If, while studying English grammar, you finally got to the rather extensive topic “Types of Questions”, then first of all you have to master the “general question”. The general question, or General Question, is fundamental to all other types. Let me remind you that in English grammar it is customary to distinguish between 5 types of questions, and you can find general information about them in the article: Types of questions in English. And now, we will take a closer look at the General Question. What are general questions for?
What's happened General issues and what are they for?
General Questions are questions that require the interlocutor to confirm or deny the words expressed in the question. General questions are asked to the entire sentence, and therefore require an affirmative or negative answer (“yes” or “no”). Because of this feature, they were given a second name - yes / no questions.
As a rule, general questions do not contain question words. Intonation in such questions rises towards the end of the sentence. General questions are characterized by the presence of partial inversion, i.e., a change in the order of words in a sentence, when the subject is followed by a predicate (part of the predicate, namely auxiliary or modal verbs, is placed in front of the subject).
Education Rules General Questions
1. If the predicate in a sentence is the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were) or to have (have, has, had) in the form Present Simple or Past Simple, then this verb is placed in first place before the subject and acts as an auxiliary. Examples:
- He is a barmen. — Is he a barmen? (He's a bartender. - He's a bartender?)
- I have a lot of time. — Have I much time? (I have a lot of time. - Do I have a lot of time?)
2. If the predicate in a sentence is expressed using the phrase there is (was), then the verb to be is placed before the word there, and after it the subject. For example:
- There was a big fight the night before. — Was there a big fight the night before? (There was a big fight last night. - There was a big fight last night?)
3. If the predicate includes an auxiliary (shall, will, should, would, etc.) or a modal (can, must, may, ought, should) verb, then it is placed in first place and acts as an auxiliary. Examples:
- I can give you something to read. — Can I give you anything to read? (I can give you something to read. - Can I give you something to read?)
- We will go there. -Will we go there? (We will go there. - We will go there?)
4. If the predicate includes two or more auxiliary verbs, then the first auxiliary verb is placed in front of the subject. For example:
- We have been living here for 6 years. — Have we been living here for 6 years? (We have been living here for 6 years. - We have been living here for 6 years?)
5. If the predicate does not contain auxiliary or modal verbs, i.e. the predicate is expressed by a verb in the Present Simple or Past Simple (with the exception of to be, to have), then to pose a question the auxiliary verb do (does) is used - for Present Simple and did are for Past Simple. The semantic verb in this case will appear in the infinitive form after the subject (without to).
We emphasize that the verb do in this case does not carry any semantic load and is not translated into Russian in any way. But at the same time, the entire grammatical load (number, person, tense) is transferred to it: in the Present Simple the ending -s, -es of the semantic verb in the 3rd person singular. numbers are taken over by the auxiliary verb do, turning into does; in the Past Simple, the ending -ed also takes over the verb do, turning into did. Examples:
- He goes to school. — Does he go to school? (He goes to school. - Does he go to school?)
- They live in London. — Do they live in London? (They live in London. - They live in London?)
- She bought a new dress. — Did she buy a new dress? (She bought a new dress. - Did she buy a new dress?)
6. If in a sentence the verb to have is part of a phrasal predicate (to have a rest, to have breakfast, etc.) or is used in a modal meaning (have to), then the auxiliary verb to do will be used to form a general question in the required form. Examples:
- We have a walk together. — Do we have a walk together? (We're walking together. - We're walking together?)
- We have to be there. - Do we have to be there? (We should be there. - Should we be there?)
Please note that in American English, general questions with the verb to haveе are always formed using the auxiliary verb to do. Compare:
- Am. E.: Do you have any workbooks?
- Br. E.: Have you any workbooks?
To summarize, the overall question outline looks like this:
Auxiliary verb → Subject → Predicate → Secondary elements of a sentence?
Sometimes in colloquial speech (in familiar address) general questions can be used without inversion. That is, the word order in them remains the same as in narrative sentences, and they differ only in intonation. Examples:
- Do you really want it? − Yes, I do. (Do you really want this? - Yes.)
- Do you like this work? − Very much. (Do you like this job? - Very much.)
Answers to common questions
Answers to general questions should confirm or deny what the question asked. They can be short or extensive, they can express shades of doubt or confidence, and they can also contain additional words.
1. The answer may consist of a word-sentence or phrase-sentence. Examples:
- Did he ring you up yesterday? −Yes. (Did he call you yesterday? - Yes.)
- Are you reading? − No. (Are you reading? - No.)
- Will you help me? - Why, sure! (Will you help me? - Of course!)
- Do you remember that day? − Yes, of course. (Do you remember that day? - Yes, of course.)
- Have you any observations to his behavior? −Oh, no! (Do you have any comments about his behavior? - Oh, no!)
2. The answer may consist of an affirmative or negative word or phrase and (after a comma) a short sentence consisting of a personal pronoun in Im. case and the auxiliary or modal verb used in the question. In a negative answer, the negative particle not is added to the verb. Examples:
- Will you attend our dance classes? − Of course, I will. (Will you attend our dance classes? − Of course I will.)
- Did you phone Jim yesterday? − Yes, I did. (Did you call Jim yesterday? - Yes.)
- Does your sister know Spanish? − No, she doesn’t. (Does your sister know Spanish? - No.)
- Did you enjoy the presentation? − No, I didn’t. (Did you like the presentation? - No.)
- Is he free now? − No, he isn’t. (Is he free now? - No.)
- Can you play tennis? − Yes, I can. (Do you know how to play tennis? - Yes.)
Answers can be without words of confirmation or denial.
- Did you read the letter I gave you? − I didn’t. (Did you read the letter I gave you? - No.)
- Was she at the party on Monday? - She was. (Was she at the party on Monday? - Yes.)
Please note that in Russian short answers may repeat the predicate that was in the general question. For example:
- Did you write her a letter? - Yes, I wrote it.
- Are you buying these earrings? - Yes, I’m buying it.
In English, the semantic verb is never repeated in a short answer. For example:
- Have you bought this book? − No, I haven’t. (Did you buy this book? - No.)
- Did you feed your dog? − Yes, I did. (Have you fed your dog? - Yes.)
3. The answer to a general question may consist of confirmation or denial with a tinge of regret or uncertainty. In this case, the answers consist of a subject and verbs: believe - to believe, think - to think, suppose - to assume, hope - to hope, to be afraid - to be afraid, with the adverb so or with the negation not (in the negative form). For example:
- I think so − I think so
- I don’t think so − I don’t think so
- I hope so - I hope
- I hope not - I hope not
- We'll have to wait here long? − I hope not. (Will we have to wait here for a long time? - I hope not.)
- Is it time to leave? − Yes, I think so. (Is it time to leave? - I think so.)
- Is it a good idea to go there on Friday? − I don’t think so. (Is it a good idea to go there on Friday? - I don’t think so.)
- Instead of so and not, short phrases of confirmation or negation are sometimes used. For example:
- Do you remember where Nick lives? − I’m afraid I don’t. (Do you remember where Nick lives? - I'm afraid not.)
Negative form of general questions
The negative form of general questions in English expresses surprise. In Russian, it corresponds to questions that begin with the words “is it possible”, “is it really possible”.
To form a negative form, the negation not is used, which is placed before the semantic verb. But the full form not is very rare; it usually merges with an auxiliary or modal verb into one whole (n"t). Examples:
- Does she not speak Spanish? = Doesn’t she speak Spanish? (Doesn't she speak Spanish?)
- Must I not go there? = Mustn’t I go there? (Shouldn't I go there?)
When answering a similar question in Russian, we can use two options containing either denial or confirmation. For example: “yes, I should”, “no, I should”. In English, everything is much stricter: in an affirmative answer there is always Yes, in a negative answer there is always No.
We've already talked. Let's talk about constructing interrogative sentences in English. The construction of interrogative sentences is a very important topic in English grammar. Wherever we live, our speech consists of questions and answers. Interrogative sentences, of course, in any language imply interrogative intonation. It is this means that serves to create questions in the Russian language. But in English, unfortunately, intonation alone cannot do it!
The purpose of an interrogative sentence is to obtain additional information from the interlocutor or confirmation/denial of the question itself.
- What did you begin to learn last year? — English. (What did you start studying last year? - English.)
- Do you like studying? − Yes, I do. (Do you like studying? - Yes.)
The interrogative sentence and the answer to it form a certain semantic and grammatical unity. The answer largely depends on the form of the interrogative sentence. Before you move on directly to constructing interrogative sentences, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that in the English language there are ready-made samples (types) of questions and answers to them. And the material presented below is a kind of introductory lesson before studying the following topics:
- Question about the subject and its definition in English
Interrogative sentences in English differ from declarative sentences in their construction. Most of them are characterized by inversion, that is, reverse word order (part of the predicate is placed before the subject, and not vice versa). In some cases, the auxiliary verb to do is used. In writing, at the end of all interrogative sentences, a special punctuation mark is placed - a question mark.
Questions expressed only by intonation in English (You were there yesterday?) are used only in familiar address.
Formation of interrogative sentences
According to the method of formation and construction, all interrogative sentences can be divided into three main types:
Type I (Inversion without auxiliary verb)
The predicate in an interrogative sentence contains verbs to be, to have (if they act as semantic verbs), modal verbs (can, must, should, may, ought) or auxiliary verbs (shall, will, should, would). Such questions are formed using inversion and do not require the use of the auxiliary verb to do. The semantic verb to be, to have, an auxiliary or modal verb is placed in first place before the subject, and the rest of the predicate remains in its place after the subject. In the case of the semantic verbs to be, to have (predicates) in the Present Simple and Past Simple, the subject will be immediately followed by the secondary members of the sentence (objects, circumstances). If there are several auxiliary verbs, then only the first one is taken out. When an interrogative sentence contains a question word, it is always placed at the beginning of the sentence.
Construction of interrogative sentences type I
| Question word | Auxiliary, modal verb or verbs to be, to have | Subject | The rest of the predicate | Secondary members of the sentence |
| Will | you | go | there tomorrow? | |
| What | are | you | doing | here, George? |
| Have | you | finished | your composition? | |
| When | can | you | come? | |
| May | I | ask | do you have a question? | |
| Where | are | you, | Mary? | |
| Have | you | any books on English literature? | ||
| Is | your father | in Moscow? |
1. When the predicate is expressed by the phrase there is/ are (was/ were), the verb to be is placed in front of the word there, and the subject remains after it.
- Is there any time left?
- Are there many songs in your playlist?
- Was there a meeting after the concert?
2. If the verb to have is part of a phrasal predicate (to have breakfast, to have a rest) or is used in a modal meaning, then an interrogative sentence is formed using the auxiliary verb to do according to type II.
- When do we have breakfast?
- What time do you have to be there?
In American English, the verb have in all cases forms interrogative sentences with the help of the verb to do.
- Do you have red pencils?
- (Compare with the British: Have you red pencils?)
- How many brothers do you have?
- (Compare with British: How many brothers have you?)
Type II (Use of auxiliary verb)
The predicate does not contain the verbs to be, to have, auxiliary, or modal verbs (except to have). Such interrogative sentences are formed using the auxiliary verb to do. In this case, the predicate is any semantic verb (except to be and to have) in the Present Simple or Past Simple. When forming interrogative sentences, the verb to do is used in the appropriate tense, person and number (in the Past Simple - did, in the Present Simple for the 3rd person singular - does, for the rest - do). It is placed before the subject, and the main verb in the infinitive form is placed after the subject. If there is a question word in a sentence, it takes place at the beginning of the sentence.
Construction of interrogative sentences type II
Example of a Type II Interrogative Sentence Type III (direct word order)
The question word in a sentence is the subject (who, what) or its modifier. Such interrogative sentences are formed without inversion and without the auxiliary verb to do, regardless of the composition of the predicate. The question word, which serves as the subject, is followed by the predicate, and after it the rest of the sentence. That is, the direct word order is preserved.
Construction of interrogative sentences type III
I would like to note that this article presents generalized schemes for constructing questions in the English language. Based on the nature of the question and the required answer in the English language, it is customary to distinguish between five main types of questions, which were listed at the beginning of the article. Each type has a number of features, which are covered in the corresponding articles on our website. But, nevertheless, the tables proposed above can serve as a basis for constructing interrogative sentences in English. Have fun learning English! I wish you success!
If you have difficulties when you need to ask, then it’s time to sort it out examples, learn the rules, and, of course, practice! The most important thing with all this is to remember that an interrogative sentence has a certain word order that must be followed. This is both good and bad at the same time. It’s good, because you don’t have to think every time about where and what to put in the newly formed phrase. But it’s bad, because you’ll have to work hard to develop a scheme for constructing a question. But once you understand this formula, practice it, and things will be much more fun! In this article we will start with examples, and then we will analyze the rule and move on to exercises.
A common question in English. Examples
Below you will see what it is common question in English. Examples compiled in several tenses so that a universal rule can be derived for all cases.
Present Simple (simple present tense)
1) Do you wash your car every day? – Do you wash your car every day?
2) Does Peter speak Italian? – Does Peter speak Italian?
3) Do they meet on Mondays? – Do they meet on Mondays?
4)Is it important? - It is important?
5) Are they here? - They are here?
Past Simple (simple past tense)
1) Did they understand it? -Did they understand it?
2) Did you ask him about the meeting yesterday? – Did you ask him about the meeting yesterday?
3) Was it interesting? - It was interesting?
4) Were they busy last week? – Were they busy last week?
Future Simple (simple future)
1) Will you do this again? -Will you do it again?
2) Will Marina come to London in two days? – Marina will arrive in London in 2 days?
3) Will you invite Mike to the party? -Will you invite Mike to the party?
Present Continuous (present continuous tense)
1) Are you looking at me? -Are you looking at me?
2) Is Bob reading a new book? Is Bob reading a new book?
3) Are they working no w? -Are they working now?
Present Perfect (present perfect tense)
1) Have you finished the project yet? – Have you finished the project yet?
2) Have they spoken to t he boss? -Have they talked to the boss?
3) Has it been a useful thing? – Was it a useful thing?
4) Has your sister arrived? - Has your sister arrived?
How to ask a general question in English?
Now let's move on to the theory - How same ask a general question in English? To do this, you need to know two things - 1) the word order in the general question and 2) the auxiliary verb of the tense in which the question will be.
Word order:
It is important to remember that the verb TO BE does not need helper words to form questions. For a general question, it is enough to simply place the appropriate TO BE form in front of the person (subject). Examples of such proposals have already been given above.
Let us recall the auxiliary verbs that you will definitely need to form a general question:
Do\does– for the simple present tense (present simple)
Did– for the simple past tense (past simple)
Will– for the simple future tense (future simple)
Is\am\are– for the present continuous tense
Have\has– for the present perfect tense (present perfect)
A common question in English. Exercises
It's time to check how well you understand how to build common question in English. Below are exercises. You can leave your answers in the comments. We'll be happy to check them out.
Exercise 1
Formulate a general question for each sentence.
It is necessary to know what types of questions exist in English for several reasons. Firstly, Since most people learn English for communication (and not for reading technical literature, for example), it is natural to assume that speaking will be a priority for them. Speaking, in turn, is a dialogue, and dialogue is the ability to correctly ask the right questions. Secondly, passing any exam always requires Speaking, which again speaks to the need to be able to ask, understand and answer questions of different types.
Third, Elementary work with a text always includes answers to questions, which, if interpreted incorrectly, can easily confuse oneself and mislead the interlocutor when discussing such a text. Fourthly, every self-respecting student should know what types they are. So, in English there are the following types of questions:
General issues. General questions (Yes/No - questions).
Special questions. Special questions.
Alternative questions. Alternative questions.
Dividing questions. Disjunctive questions.
When talking about the types of questions in English, I will focus on important points, which I will present in the form of a list. Today we will look at Type 1.
1. General questions. General questions (Yes/No - questions).
These are questions that require the answer “Yes” (confirmation of a thought) or “No” (denial of a thought). For example: - Did you go to the cinema? - Yes, I/we did. / No, I /we didn’t. (- Did you / Did you go to the cinema? - Yes. / No.)
Begin with an auxiliary or modal verb.
Example 1:
in a sentence: “Did you go to the cinema?” auxiliary verb - “did” (auxiliary because it helps to form the past tense - The Past Simple).
Example 2:
“Does she like skiing?” (Does she like skiing?) - auxiliary verb - “does” (auxiliary because it helps to form the present tense for the 3rd person singular (he, she, it) - The Present Simple)
Example 3:
in the sentence “Could you help me?” "could" is a modal verb.
Answers to general questions are given in a brief form, while the answer and the question are a pair: with which auxiliary or modal verb the question begins, this (in most cases) should be used in the answer.
Example 1:
— Have you been to the UK? - Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.
Example 2:
— Do the children learn poems by heart? (Do children learn poetry by heart?) - Yes, they do. / No, they don’t. (Yes./No.) The answer “Yes, they learn” is incorrect and is a typical mistake made by students. If you want to give more information in your answer, make it complete: “Yes, they learn poems by heart.”
Example 3:
May we come in? - Yes, you may. / No, you may not.
The intonation in Yes/No - questions is rising, that is, with a rise in voice at the end of the sentence.
It is one thing to understand and be able to translate questions from English, and quite another to compose them yourself, based on your native language. The support table for composing General Questions, presented below, will be useful both for students making their first discoveries in English and for professionals - my teaching experience shows that even students with a high level of knowledge sometimes make mistakes when composing questions in English. Also good examples are given in the picture at the beginning of the article.
I pay special attention to the grammatical terms (column names) that I give with translation - I recommend remembering them in order to quickly navigate the grammatical analysis of a sentence and feel confident when reading grammar in English.
|
Auxiliary verb |
Subject |
Main verb |
Answer |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Am/Is/are () |
I/ he, she, it/ you, we, they |
hungry? | Yes, I am./ he, she, it is./ you, we, they are. No, I’m not./ he, she, it i sn't./ you, we, they aren't. |
|
| 2. | Was/were () |
I, he, she, it/ you, we, they | happy? | Yes, I, he, she, it was ./ you, we, they were. No, I, he, she, it wasn't./ you, we, they weren't. |
|
|
|||||
| 3. | Do/does () |
I, you, we, they/ he, she, it |
read | English magazines? | Yes, I, you, we, the y do. /he, she, it does. No, I, you, we, the y don't. /he, she, it doesn’t. |
| 4. | Did () |
I, you, we, they, he, she, it |
catch | fish? | Yes, I, you, we, the y, he, she, it did. No, I, you, we, the y, he, she, it didn’t. |
| 5. | Can Could May Might Must |
I, you, we, they, he, she, it |
invite | our neighbors? | Yes, you can. / No, you can’t. (+ Short answers for all other persons and modal verbs - according to the same scheme.) |
| 6. | Have/has/had (The Present/ ) |
I, you, we, they/ he, she, it |
received | the letter? | Yes, I, you, we, they have/had./ he, she, it has/had. No, I, you, we, they haven’t, hadn’t./ he, she, it hasn’t, hadn’t. |
| 7. | Will (The Future Simple) (For general questions, Future Continuous and Future Perfect are the same word order.) |
I, you, we, they, he, she, it |
arrive | tomorrow? | Yes, I, you, we, they, he, she, it will./ No, I, you, we, they, he, she, it won't. |
Exercise. Translate common questions into English and give short answers.
There are several types of interrogative sentences in English. There are dividing, alternative, special, general questions. All types of questions have their own characteristics and rules for writing. General questions in English are usually learned to be asked first.
What is a common question?
General questions in English are formed on the basis of the affirmative form of a sentence. This question requires an affirmative or negative answer. By asking such a question, the interlocutor does not ask for any additional information. All that is required is confirmation or refutation of what is heard.
Have you made your notes yet? - Yes, I have (No, I have not). (Have you already taken your notes? - Yes. (No.))
How to ask a general question in English?
The first word in a general question is always the auxiliary verb. Each tense of the English language has its own auxiliary verb. One of their functions in a sentence is to participate in the composition of interrogative sentences. An auxiliary verb is followed by a subject (noun or pronoun) and a predicate (semantic verb). If the sentence is common, the basis of the sentence may be supported by other members of the sentence that are necessary in meaning.
Do they fix their car every two weeks? (Do they fix their car every two weeks?)
The only exception to this pattern is sentences with the verb to be as a predicate in Present (Past) Simple tenses. One of the features of the verb to be in these forms is the “rejection” of any auxiliary verbs. The verb to be itself acts as an auxiliary in such cases. In general questions, for example, he himself comes first before the subject, leaving his rightful place as the predicate. Compare:
Statement
The hats are too expensive to buy them now. - These hats are too expensive to buy now.
General question
Are the hats too expensive to buy them now. - Are these hats too expensive to buy now?
How to correctly answer a common question.
As already mentioned, a simple “yes” or “no” answer is often enough to answer a general question. Moreover, confirmation of information is often brief than its denial. And this is quite logical. After all, after the answer “no”, as a rule, correct, correct information is expected.
Are these toy soldiers made of metal? (Are these toy soldiers made of metal?)
Yes, they are. (Yes.)
No, they aren't. They are made of plastic. (No. They are made of plastic.)
In the process of studying the answers to common questions in English, it turns out that the “short answers” in English are not really that “short” after all. Of course, in fluent conversational speech you can limit yourself, as in Russian, to the words “yes” (yes) or “no” (no). But as soon as the conversation takes on a slightly more formal character, this answer will have to be expanded a little.
A short affirmative English answer to a common question consists of:
- "Yes"
- comma after it,
- auxiliary verb (most often it is the same as in the question).
When translating this entire construction, it is enough to limit ourselves to one word “yes”.
Is it starting to snow outdoors? - Yes, it is. (Is it starting to snow outside? - Yes.)
A short negative English answer to a common question consists of:
- "No"
- comma after it,
- pronoun corresponding to the subject,
- auxiliary verb (most often it is the same as in the question),
- negative particle "not".
In a negative answer, both full and shortened negative forms of verbs can be used. The translation is also a simple “no”.
Did Robin live there? - No, he did not (No, he didn't.) (Robin lived there? - No.)
Features of a general question in Present Simple
It is worth paying special attention to how the general question is constructed in the Present Simple. The point here is in two variants of the auxiliary verb “do”. Depending on the form of the subject, when composing a general question you need to choose “do” or “does”. In order to understand where the form “does” came from, let’s return to the affirmative sentences of this time.
Lima’s parents keep old things in the garage. - Lima's parents store old things in the garage.
Lima keeps her word. - Lima keeps her word.
To a verb that is used as a predicate, (e)s is added in the third person singular. When composing a general question, this ending is transferred from the main verb to the auxiliary one. For comparison, we give two examples of how to write general questions in English in different persons of the Present Simple tense.
Lima’s parents keep old things in the garage. - Do Lima’s parents keep old things in the garage?
Lima keeps her word. - Does Lima keep_ her word?
When does an answer need an auxiliary verb not from the question?
We now know that in short answers to a general question, just as in a general question, we need an auxiliary verb. In most cases it is the same as what was used in the question. But there are times when the meaning of the answer requires changing the subject, and therefore the auxiliary verb.
This usually happens when the question is asked in the second person (subject you (you)), and the meaning needs to be answered in the first person (I (I)); in tenses and forms using the verb to be as an auxiliary.
Are you leaving for New York tonight? - Yes, I am. (Are you leaving for New York today? - Yes.)
Were you deceived by your friends? - No, I wasn’t. (Did your friends deceive you? - No.)
A general question in English, examples of which we have looked at, is quite simple to formulate. But in order to do this accurately, you need to have a good knowledge of the system of tenses (and, therefore, auxiliary verbs) of the English language.