Asking questions is perhaps one of the key abilities in the English language that lets you seek answers, clarify meanings, or participate in a dialogue. English questions can vary in structure depending on the information being sought, verb tense being used, or the expectation to be met with a simple 'yes' or 'no.' This article discusses the different ways of forming yes/no questions, wh- questions as well as the questions with modal verbs in English.
1. Yes/No Questions
Yes/no questions are, however, the most basic type of question since the answer is either 'yes' or 'no.' The formulation of these questions is mainly achieved through inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb or the verb 'to be' in the correct tense.
With Auxiliary Verbs
In cases where an auxiliary verb such as do, does, did, have, will, can, etc, is part of the sentence, the structure will generally be that the auxiliary precedes the subject being inquired about.
In its most basic form, the auxiliary 'do', is the present simple yes/no question. In the past simple, other tenses other than present simple are used otherwise the structure of the sentence incorporates inversion of the auxiliary verb and the subject.
Take the following present simple picture for instance:
- Affirmative: You like coffee.
- Question: Do you like beverages made from the seeds of a coffee plant?
In the case of continuous and perfect tenses, the only change which is made is in the placement of the auxiliary verb to the left of the subject.
- Affirmative: She is reading.
- Question: Is she reading?
Here, with the sterile "to be" in motion
In relation to the usage of the main verb to be (in any of the time forms) the question is no different; it remains in the primary position with the only difference being the introduction of the verb 'to be' before the subject instead of placing auxiliary verbs.
- Affirmative: They are happy.
- Question: Are they happy?
These are the structures in this level of 'to be' with present, past, and future.
2. Wh- Questions
Whenever people ask who, what or where, when, and why, they are seeking what is known as Wh questions. These kinds of questions require more than yes/no. Although these questions still have their guidelines based on the verb or tense being used.
Wh- Questions
Using "Wh" questions can also help us define specific types of information:
- What: What things or actions are needed.
- Where: Details of places from where they ought to go.
- When: Describe the time.
Forming Wh- Questions
The creation of wh- questions always goes like this:
- Wh- word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb.
For example, with auxiliary verbs:
- Statement: You are going to the party.
- Wh- Question: Where are you going?
If there is no auxiliary in the affirmative sentence as for example in the present simple or past simple, an auxiliary "do" is present and the subject comes after:
- Statement: She eats lunch at noon.
- Wh- Question: When does she eat lunch?
Subject Questions with Who/What
In questions where Who or What represents the subject of a sentence, there is no need to have an auxiliary verb. The wh- word takes the place of the subject:
- Statement: John called you.
- Question: Who called you?
In this case, the structure is wh- word + verb because who replaces the subject.
3. Questions in Continuous and Perfect Tenses
In continuous and perfect tenses when concerning forming questions the auxiliary verb (or form of "to be") is moved before the subject.
Present Continuous
In present continuous tense questions are formed by putting is/are/am before the subject:
- Statement: They are watching TV.
- Question: Do they enjoy watching TV?
Present Perfect
For present perfect, put the subject in the middle and the auxiliary verb in the beginning: has/have.
- Statement: She has completed her homework.
- Question: Has she done her homework?
Present Perfect Continuous
With this tense, there are two auxiliary verbs: have/has and been. Always put the have/has before the subject.
- Statement: They have been waiting.
- Question: Have they been waiting?
4. Questions with Modal Verbs
Some of the modal verbs include: can, should, will, must, and might. These verbs show possibility or permission and are used when asking questions, putting the modal verb at the beginning.
Yes/No with modal verbs
For questions where a modal is used the formula is: modal verb, subject and the base verb(s).
For example:
- Statement: They can swim in the sea.
- Question: Can they swim in the sea?
Wh- questions with modal verbs
Wh- questions with modal verbs are always the same as other wh- questions with the only difference being the order of the wh- word.
- Wh- word + modal verb + subject + base verb.
But consider these situations too:
- Question: What can we say?
- Question: What do they have to go for?
In both cases, the wh- phrase is followed by the modal verb and the subject comes afterwards.
5. Negative Questions
Although called negative, such questions are not asked with a sense of denial, instead, they are used to express disbelief and seek confirmation for one's expectations. Negative questions can be formed by adding the word 'not' after the auxiliary or modal verb, or 'n't' at the end of a verb.
- Aren't you going to the party?
- Didn't she contact you?
In negative questions, the form of structure is the same as in affirmative questions which expect a 'yes' or 'no' answer, with negative being a feature of the auxiliary or modal verb used.
6. Exclamatory Sentences in Direct Speech
As for direct questions that are reported, the usual interrogative structure can be said to be absent. More often than not, the reverse is true; questions change into statements and the order of words is arranged according to sentence structure rather than questions.
For example:
- Direct question: "Stay where you are?"
- Reported question: She wanted to know what I was doing.
In reported speech, there are no auxiliary verbs (do, does) and the verb form is frequently one time tense adrift.
Knowing how to formulate questions in English is very important for communication. Looking at the types of questions; yes/no questions, wh- questions, questions containing modal verbs among others, offers learners the confidence to interact, seek and give information appropriately.
