There are many types of questions in English. The easiest are questions that can be answered “yes” or “no.”
Yes / No Questions
| Q: Are you from around here? | A: Yes, I am. |
| Q: Do you come here often? | A: Yes, I do. |
| Q: Can I buy you a drink? | A: No, thanks. |
| Q: Are you married? | A: Yes, I am. |
To form a question from a statement, first count the number of verbs.
| John is a doctor. | One verb: is (be) |
| Jane drives a sports car. | One verb: drives |
| Joan played basketball last night. | One verb: played |
| Jan is eating her dinner. | Two verbs: is eating |
| June has rented an apartment. | Two verbs: has rented |
| Jen has been living there since 1969. | Three verbs: has been living |
If there is one verb in the statement and the verb is a form of be, simply switch the
positions of the subject and verb.
| Statement | Question |
| John is a doctor. | Is John a doctor? |
| The Jensens are here. | Are the Jensens here? |
If there are two verbs, simply switch the positions of the subject and first verb.
| Statement | Question |
| Jan is eating dinner. | Jan is eating dinner. |
| June has rented an apartment. | June has rented an apartment. |
| Jen has been living here since 1969. | Jen has been living here since 1969. |
If there is one verb, and the verb is not a form of be, the process is more complex.
| 1. Add Do to the beginning of the sentence. | |
| The Johnsons live in that house. | Do the Johnsons live in that house? |
| 2. If the main verb “carries” a third person singular s, move the s to Do, making it Does. | |
| Jane drives a car. | Do Jane drives a car? (Not finished yet!) |
| Does Jane drive a car? (Good question!) | |
| 3. If the main verb “carries” past tense, move the past tense to Do, making it Did. | |
| Joan played basketball last night. | Do Joan played basketball? (Not finished yet!) |
| Did Joan play basketball? (Good question!) |
In conversation, most questions are asked of the second person (you) and answered in the first (I).
| A: Are you from California? | |
| B: No, I’m from Oregon. Are you? | |
| A: Yes, I’m from Hollywood. | |
| B: Do you know any movie stars? | |
| A: No, I don’t go out at night. |
In British English, the main verb have sometimes functions like be in questions. This is not common in American English.
| Statement | Question |
| You have a pet ferret. | Have you a pet ferret? (British) |
| Do you have a pet ferret? (American) |
Speaking: Simple Questions
Vocabulary: Wh Words
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