In any language, obtaining information can be complicated. To get information from another person requires the ability to ask questions. There are two primary forms of questions:
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- Yes / No questions (also called closed questions)
- Wh– questions (also called open questions).
In English, the word order of a sentence usually follows this pattern:
subject | verb | object |
He | eats | apples. |
They | drink | coffee. |
However, word order changes in both types of question. Note that in the question the subject follows the verb but in the response the verb follows the subject. Here are examples with closed questions.
Yes / No question | Response | ||||||
verb | subject | subject | verb | ||||
Is | John | here? | Yes, | he | is | here | |
Are | they | Costa Rican? | Yes, | they | are | Costa Rican. |
Here are examples with open questions.
Wh– question | Response | |||||
verb | subject | subject | verb | |||
Where | are | Tom and Susan? | Tom and Susan | are | there. | |
When | was | the party? | The party | was | yesterday. |
In the following examples, the questions are formed with auxiliary verbs. Note that in the question the subject is placed between the verbs. In the response, both verbs follow the subject.
Yes / No question | Response | ||||||
aux. verb |
subject | main verb |
subject | aux. verb |
main verb |
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Has | the rain | stopped? | Yes, | the rain | has | stopped. | |
Have | they | eaten? | Yes, | they | have | eaten | |
Should | they | go? | Yes, | they | should | go. | |
Can | he | stay? | Yes, | he | can | stay. |
Questions formed with the auxiliary verb DO are different. The auxiliary verb is absent in the response. Here are examples with closed questions.
Yes / No question | Response | |||||||
aux. verb |
subject | main verb |
subject | main verb |
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Do | they | eat | meat? | Yes, | they | eat | meat. | |
Does | the bank | open | at 9:00? | Yes, | the bank | opens | at 9:00. |
Here are examples with open questions.
Wh– question | Response | ||||||
aux. verb |
subject | main verb |
subject | main verb |
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Where | does | Mario | work? | He | works | at home. | |
When | did | Helena | leave? | She | left | yesterday. |
Remember: the verb DO is essential for asking questions with all verbs except the verb BE and modal verbs. Learn more about forming questions with the verb DO.
Related lessons:
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