxiliary verb here). For example, Don’t you want to go to the theater? (Don't you want to go to the theater?)
Special question
Another name is wh-question. This type involves obtaining some additional information. A similar statement begins with a question word (see figure below).
Question words in English
As for word order, it is the same as in general questions. That is, in the first place is the question word, then the auxiliary question, subject, predicate, secondary members (in that order).
| Where did you go yesterday? | I went to the park. |
| How many books are there? | There are 5 books. |
| Whose dog is this? | This is my dog. |
| When will you wash the dishes? | I will do it in an hour. |
| What color is your new skirt? | It is green. |
NB! A sentence can be constructed using a phrasal verb (a stable combination with a certain preposition), then in a special question this preposition should be placed at the very end of the sentence. For example: What are they waiting for? Who (m) are you talking about?
Question about the subject and its definition
This type of interrogative sentences began to be included in a separate group quite recently. The fact is that they are formed using the question words WHO (who) and WHAT (what), like the previous form, BUT here the direct word order is preserved in the sentence. This happens because who/what replaces the subject; as a result, the formation scheme is as follows: question word - predicate verb - object.
Alternative question outline and examples
Separated question
Other names: question with a “tail” or tag-question. This is a “request” question, that is, the speaker needs to confirm the accuracy of the information. The structure of a statement of this type is quite simple. First comes a sentence with direct word order, then a comma is added and a “tail” is added. The tail, in turn, consists of an auxiliary verb with or without the negative particle not and a personal pronoun that must correspond to the subject.
NB! The presence of a negative particle depends on the general meaning of the statement:
- NOT is needed if the main part of the thought is affirmative;
- NOT is omitted if there is a negation in the main clause.
Any “tail” can be translated with the phrases “isn’t it”, “isn’t it true”, “so after all”.
And finally, you should remember the unusual “tails”:
- Let's go to the museum, shall we?
- I’m late, aren’t I?
NB! ALWAYS use exactly the tense (grammatical) indicated in the question in your answer. Listen carefully to your interlocutor, and everything will work out!
So, now you know how a question is correctly formulated in English, what types of questions exist, how they differ from each other, and, of course, you can correctly answer any of them. We wish you success in further learning a foreign language!
100 popular questions (American English) with translation:
Question / question
In this material we will try to figure out how to give answers to questions in English.
Note: How to explain to a child how to write answers to questions in English to read
First, let's figure out how to make an interrogative sentence in English. To do this you need to know the word order. In any English sentence, the order of words is strict and clear, any violation leads to an error.
As a rule, a feature of interrogative sentences in English is the presence of auxiliary and modal verbs.
For example,
Is it a dog? - This is a dog?
(Sentence in present simple tense, auxiliary verb “is”)
Do you swim? - You swim?
(Sentence in present simple tense, auxiliary verb "do")
Does he go? - He walks?
(Sentence in present simple tense, auxiliary verb “does”)
Did she fly? - Did she fly?
(Sentence in past simple tense, auxiliary verb "did")
Can you jump? -You can swim?
(Sentence in present simple tense, modal verb "can")
May I come in? - Can I come in?
(Sentence in present simple tense, modal verb "may")
Now let's look at the word order in an interrogative sentence in English:
1. question word (what, which, when, where, why, how, how much, how long, etc.)
2. auxiliary or modal verb
3. subject (who, what)
4. semantic verb (the verb that gives meaning to the entire sentence)
5. addition
6. circumstance of place (where, where)
7. circumstance of time (when, what time).
To reveal the secret of correctly answering an interrogative sentence in English, you need to follow only two rules:
1. Know the translation of the question, and for this you need to master the vocabulary.
Note: The easiest method for memorizing English words is contained in the ““ section.
2. The answer itself is hidden in the question itself, i.e. you need to listen to it carefully, hear the words, understand the structure, change your face if necessary.
How to answer a question in English?
The answer to the question can be complete (repetition of the entire sentence) or short. If you are just starting to learn English, then it would be better to first learn how to give a complete answer to a question.
Full answer to the question in English
Once the word order in an interrogative sentence has been learned, it will not be difficult to answer the question. The full answer is used less frequently; it contains the verb in its full form and all the words related to it:
Look closely at the diagram below. You just need to reverse the order of the words in the interrogative sentence.
Scheme of a positive answer to the question: subject + semantic verb + object + adverbial place + adverbial tense.
For example,
Do you like apple? – Yes, I like apple.
Scheme of a negative answer to the question: subject + auxiliary or modal verb + negative particle “not” + semantic verb + object + adverbial place + adverbial tense.
For example,
Do you like apple? – No, I don’t like apple.
Short answer to a question in English
Of course, the question can be answered with simple words yes or no. This is possible in colloquial speech. But despite the brevity of spoken language, foreigners know how to correctly and beautifully use a short answer, and use it. We should know this too.
Short answer principle: after yes/no We add the basis of the sentence (subject + auxiliary or modal verb).
Scheme:
Yes, subject + auxiliary or modal verb.
No, subject + auxiliary or modal verb + negative particle “not”.
How does this happen:
1. Listen to the question carefully, especially its beginning, since at the beginning there is an auxiliary or modal verb and a subject.
2. Mentally change their places. Add yes or no.
For example,
Does she like cheese? – Yes, she does.
Is he swimming in the river? – Yes, he is.
Can you swim? – No, I can’t.
(Abbreviations in negation)
Do you know Mr. Wallace? - No, I don’t.
Remember!
If the short answer is negative, then the negative particle not is needed.
Writing answers to questions in English