How to write questions in English. General questions in English: rules, diagrams, examples

26.09.2019

A question that requires a "YES" or "NO" answer. In our case - “Do they go to Sochi every summer? - Yes. - No.”
In Russian, to ask this question, we simply change the intonation, but the word order remains the same.
IN English language to set general question, it is necessary to place the auxiliary verb first in the sentence.

So, let's look at our proposal and determine the time. Present Simple. The auxiliary verbs of this tense are “do” and “does”. For the pronoun "they" - "do".

We get: “Do they go to Sochi every summer?”
Answer: “Yes, they do” - “Yes.” "No, they don't" - "No."

Note! In English there are "strong verbs" that do not require an auxiliary verb. These are almost all modal verbs ("can", "may", "must", etc.) and the verb "to be" (or rather its forms).

2) Alternative question. Alternative Question

A matter of choice. I’ll show you with our example: “Do they or WE go to Sochi every summer?”, “Do they DRIVE or FLY to Sochi every summer?”, “Do they go to Sochi or Murmansk every summer?”, “They go to Sochi every SUMMER or WINTER?

Conclusion: we can set an alternative to each member of the sentence. In this case, we always use the conjunction “or” - “or”. Remember it!

Let's summarize... What to ask alternative question, we bring forward the auxiliary verb (as in the general question) and do not forget to set an alternative to any member of the sentence using the conjunction “or”.

We get: “Do we or they go to Sochi every summer?”
or: "Do they go to Sochi or Murmansk every summer?"

3) Dividing question. Tag-question

Question with a “tail”)) We translate the tail “Isn’t it?”
A dividing question is constructed using the following formula:

our sentence unchanged + comma + tail?

What kind of tail is this? It consists of 2 words: an auxiliary verb and a pronoun.

Let me explain with our example:
"They go to Sochi every summer."

First of all, it is necessary to accurately determine the time.. In our case - Present Simple.. auxiliary verbs "Do"/"Does".. "They" - "Do". Let's look at our sentence again and determine whether it is negative or affirmative.. Affirmative means our tail will be negative! If the sentence were negative, the auxiliary verb would become positive, i.e. without the negative particle "not".

We complete our sentence with the pronoun from the 1st part - “they”. Attention! If in the first part of the sentence the subject is a noun, replace it with a pronoun (for example, “a table” - “it”, “books” - “they”, “Mom” - “she”).

They go to Sochi every summer, don't they?
(They go to Sochi every summer, don't they?)

Note! If the role of subject and predicate is “I am”, in the tail we write “...., aren”t I?”

4) Special question. Special Question

A question in which the speaker requests specific information. (“Where do they go every summer?”, “Who goes to Sochi every summer?”, “When do they go to Sochi?”).

A special question is often called a "Wh-Question". This is due to the fact that almost all question words begin with the letter combination “Wh”.

For example:
what? - What? Which?
where? - Where? Where?
why? - Why?
which? - which?
who? - Who?
how? - How?
when? - When?

Special question formula:
Question words + general question?

"Where do they go to every summer?"
"When do they go to Sochi?"

Special question to the subject.
"Who goes to Sochi every summer?"

We will consider this type of special question separately, since it has a different structure:

Who/What + rewrite the sentence without a subject.

Attention!!! The most important thing is Who/what - 3rd person, singular! Do you remember that in the Present Simple in this case the ending “-s/-es” is added to the verb!

We get: "Who goes to Sochi every summer?"

Our topic today is English language issues. Namely: how to ask them correctly, the difference between general and special questions, questions to the subject, and we will also talk about the use of various question words. This topic is relevant for students of any level of language proficiency, because mistakes are possible even at higher levels. high level when it comes to constructing questions in English. They confuse word order, miss auxiliary verbs, and use incorrect intonation. Our mission is to prevent such errors from occurring. Can we start?

The first thing you need to know about questions in English is that they differ from the structure of affirmative sentences. We usually (but not always!) ask questions in English by changing the word order: we put the auxiliary verb first before the subject. Another (main) verb is placed after the subject.

Continuing to delve deeper into this topic, it is worth mentioning what types of questions there are in the English language. The differences in the construction of those same questions in English depend on this.

5 types of questions in English

Common question in English

We ask this question when we want to know general information. Are you learning English? We can answer it with one word “yes” or “no”.

Special question

We need such questions in order to find out certain, specific information that interests us. When did you start learning English?

Question to the subject

We set it when we want to find out who is performing the action. Who teaches your English courses?

Alternative question

This is a question in which you are given a choice of 2 options. Do you study English with a teacher or on your own?

Separated question

This question requires confirmation of some information. You continue to learn English in the summer, don’t you?

Now let's look at how each of these questions is constructed in English.

General issues

When forming such questions, it is used reverse order words This means that we put the auxiliary verb in first place, the subject in second place, and the main verb in third place.

Tom likes swimming in the sea. - Does ( auxiliary) Tom ( subject) like ( main verb) swimming in the sea?

She goes to work everyday. - Does ( auxiliary) she ( subject) go ( main verb) to work everyday?

General questions in English are also constructed with modal verbs. In this case modal verb will replace the auxiliary, that is, put in first place.

Could you close the door, please? - Could you close the door, please?

May I come in? - May I come in?

Should I put on a sweater? - Should I wear this sweater?

We draw your attention to the verb to be. We can safely consider it special - in general questions there is no need to add an auxiliary verb to it.

Is he a teacher? - He is a teacher?

Was the weather good yesterday? - Was the weather good yesterday?

We form a negative general question. To do this you need to add a particle not. It will come immediately after the subject. However, if we use the short form not - n't, she will stand in front of him. Let's look at an example:

Does she not go to work on Sunday? = Doesn’t she go to work on Sunday? - She doesn't go to work on Sunday?

Have you not watched this movie? = Haven’t you watched this movie? -Have you seen this film?

Special questions

This type of question requires detailed and detailed explanation. A special question can be asked of any member of an interrogative sentence in English. The word order in such questions is the same as in general, only one of the question words must be placed at the beginning:

What?- What?
When?- When?
Where?- Where?
Why?- Why?
Which?- Which?
Whose?- Whose?
Whom?- Whom?

In a descriptive format, we will build a special question according to the following scheme:

Question word + auxiliary (or modal) verb + subject + predicate + object + other parts of the sentence.

Easier - with an example:

What (question word) are (auxiliary) you (subject) cooking (predicate)? - What are you cooking?

What (question word) do (auxiliary verb l) you (subject) want to eat (predicate)? - What do you want to eat?

When (question word) did (auxiliary) you (subject) leave (predicate) the house (addition)? - When did you leave home?

Due to the fact that a special question in English is posed to almost any member of a sentence (addition, circumstance, definition, subject), it can be used to find out any information.

Questions to the subject

This type of question differs from the previous topics discussed because it does not use auxiliary verbs. You just need to replace the subject with who or what, add interrogative intonation and voila - the question is ready.

The scheme for constructing a question to a subject in English is as follows:

Question word + predicate + minor members offers

Who went to the supermarket? - Who went to the supermarket?

What happened to your friend? - What happened to your friend?

Who did that? - Who did it?

At first glance it is very simple. But you should not confuse questions to the subject and special questions - questions in English to the object. A complement is a member of a sentence that gives some Additional information and answers questions in English: “who?”, “what?”, “to whom?”, “what?”, “what?”. And most often the question to the addition begins with the interrogative pronoun who or whom and what. This is where there is a similarity with questions to subjects. Only context will help you understand. Examples for comparison:

The girl saw me yesterday. - The girl saw me yesterday.
Whom (Who) did the girl see yesterday? -Who did the girl see yesterday?

We are waiting for the train. - We're waiting for the train.
What are you waiting for? - What are you waiting for?

Alternative questions

Based on the name, it is clear that these questions presuppose an alternative or the right to choose. By asking them, we give the interlocutor two options.

Will you fly to England or Ireland? - Will you fly to England or Ireland?

In such a question there is always a conjunction “or” - or. The question itself is constructed as a general one, only at the end with the help of the above or We're adding choice.

Scheme for constructing a question:

Auxiliary verb + actor+ action performed + ... or ...

Will they go to the park or to the cinema? - Will they go to the park or to the cinema?

Did you buy an apples or pears? - Did you buy apples or pears?

Does he work or study? - Does he work or study?

If an alternative question contains several auxiliary verbs, then we place the first one before the subject, and the rest immediately after it.

She has been studying for several years. - She has been studying for several years.
Has she been studying or working for several years? - Is she studying or working for several years?

An alternative question in English can also begin with a question word. Then such a question consists directly of a special question and the following two homogeneous members interrogative sentences in English that are connected by a conjunction or.

When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech? - When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech?

Dividing questions

These questions in English can hardly be called questions in full, since their first part is very similar to an affirmative sentence. We use them when we are not 100% sure about something and want to verify or clarify information.

Dividing questions consist of two parts: the first is an affirmative or negative sentence, the second is a short question. The second part is separated from the first comma and is called tag or in the Russian version "tail". That is why dividing questions are also called tag-questions or English tail questions.

Dividing questions are very popular in spoken English. And that's why:

They do not ask the question directly, but encourage the interlocutor to answer.
They can express many emotions and states (irony, doubt, politeness, surprise, etc.).
They use direct word order. A regular sentence is constructed, a “tail” is added to it, and the question is ready.

“Tails” are translated into Russian by the words “truth”, “isn’t it true”, “isn’t it so”, “correctly”, “yes”.

Let's look at examples and see for ourselves:

I am your friend, aren’t I? - I'm your friend, aren't I?

He isn’t your brother, is he? - He's not your brother, right?

They aren't at home now, are they? - They are not at home now, are they?

Your friend worked in IT, didn’t he? - Your friend worked in the IT field, didn’t he?

You used to get up at 5 a.m., didn’t you? - You used to get up at 5 am, right?

Pay attention to the “tails” for the pronoun I (I) - in a negative sentence the auxiliary verb changes.

I am not right, am I? - I'm wrong, right?
I am right, aren’t I? - I'm right, right?

If you have a sentence with a verb have, then several options for “tails” are possible with it.

You have a cat, have you? (British English) - You have a cat, right?
We have a car, don’t we? (American English) - We have a car, right?

Also sometimes there is no negative in the first part of the sentence not before the auxiliary verb and it will still be considered negative. For example: They never went there, ...What will we deliver? Right, did they! And all because the word never(never) has a negative meaning. To words like never, can be attributed rarely(rarely), scarcely(barely) hardly(hardly), Barely(barely) little(few), few(some).

They rarely go out, do they? - They rarely go out, right? ( there is a word with a negative meaning rarely)

It's unbelievable, is it? - It's incredible, right? ( the word unbelievable with a negative prefix, so the first part is considered negative)

Nothing is impossible, is it? - Nothing is impossible, right? ( nothing and impossible are words with a negative meaning)

They have nowhere to go, do they? - They have nowhere to go, do they? ( nowhere - a word with a negative meaning)

Conclusion

As you managed to replace, there is nothing difficult in asking a question and finding out the information you are interested in. We hope that this article will help you understand all the subtleties and nuances. Learn English, be curious and ask questions correctly. English questions interlocutors. Cheers!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Every day we ask questions. For example, we often ask:

- How are you doing?

- What did you do yesterday?

-Who will go to the store?

-Are you going to the cafe or not?

Everyone who learns English must know how questions are formed, because without them you will not be able to communicate. In English there is 5 types of questions.

In the article I I will explain how they differ from each other, when they are used and how they are formed.

Special questions in English

The word “special” means “intended exclusively for something.” Accordingly, this question needed to find out specific information you are interested in. That’s why it’s called special, that is, you want to clarify special information.

For example

Where will you go on vacation?

We find out specific information - the place where the person will go.

How to construct a special question?

It is asked using the following question words:

what - what,
where - where,
when - when,
who - who,
why - why,
how (much/often/long) - how (many/often/long).

A special question is constructed according to the following scheme:

Question word + auxiliary verb + character + action being performed?

Examples

Step by step guide
>> How to ask specific questions.

Question to the subject in English

The subject names who or what the sentence is talking about.

In the survey, the subject is asked with the interrogative words who and what, which replace the character or thing being talked about in the sentence. For example

Who will pack your suitcase for you?

Consequently, we ask a question to the subject when we do not know who performed the action or has the attribute.

How to construct a question to the subject?

Feature this issue will be the order of words in the sentence. In this type of question, the word order never changes and proceeds as in an affirmative sentence. The outline of such a proposal would be as follows:

Who + action?

For example, we have an affirmative sentence

They played tennis.
They played tennis.

We simply substitute the question word who instead of they

Who played tennis?
Who played tennis?

At the same time, we imagine that who/what is a person in singular, about which we're talking about(he she). Therefore, the sentence should be constructed as if in place of who/what costs he/she.

For example, we have a proposal

They were in the car.
They were in the car.

When asking a question, we forget about they and introduce he in its place, therefore, we replace were with was

Who were in the car?
Who was in the car?

Examples

Who likes to sing?
Who loves to sing?

What was in the box?
What was in the box?

Who is a doctor?
Who is the doctor?

Step by step guide:
>> How to construct a question to the subject? .

Alternative questions in English

True to its name, this question presupposes an alternative, that is, the right to choose. By asking it we give the interlocutor two options to choose from.

Example

Will you fly to England or Germany?

In such a matter there is always there is a conjunction or (or). The question itself is constructed as a general one, only at the end we add a choice clause using our or.

Scheme for constructing an alternative question:

Auxiliary verb + actor + action performed + ___ or ___?

Examples

Will they go to the park or to the cinema?
Will they go to the park or to the cinema?

Did you buy apples or pears?
Did you buy apples or pears?

Does he work or study?
Does he work or study?

Step by step guide:
>> How to construct an alternative question correctly.

Dividing questions in English

This type of question is also called a “tail question.” A question expresses doubt or desires confirmation of something.

For example

You've already packed your suitcase, haven't you?

It is divisive because consists of 2 parts, separated by commas.

The first part is constructed as an affirmative or negative sentence with the usual word order.

The second part (“tail”) looks like quick question. It consists of:

auxiliary verb (depending on the tense used in the first part);
character (I, you, he, she, they, it, we, you) used in the first part.

We translate such a “tail” into Russian as “isn’t it so” / “isn’t it true?”

1. If the first part of the sentence is affirmative, then the second part is negative.

Affirmative sentence + auxiliary verb + not (in shortened form) + character?

Examples

He called you yesterday, didn't he?
He called you yesterday, didn't he?

They play tennis every weekends, don't they?
They play tennis every weekend, don't they? Examples

So, we have looked at all five types of questions in English. Now let's move on to practice.

Reinforcement task

Make 5 types of questions from the following affirmative sentences:

1. He went to school yesterday.
2. She gave me a phone.
3. We will read this book.
4. They bought a car.
5. She doesn’t like to cook.

Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

As you know, a question is a request to receive information or perform an action. Every day we ask ourselves and others many different types of questions (Who am I? Why did I come into this world? Who is the nicest person in the world? How to learn English in a month?..). The questions are different, but formally they have one thing in common: common feature(or rather, a sign): at the end of every interrogative sentence there is always a question mark.

So, let's figure out what types of questions there are in English.

Closed questions

Closed questions are those types of questions that require a “yes/no” or “true/false” answer.

For this type of question, English uses auxiliary verbs ( do/does, am/is/are, have/has). The auxiliary verb is placed at the beginning of the sentence. Thus, the predicate and subject change places.

Statement	Question
He is from London. — He's from London.	Is he from London? — Is he from London?

Formation of questions in the Present Continuous

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In contact with

To communicate with foreigners, sometimes simple gestures are enough, but there are situations when it is extremely necessary to clarify something. This is where the difficulties begin, since few people remember how to ask General Rules often long forgotten, and a person simply gets lost.

There's no point in arguing with what's true asked question is one of the most effective and quick ways obtaining the required information from the interlocutor. By asking a question you can find out:

name of the interlocutor;
how to get to the place you need;
information about the product you are interested in in the store;
your health status if you end up in a hospital abroad;
what to do in an emergency or emergency situation, etc.

However, people who have difficulties with the English language feel quite insecure in situations where they need to say something. As a rule, they are embarrassed to say anything at all, even if they need help or some clarification. Therefore, the ability to competently construct a question in English will give confidence to any person in any situation abroad.

What types of questions exist in English

Constructing affirmative sentences, as a rule, does not cause any particular difficulties for language learners, but composing questions is difficult. Only understanding their structure will make it clear to yourself how to ask a general question in English. have their own characteristics and are used in everyday communication by native speakers. There are five question types in total, including:

General question. For example: Do you like reading (Do you like read)?
For example: Who bought this ugly hat(Who bought this terrible hat)?
For example: Do you like comedies or dramas(Do you like comedies or dramas?)?
A question asked to the subject. For example: Which pen is yours(Which pen is yours)?
Separated question. For example: Children usually eat fruits and vegetables, don’t they(Children usually eat fruits and vegetables, don't they)?

Let's take a closer look at how to ask a general question in English.

Purpose of the question

This is the simplest and most common type of the five existing ones. It is asked of the entire sentence and requires a simple yes or no answer. Let's look at examples:

I like eating chocolate. Do you like eating chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't. - I like to eat chocolate. Do you like to eat chocolate? Yes. No.
Mark drives to California every month. Does Mark drive to California every month? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't. - Mark goes to California every month. Mark goes to California every month? Yes. No.
They can bring Kate some fruit. Can they bring Kate some fruit? Yes, they can. No, they can't. - They can bring Katya fruit. Can they bring Katya some fruit? Yes. No.

Note that in order to construct a general question, the auxiliary word “do” is sometimes used. This verb and its derivatives are used in combination with other verbs to produce an interrogative or negative type of interrogative sentence. However, if it contains the verb "to be", the use of the auxiliary word "do" is not required. Let's look at examples:

He is a generous man. Is he a generous man? Isn't he a generous man? - He is a generous man. Is he a generous man? Is he a generous man?
They are doctors. Are they doctors? Aren't they doctors? - They are doctors. Are they doctors? Are they doctors?
They visit Margaret every Tuesday. Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday? Don"t they visit Margaret every Tuesday? - They visit Margaret every Tuesday. Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday? Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday?

Question construction

How to ask a general question in English? It's easier than it might seem. First of all, you need to find the verb in the sentence and determine what function it performs:

linking verb ( to be and its derivative forms - am, are, is);
modal verb ( must, need, can, should, have to);
main verb (any verb, e.g. jump, go, watch, work etc.).

Then you should determine the time of the question. In order not to get confused with its definition, try turning this phrase into For example, the interrogative sentence “Does your aunt like to sing?”, Let’s turn it into the affirmative “Your aunt likes to sing.” Once you have found the verb and determined the tense, move on to constructing the question itself.

Word order

Another point worth highlighting for those who do not know how to ask a general question in English is word order. While in Russian we just change the intonation and get a question sentence, this does not work in English. To ask something, it is not enough to simply change your intonation to interrogative. In English interrogative construction, reverse word order is characteristic.

This means that it is especially important in this situation to use either an auxiliary or modal verb, or a linking verb “to be”, in the required form. Next comes the subject (most often expressed by a personal pronoun), the predicate and other members of the sentence. Let's look at examples:

They like expensive cars(they love expensive cars). In this example, “they” serves as the subject, and “like” is the predicate. Do they like expensive cars(do they like expensive cars)? Here “do” acts as an auxiliary word, “they” as a subject, and “like” as a predicate.
We are friends (m s friends). In this example, “we” is the subject and “are” is the predicate, in the form of the verb “to be” for the pronoun “we”. Are we friends (m are you friends)? Here “are” acts as the predicate and “we” as the subject.
He can sing well(he sings well). In this example, “he” is the subject and “can” is the modal verb. C an he sing well(does he sing well)? Here “can” acts as the predicate, which comes first, and “he” is still the subject.

Constructing a negative form of a question

Having figured out the word order, you can move on to the next important point - how to ask a general question in English in the negative form. The mentioned construction in Russian, as a rule, begins with the words “really” or “unless” and serves to express surprise and misunderstanding. The formation scheme of this form is the same as that of the affirmative one, only with the use of the negative particle “not”. Let's look at examples:

1. Do you not like our French lessons? - Don’t you like our French lessons? - Don't you love our French lessons?

2.Are they not at work? - Aren’t they at work? - Are they not at work?

3. Must we not do this work tomorrow? - Mustn’t we do this work tomorrow?- Shouldn't we do this work tomorrow?

How to answer a question

A general question requires an unambiguous "yes" or "no", which is formed as follows:

1. A positive answer implies the use of the word “yes”, a pronoun and a verb. For example:

Do you like eating strawberry cakes? Yes, I do. - Do you like to eat strawberry shortcakes? Yes.
Should they go to the party this Friday?Yes, they should. - Should they go to the party this Friday? Yes.
Is he a student of Harvard University?Yes, he is.- He is a student Yes.

2. A negative answer is formatted as follows: “no” + pronoun + verb + particle “not”. For example:

Do they like watching TV before going to bed?No, they don't (don't).- Do they like to watch TV before going to bed? No.
Can you read this new novel?No, I can't (can't).-Can you read this new novel? No.
Is Casandra his friend's sister?No, she is not (isn"t).- Casandra is his friend's sister? No.

Intonation features

The hardest part is left behind, because you already have an idea of how to ask a general question in English. The rules of pronunciation and intonation are another point worth dwelling on. It is typical for the English language to pronounce common questions with a rising tone. This tone is used in all questions that can be answered with a clear “yes” or “no.” To make things clearer, let's look at some examples in more detail:

"Do you "like this "new ↗films(do you like these new movies)? This is an interrogative sentence that implies a clear answer (yes/no), so it is pronounced in a rising tone.
"Is it a↗ desk (uh then the desk)? This interrogative sentence can be answered unambiguously (yes/no), so it is pronounced in a rising tone.
Have you got a↗ sister do you have a sister)? It is also pronounced in a rising tone, since it requires an affirmative “yes” or “no.”

Now you know how to ask a general question in English. The pronunciation rules in this case are very easy to remember.

Conclusion

So we've covered everything theoretical aspects regarding how to ask a general question - in English, this phrase is the simplest and at the same time the most important and common, therefore, knowing how to formulate it correctly, you can feel more confident in talking with foreigners abroad. To consolidate the material studied, you should move on to the practical part.

Consolidation exercises

1. To complete the first task, remember everything you have learned previously regarding how to ask a general question. In English, words after the ↗ sign are pronounced with a rising intonation: