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YES / NO QUESTIONS |
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Have you ever written a letter to someone in
English?
Do you have any English-speaking friends? |
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These are questions which expect either a 'yes' or
'no' answer. The auxiliary verb or modal verb comes before the subject.
The auxiliary verb 'do' is used if there is no other auxiliary or modal
verb present. |
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"TAG" QUESTIONS |
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It isn 't necessary to look up every new word
in the dictionary, is it?
We should only speak English in class, shouldn't we?
You enjoy watching the Sports Channel, don't you? |
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'Tag' questions are a special type of yes/no question.
They are formed by adding a question tag to a statement. The tag repeats
the auxiliary verb or modal verb in the statement, or uses the auxiliary
verb 'do'. If the statement is positive, then the tag is negative; if
the statement is negative, then the tag is positive. |
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QUESTION-WORD QUESTIONS |
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These questions begin with a question word: |
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Why are you learning English?
How long have you been learning English?
When are you going to take First Certificate?
Where can you buy a good English dictionary? |
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If the question begins with 'why', 'how', 'when' or 'where', you put the
auxiliary or modal verb before the subject. You also use this word order
with 'who', 'what' or 'which' if the question word is the object of the
sentence: |
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Who can I practise speaking English with?
What do you particularly like about learning English?
Which English magazines have you read? |
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When 'who', 'what' or 'which' is the subject of the sentence, the
question word comes first, then the verb, and you do not use the
auxiliary 'do': |
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Who gave you your first English lesson?
What will happen if I don 't do my homework?
Which cinema shows English films? |
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INDIRECT QUESTIONS |
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Could you tell me what English magazines you have read?
I wonder if you understood every word on page 9? |
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An indirect question is
introduced by a phrase like 'Could you tell me' or 'I wonder'.
After the introductory phrase, there is a question word (for
indirect question-word questions) or 'if or 'whether' (for
indirect yes/no questions): |
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Indirect questions do not have the word order of direct questions.
Indirect questions usually sound more polite than direct questions. |
