English questions. How to ask questions to a sentence in English

To communicate with foreigners, sometimes just gestures are enough, but there are situations when it is extremely necessary to clarify something. This is where the difficulty begins, because few people remember how to ask General Rules often long forgotten, and the person is simply lost.

It's pointless to argue with what's true question asked- this is one of the most effective and fastest ways to obtain the required information from the interlocutor. Questions can help you find out:

• the name of the interlocutor;
• how to get to the place you need;
• information about the product you are interested in in the store;
• the state of your health if you find yourself in a hospital abroad;
• what to do in an emergency emergency and etc.

However, people who have difficulty with English feel rather 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 kind of clarification. Therefore, the ability to correctly construct a question in English will give confidence to any person in any situation abroad.

What 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 for yourself how to ask a general question in English language. Types of questions have their own characteristics and are used in everyday communication by native speakers. There are five types of questions, including:

1. General question. For instance: Do you like reading (Do you like read)?
2. For instance: Who bought this ugly hat(Who bought this terrible hat)?
3. For instance: Do you like comedies or dramas(Do you like comedies or dramas)?
4. Question asked to the subject. For instance: Which pen is yours(Which pen is yours)?
5. Separated question. For instance: Children usually eat fruit 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 for 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. Does Mark go 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 fruit to Katya. Can they bring fruit to Katya? 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 obtain 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, for example, 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?", we remake it into the affirmative "Your aunt likes to sing." After you find the verb and determine the time, proceed to the construction of the question itself.

Word order

Another point worth mentioning for those who do not know how to ask a general question in English is word order. While in Russian we just change intonation and get an interrogative sentence, this does not work with English. To ask something, it is not enough just to change the intonation to an interrogative one. In the English interrogative construction, the 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 right 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:

1. They like expensive cars(they like expensive cars). In this example, "they" is the subject, and "like" is the predicate. Do they like expensive cars(they like expensive cars)? Here "do" acts as an auxiliary word, "they" - as a subject, "like" - as a predicate.
2. We are friendsm 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 s friends)? Here "are" is the predicate and "we" is the subject.
3. 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(he sings well)? Here "can" acts as a predicate that comes first, and "he" is still the subject.

Building a negative question form

Having dealt with the word order, you can proceed to the next important point - how to ask a general question in English in a negative form. The mentioned construction in Russian, as a rule, begins with the words "really" or "is it" and serves to express surprise and misunderstanding. The scheme for the formation of this form is the same as that of the affirmative, only using 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? - Shouldn'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 are formed as follows:

1. A positive answer involves the use of the word "yes", a pronoun and a verb. For instance:

• Do you like eating strawberry cakes? Yes, I do. - Do you like to eat strawberry cakes? 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's a student. Yes.

2. A negative answer is formed as follows: "no" + pronoun + verb + particle "not". For instance:

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

Intonation features

The hardest part is over, 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 English to pronounce general questions with a rising tone. This tone is used in all questions that can be answered unambiguously “yes” or “no”. To clarify everything, let's take a closer look at the examples:

1. "Do you" like this "new ↗films(do you like these new movies)? This is an interrogative sentence that implies an unequivocal answer (yes / no), so it is pronounced in an ascending tone.
2. "Is it a↗ desk (uh then a party)? This interrogative sentence can be answered unequivocally (yes / no), so it is pronounced in an ascending tone.
3. Have you got a↗ sister (y do you have a sister)? It is also pronounced in an ascending 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

Thus, we have considered all the theoretical aspects regarding how to ask a general question - in English such a 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 to foreigners abroad. To consolidate the studied material, you should go to the practical part.

Strengthening exercises

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

• is she↗ old?
• Do you↗ like it?
• Is it a↗ sofa?
• Can you↗ forgerit?
• Must you↗ read it?
• Is it↗ your pen?
• Are you↗ brothers?
• Does she↗ love you?
• Is it↗ dirty?
• Are you↗ seventeen?
• Do they usually↗ watch TV?
• Can you repeat↗ after me?
• Is your brother a↗ policeman?
• Is Mary↗ kind?
• Do you like cooking?

2. Answer the following general questions:

• Are you a teacher?
• Should we go there?
• Can you help me on Monday?
• Are they right?
• Do they like it?
• Is she her cousin?
• Can you swim?
• Is his name Mark?
• Must I close the door?
• Does she know him?
• Can he jump?
• Is it cheap?
• Does he like fishing?
• Am I naughty?
• Can you forget about it?

3. Translate the following general questions into English:

• Do you want to go to the cinema with me tomorrow?
• Is she at home now?
• Is their car red?
• Can you turn off the TV?
• Are these kids really that naughty?
• They are nice?
• Does she like tulips?
• Should I call him?
• Should she go there?
• Do you work on Saturday?
• Do you like to listen music?
• This is their home?
• Have you forgotten about our meeting?
• Can you repeat the last sentence?
• Do you know their parents?
• Do you work here?
• Do they see us?
• Can you call her tomorrow morning?
• Don't you know where this building is?
• Is this the same person?

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, to ask a general question, you need to put the auxiliary verb in the first place in the sentence.

So, we 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! There are "strong verbs" in English 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 question of choice. Let me show you with our example: "DO THEY or WE go to Sochi every summer?", "Do they GO or FLY to Sochi every summer?", "Do they go to Sochi or Murmansk every summer?", "Do they go to Sochi every SUMMER or WINTER?"

Conclusion: we can give an alternative to each member of the sentence. In this case, we always use the union "or" - "or". Remember it!

To summarize. To ask an alternative question, we bring forward the auxiliary verb (as in a general question) and do not forget to ask an alternative to any member of the sentence using the union "or".

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

3) A dividing question. Tag-question

A question with a "tail")) We translate the tail "Isn't it?"
A disjunctive question is constructed according to the following formula:

our sentence unchanged + comma + tail?

What is this ponytail? 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, you need to accurately determine the time .. In our case - Present Simple .. auxiliary verbs "Do" / "Does .. "They" - "Do". We look again at our proposal and determine whether it is negative or affirmative .. Affirmative - it means that 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, we 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 "I am" acts as the subject and predicate, we write "...., aren" t I?"

4) Special question. Special Question

A question in which the speaker asks for 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 referred to as a "Wh-Question". This is due to the fact that almost all question words begin with the letter combination "Wh".

For instance:
what? - what? which?
where? - where? where?
why? - why?
which? - which the?
who? - who?
how? - how?
when? - when?

Special question formula:
Interrogative 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 kind of special question separately, since it has a different structure:

Who / What + rewrite the sentence without the subject.

Attention!!! Most importantly - Who / what - 3rd person, singular! Do you remember that in Present Simple, in this case, the ending "-s / -es" is added to the verb!

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

Special questions in English are very common and are used regularly. It is necessary to study specific cases of their use and individual varieties, the scheme of formation and nuances.

Special questions are posed in order to obtain specific information about a phenomenon or object. A specific feature of such questions in English is the presence of interrogative words. How to ask questions in English is described here. When forming a special question, the general question serves as the basis. To make it special, it is enough to supplement the question with a question word, which is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Did they visit the exhibition? - Did they visit the exhibition?

When did they visit the exhibition? - When did they visit the exhibition?

In this case, the auxiliary verb must be placed before the noun, and after it the semantic verb is placed.

The general scheme for the formation of a special question is as follows:

question word + auxiliary verb + subject + predicate + other members of the sentence.

What is she writing? - What does she write?

A special question can be put to different members suggestions. Due to this, we can get information about what specifically interests us.

A separate category is questions with who in English, like questions with what. This type of questions stands out in the general mass. Its peculiarity is the absence of auxiliary verbs in the formation of special questions to the subject. It's simple - just replace the subject with who or what, adding also an interrogative intonation. In general, the scheme for forming a question to the subject looks like this: interrogative word + predicate + other members of the sentence.

Who has built this bridge? - Who built this bridge?

Questions with what in English, as well as questions with who, can be put to the addition - a member of the sentence, which allows you to get additional information and answers the following questions: whom? what? to whom? what? what? The word who or what is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

They are waiting for the taxi. - They are waiting for a taxi.

What are they waiting for? - What are they waiting for?

She read a new book at the library. She read a new book in the library.

What did she read at the library? What did she read in the library?

The question "what is it?" with the corresponding interrogative word what is given in relation to an inanimate subject or object. When it comes to a person, the question “who is this?” applies. with the question word who?

What did he write? - What he wrote?

What is she? - Who is she? (by profession)

The interrogative word what can also be part of interrogative phrases. Their list is given below.

What is he doing for a living? - What does he do for a living?

An auxiliary verb in a special question in English is not needed in all cases. If the sentence is composed using the semantic verb to be, you can ask a question by changing the places of the subject and predicate.

Last Sunday she was at home. She was at home last Sunday.

Where was she last Sunday? - Where was she last Sunday?

In the presence of a modal verb, there is also no need to use an auxiliary. The question is formed by rearranging the subject and the predicate.

They can meet at the bus stop. - They can meet at the bus stop.

Where can they meet? - Where can they meet?

The given examples clearly show how to ask questions in English.

Hello dear readers. Today I have prepared for you an introductory lesson on the topic - types of questions in English. After studying the material, you will get acquainted with the 5 types of questions that are distinguished in English grammar. We will go into more detail on each of them in the following lessons. And now our goal is to introduce you in general terms to each of the 5 types of questions, to explain their meaning, features and design. Types of questions in English The construction of interrogative sentences is a very important topic for learning any language. After all, our speech mainly consists of questions and answers. I want to say right away that the construction of interrogative sentences in English is much more complicated than in Russian. In Russian, to pose a question, it is enough to simply change the intonation. In English, to ask a question, you need to change not only intonation, but also the order of words in a sentence, and very often there is a need to use auxiliary words.

In order to clearly explain the features of each of the types, I will first give examples, and then explain their essence. I advise you to learn the construction of 5 types of questions by heart.

5 types of questions in English

So, in English there are 5 main types of questions: a general question, a special question, a question to the subject and its definition, an alternative question, a disjunctive question. We will start the lesson with a general question, as it is fundamental. Having learned the construction of a general question, it will be easy for you to deal with other types.

1. General question

As you can see, a general question is asked to the whole sentence, and it can be answered with just one word - yes or no. That is why it is called general.

For the correct formulation of a general question, it is necessary to use an auxiliary verb:

• do→ for I, you, we, they
• does→ for he, she, it
• did→ for past tense.

So, in the first place we put the auxiliary verb, and then the declarative sentence remains unchanged. Example:

• Narrative suggestion: You speak English. → add an auxiliary verb in the first place, and we get →
• General question: Do do you speak English?

If the verb is the predicate in the sentence to be (am, is, are, was, were - its forms), or modal verbs can (could), may (might), must, shall (should), will (would), then they are taken to the first place as auxiliary ones. Example:

• Narrative suggestion: I can help you. → endure modal verb to the first place, and we get →
• General question: Can I help you?

Summarize! The general question scheme looks like this:
Auxiliary verb (Auxiliary Verb) → subject (Subject) → predicate (Predicate) → other members of the sentence.

Video on the topic: General and alternative questions in English

2. Alternative question

As you may have noticed, an alternative question is a question that asks the respondent to choose between two homogeneous members of the sentence (a pen - a pencil, teacher - doctor, red - green, Moskow - Minsk, playing chess - watching TV). These homogeneous members of the sentence can be expressed by additions, circumstances, definitions, the nominal part of the compound predicate, etc.

An alternative question is very easy to recognize by the union or which offers an alternative. An alternative question is usually given a full answer.

Please note that the alternative question is practically the same as the general question, except for the obligatory presence of the union or.

3. Special question

Special questions in English are asked for more information. In the first place there is always a special question word:

• what?- what? which?
• why?- why?
• where?- where? where?
• how?- how?
• how long?- how long?
• which?- which the?
• who?- who?
• when?- when?

Special questions in English The word order after the interrogative word is the same as in the general question.

• General question: Does he see her every day? → add an interrogative pronoun to the first place, and we get →
• Special question: Where does he see her every day?

So the diagram will look like this:
Interrogative pronoun (interrogative pronoun) → auxiliary verb (Auxiliary Verb) → subject (Subject) → predicate (Predicate) → other members of the sentence.

Note that in English it is common to see phrasal verbs, i.e. any prepositions are closely connected with these verbs. When special questions are asked in English, these prepositions are placed at the very end of the sentence. For instance:

• What are you busy with? - What are you doing?
• What are you asking for? - What are you asking for?
• Who were they waiting for? Who were they waiting for?

Answers to special questions, as a rule, are given in detail.

Video on the topic: Special question in English

4. Question to the subject and its definition

Questions to the subject or to its definition always begin with interrogative pronouns:

• Who- who
• What- what
• Which- which the
• Whose- whose

In questions to the subject, word order is preserved declarative sentence.

For instance:

• Narrative Suggestion: They must do it every day. → instead of the subject They put Who, the rest of the sentence is left unchanged, and we get →
• Question to the subject: Who must do it every day?

Note that if the sentence refers to the present tense, then the interrogative words who, what, which usually agree with the predicate in the form of the 3rd person singular. Because we do not know what answer will follow, it is customary to use the 3rd person.

For instance:

• Narrative Suggestion: They study at school. → instead of the subject They put Who, and add to the verb 3rd person ending, and we get →
• Question to the subject: Who stud ies at school?

You also need to remember that the question word " which- which" involves the choice of a certain number of objects or persons. Therefore, it is often used in conjunction with a noun or pronoun, which is preceded by a preposition of. For instance:

• Which of the children ... - Which of the children ...
• Which of you… - which of you…

Questions to the subject or to its definition are given short answers, which consist of the subject, expressed by a noun or pronoun, and the corresponding auxiliary verb.

5. Dividing question

Disjunctive questions in English are asked to test an assumption or express doubt. The peculiarity of the dividing question is that it consists of two parts and is separated by a comma. That's why it's called separating. The first part consists of a declarative sentence in direct word order. The second part is a short question that consists of an auxiliary or modal verb and a pronoun that replaces the subject. A comma is placed between them. In the second part, as you already understood, the reverse word order is used, and it is translated into Russian: isn't it?, isn't it?, right?

Remember that if the first part of the question is affirmative, then the verb in the second part must be in the negative form. If the first part of the question is negative, then in the second part the verb must be in the affirmative form.

Let's look at a couple of examples:

• Narrative suggestion affirmative: She can cook that dish. → can, add a piece " not» and the pronoun itself she. We get →
• Separated question: She can cook that dish can't she?

• Narrative suggestion negative: She can't cook that dish. → We rewrite the sentence, put a comma, put the indicator of the question, i.e. in this case, the modal verb can, you don’t need to add the “not” particle, because it is in the first part of the sentence, and finally the pronoun itself she. We get →
• Separated question: She can't cook that dish can she?

Answers to disjunctive questions in English, as well as to general ones, are usually short, containing the words yes (Yes) or no (No).

Today we will consider and, of course, examples with them. In order not to be mistaken, the main thing is to understand three things: 1) what kind of question you will have, 2) at what time it should be asked, and 3) what should be the word order in an interrogative sentence. In this article, we will deal with the first point.

5 types of questions in English and examples with them

Usually isolated 5 types of questions in English. We will briefly discuss each of them and consider examples.

1. General question. You don't even need question words here, since the question type itself doesn't imply their use. When asking a general question, the interlocutor expects to hear from you a brief positive or negative answer.

Examples:

Are you doing your homework now? Are you doing your homework now?

Do they go to the cinema every Friday? Do they go to the cinema every Friday?

Was he reading a newspaper when I phoned? Was he reading the newspaper when I called?

Will you give me a couple of recommendations? - Can you give me some advice?

Is your brother at work? Is your brother at work?

2. Special question. Here you will already need a question word or even a phrase. From this moment the special question should begin. Next, you should follow the standard scheme for constructing a question.

Examples:

How much do these books cost? How much are these books?

What is he doing here? – What is he doing here?

Where were you yesterday? - Where were you yesterday?

What city did he visit last week? What city did he visit last week?

Whose beg was stolen? Whose bag was stolen?

3. Alternative question. This type of question implies OR. Before or everything looks the same as in the general question, and then an addition that fits the meaning follows.

Examples:

Would you like a cup of tea or coffee? – Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?

Is he doing his homework or playing computer games? Does he do homework or play computer games?

Will they go on a business trip on Tuesday or Wednesday?

Does Bob speak Spanish or Italian? Does Bob speak Spanish or Italian?

Were they in Egypt or Turkey last summer? Were they in Egypt or Turkey last summer?

4. Separated question.

5. Question to the subject.

The last two types of questions require special attention so we'll look at them separately.

How to ask a disjunctive question in English? Examples

If you don't know, then it's worth refreshing your knowledge of auxiliary verbs, as you will definitely need them. Pay attention to the structure of the question and examples.

Declarative sentence + , + auxiliary verb + not + person

Negative sentence + , + auxiliary verb + person

He is doing his homework now, isn't he? He does his homework, doesn't he?

Miranda was in Germany last week, wasn't she? Miranda was in Germany last week, wasn't she?

They speak Russian, don't they? They speak Russian, don't they?

You haven't forgotten to phone her, have you? You didn't forget to call her, right?

They won't leave for Prague, will they? They won't go to Prague, will they?

As you can see, the second part of the question (the tail) depends on what kind of beginning you had. One of the parts (and not two at the same time) must be negative.