Forming Questoins

Questions: two basic types

  • WH (also called “open-ended” or “information” questions)
  • Yes-No (for affirmative or negative response)

    • Place the helping verb before the subject.

    • Jane has arrived. (Has Jane arrived?)

    Insert “do” (before the subject) if no helping verb exists in the sentence.

    • They study grammar. (Do they study grammar?)

    The Be verb follows the same pattern:

    • Christopher is upset. (Is Christopher upset?)
    • Have they eaten? (They have not eaten.)
    • Will Jack help? (Jack won’t help.)
    • Has Jane ordered dinner? (Jane has not ordered dinner.)
    • Hasn’t Jane ordered dinner yet? (No, she still hasn’t ordered!)
      • (Negative yes-no questions can show surprise.)

    Use the same helping verb in the question and answer. If no helping verb exists, use “do.”

    • Who is leaving now? (John is leaving now.)
    • What did she say? (She said hello.)
    • When will Susan arrive? (Susan will arrive at ten o’clock tomorrow.)
    • Where is he going? (He is going to the museum.)
    • Why did you say that? (I said that because I was angry.)
    • How did you locate the restaurant? (I located the restaurant with a map.)
    Normal question word order is not used if the WH word is the subject.
    • Can she go? (Yes, she can go.)
    • Why can she go?
    • Why she can go? (wrong)
    Lesson 5: Active-Passive