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Question Formation in English

The document outlines the rules and structures for forming questions in English, including yes/no questions, object questions, subject questions, question tags, and indirect questions. It emphasizes the importance of understanding sentence structure and provides examples for each type of question. Additionally, it suggests practicing these forms in conversation for better mastery.

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10 views

Question Formation in English

The document outlines the rules and structures for forming questions in English, including yes/no questions, object questions, subject questions, question tags, and indirect questions. It emphasizes the importance of understanding sentence structure and provides examples for each type of question. Additionally, it suggests practicing these forms in conversation for better mastery.

Uploaded by

alperenkrsn003
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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QUESTION FORMATION IN ENGLISH: RULES AND EXAMPLES

A quick refresher on English sentence structure:

Most sentences in English have a subject (S), object (O), and verb (V). There are always
exceptions but these words tend to follow a strict order.

The mouse (S) eats (V) cheese (O).

We can add adjectives and adverbs to give the sentence more detail. Adjectives (ADJ) usually
go before the noun they describe.

The fat (ADJ) mouse eats cheese.

Adverbs (ADV) are more variable. Their position in the sentence depends on their type and
what aspect of the sentence you want to emphasise.

The mouse eats cheese quickly (ADV).


The mouse often (ADV) eats cheese.

When we want to express different ideas or tenses, we often add auxiliary verbs (AUX) or
modal verbs (MOD) or change word endings.

The mouse doesn’t (AUX) eat cheese.


The mouse is (AUX) eating cheese.
The mouse mustn’t (MOD) eat my cheese.

When we form questions in English, we use the same types of words but different
structures. We sometimes add or replace words to make it clear what we’re asking
about.

Yes/no questions:

These questions are the most basic type in English so they’re probably the first ones you
learned. They only require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

You form yes/no questions by switching the order of the subject and the main auxiliary verb.
The structure should look a little like this:
Auxiliary + subject + verb + object

Jon can play guitar. → Can Jon play guitar?


Amy has forgotten her hat. → Has Amy forgotten her hat?

If you can’t see the auxiliary verb, that’s probably because it’s ‘do’. We don’t use this
auxiliary in positive structures in English unless we want to emphasize the action.

She goes running every day.


She doesn’t go running every day.
Does she go running every day?

Object questions

As the name suggests, you usually ask these questions when you want to find out the object of
a sentence.
You form them in a similar way to yes/no questions except this time you add a question word
to the start:

Question word + auxiliary + subject + verb

Sally has swimming lessons. → What does Sally have?

You can also learn more details about the object of a sentence by using the question words:

 Why
 When
 Where
 Who
 How
 Which

Why does Sally have swimming lessons?


Where does Sally have swimming lessons?

If the answer involves certain prepositions, you have to include these in the question structure
too. They usually go at the end.

Sally has swimming lessons with Zoe. → Who does Sally have swimming lessons with?

Subject questions

You ask subject questions when you want to know who or what performs the action in a
sentence. Unlike with object questions, you don’t need to invert the word order or add extra
auxiliary verbs.
The structure is simple:

Question word + verb + object


The Romans invented roads. → Who invented roads?
I spilled coffee on my shirt. → What happened to your shirt?

Question tags

We use question tags to confirm information or encourage others to agree with us. Often
they’re rhetorical so it’s not necessary to give a response.
Question tags require a few steps so it’s easy to make a mistake. You form them by making a
regular sentence, adding the subject and auxiliary to the end, and switching their order.

Sentence clause + auxiliary + subject

But that’s not all. If the sentence is positive, you make the last auxiliary negative and vice
versa.

You ate all the cookies, didn’t you?


You didn’t pay the telephone bill, did you?

Indirect questions

These questions are a more polite and formal way to ask for information. They often start with
phrases like ‘can you tell me’ or ‘do you know’ then the question.
There’s no need to invert the word order after that. You just need to follow the standard
sentence structure, just without the object:

Introductory phrase + subject + verb

The restaurant is next to the bank. → Could you tell me where the restaurant is?
Closing thoughts

Question forms in English may seem tough at first due to their various structures. The trick is
to learn the basic rules and practise using them in conversation.
English lessons are a great opportunity to practise the more challenging forms like indirect
questions and question tags. The tutor can provide you with helpful feedback and explain any
mistakes.

Reference: https://oxfordhousebcn.com/en/question-formation-in-english-rules-and-examples/

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