There are many types of questions in English. The easiest are questions that can be answered “yes” or “no.”
|
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. |
Is Jan eating dinner? |
|
June has rented an apartment. |
Has June rented an apartment? |
|
Jen has been living here since 1969. |
Has Jen 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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