Grammar (5): questions
(Level: Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate / A2 to B1 / **)

There are two types of questions.

1.   Yes or No questions

     2.   Wh-questions

 

1.   Yes or No questions.

The type of question for which either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ (followed by a short answer) is expected.

Is she from England? Yes, she is.  / No, she isn’t.
Do you have a car? Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.
Have you got cats? Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.
Is she studying at the moment? Yes, she is. / No, she isn't.

The rules are simple:

1.   If the main verb is ‘to be’ (auxiliary), simply invert the subject and the verb.

Are you at home? Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.

Is she working on your project?  Yes, she is. / No, she isn’t.
Are they reading now? Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.
Was she on holiday last week? Yes, she was. / No, she wasn’t.
Were they at the station yesterday? Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. 

2.   If the main verb is another auxiliary (have, can, may, must, will, shall, would, should…), simply invert the subject and the auxiliary

 She has just phoned her boss.  

Has she just phoned her boss?
Yes, she has. / No, she hasn’t.

They have spent the evening watching films.

Have they spent the evening watching films?
Yes, they have. / No, they haven’t.

She should see her doctor.

Should she see her doctor?
Yes, she should. / No, she shouldn’t.

I’ll (will) phone her as soon as possible.

Will you phone her as soon as possible?
Yes, I will. / No, I won’t (will not)

I can use your bathroom.

Can I use your bathroom?
Yes, you can. / No, you can't.


 

3.   If the main verb of the sentence is an ordinary verb conjugated in the Simple Present or the Simple Past, insert the auxiliary ‘do’ or does’ depending on the person if it is the Simple Present or ‘did’ if it is the Simple Past.

The main verb keeps its base form (no endings).

 

Does she work in London?
Yes, she does.  / No, she doesn’t.

Do they have a big garden?

Yes, they do. / No, they don’t.

Did they meet when they were students?

Yes, they did. / No, they didn't.

 

 

 

2.   Wh-questions

Wh- questions are used when certain types of questions need being asked because specific information is required.

Interrogative words or question words (also called wh-words as most of them start with wh-  in English) are therefore used to ask questions.

These words are used in direct questions (Where do you live?) and in indirect questions (I am asking him where he lives).

 

Question Words	Function	Examples
What	Used when asking information about something.   Can be used as an object.       Can be used as a subject.       Note: What… like? (See: how)	What do you do? What did you buy for dinner? What did you see?     What happened? What’s wrong with you?
What...for	Used when asking for a reason	What did he do that for?
What kind of  What sort of	Used when asking for some precision	What kind of books do you like reading?
What size	Used when asking about… size	What size are you?
What time	Used when asking the time (it is / something happened / someone did something etc.)	What time is it? What time did she leave? What time is your train?
When	Used when asking for a time or period	When did he leave? When are you leaving? When did you last go to the cinema?
Where	Used when asking for a place…	Where do they live? Where are you going on holiday this year? Where did you meet her?
Which	Used when asking about choosing between different things  / Used when a choice needs to be made; when there is an alternative         When there is no choice, no alternative, use What	Which colour do you want? (The red one or the green one?)   Which drink did you order? (The beer or the wine?)   What colour is your car? (Obviously the car has just one colour)
Who	Used when asking what or which person or people. Can be used as a subject               Can be used as an object	Who opened the door? Who phoned you? Who went on holiday with you? Who drives you to school?   Who did you see? Who did you phone? Who do you drive to school?
Whom	Used when asking what or which person or people = direct object: no preposition     = indirect object: with preposition   Used in very formal English, formal writing and speech   See: Prepositions in wh-questions	Whom did you see? (= Who did you see?)     With whom did you travel? (= Who did you travel with?)
Whose	Used when asking about ownership; when wanting to know who something in particular belongs to	Whose car is this? Whose turn is it?
Why	Used when asking for a reason	Why did she tell you that? Why is she angry?
How	Used when asking about manner; about the way in which something happens or is done etc.       Used when asking about someone’s condition, health	How do you spell your name? How did the accident happen?     How is he now? How are you?
+ What (+ be) like (for things ; situations)	When used when asking about quality, how can be replaced by what… like	How were your exams? = What were your exams like?   How was the hotel? = What was the hotel like?
+ What (+be) like (for people)	What…like for a person: used when wanting to know about what a person is like; about their character, personality.	What is she like? = What can you say about her as a person?
+ What … look like (for people)	What…look like for a person: used when wanting to know about the way someone looks; about their physical appearance.	What does she look like? = I want to know about her appearance, her physique…
How far	Used when asking about distance.	How far is London from here? How far do you live from work?
How long	Used when asking about duration           Used when asking about length	How long does the film last? How long does it take you to write an essay?     How long is this room?
How old	Used when asking about someone’s age	How old was she when she died? How old are you?
How many	Used when asking about a quantity (with countable nouns)	How many houses does he own? How many friends does she have on Facebook?
How much	Used when asking about a quantity (with uncountable nouns)	How much milk do we still have in the fridge? How much is it? (= How much money is it?) How much patience do you have?
How often	Used when asking about the frequency	How often do you meet your friends?
How tall           How high	Used when asking about someone’s height e.g.   Used when asking about the height of something (building…)   Used when asking about the height of something (mountain…)	How tall are you?     How tall is The Shard? But: How high is the Shard?  OK How high is the mountain? But: How tall is the mountain?   OK   How high are the interest rates?
How deep	Used when asking about depth	How deep is the Loch Ness?
How well   How good   How bad	Used e.g. when asking about how good / bad someone can be at something…	How well can you play tennis? How good are you at English? How bad was the weather last week?
how come (informal)	Used when asking for a reason; less formal than why	How come I can't see her? How come you didn’t attend the lesson?

 

Prepositions in wh-questions

 

Look at the following examples:

What are you looking for?  (you can’t say: For what are you looking?)

What is she worried about? (You can’t say: About what is she worried?)
What are you interested in? (You can’t say: In what are you interested?)
 

The preposition comes in the same position as in a statement or positive sentence:
 

I’m looking for my keys.

She’s worried about her job.
I’m interested in art and literature.

 

BUT:
 

With which

 

Which supermarket do you do your shopping in?

You can also say: In which supermarket do you do your shopping?  (more formal; normally not so commonly used in a conversation)

 

With Who

Who did you get that money from?

You can also say: From whom did you get that money? (more formal; normally not so commonly used in a conversation)

 

 

 

Questions – drills

 

1.   Rearrange the order of the words and ask the question.

 

a.    been / have / you / where / ?

b.    do / sell / newspapers / you/?

c.    car / does / who / to / belong / that / ?

d.   whose / is / house / this / ?

e.    like / your / was / holiday / last / what / ?

f.     are / finished / you / work / your/ with / ?

g.   do / why / silly / such / ask / questions/ you / ?

h.   these / from / where / are / people / ?

i.     how / staying / Paris / you / are / long / in / ?

j.     which / did / choose / books / you / ?

 

 

2.  Find the appropriate question words.

 

a.    …………………  did you buy? b.    ................. is the tower? c.    …………………  does our flag have? d.    ………………..  are you driving? e.    ……………….. do you go on holiday? f.     ……………….. do you fly a year? g.    ……………….. is the supermarket? h.    ……………….. first name will she give her baby? i.      …………………………………………………….? j.     …………………………………………………… ?

Two pairs of jeans. It’s more than 3 centuries old. Red, yellow and black. My dad’s. By car. Maybe twice or three times. About 2 kilometres. Maybe her grandma’s first name. She’s rather tall and still looks young. Not friendly, actually. And he always seems bad-humoured.

 

 

3. Write the questions which the underlined parts in the sentences are the answers to.

 

a.    He didn’t come to school because he was fed up. (2 possible questions)

b.    That film was rubbish.

c.    Jane phoned her boyfriend this morning.

d.   The teacher’s car is black.

e.    John went abroad with his colleagues.

f.     She lived in London for 5 years.

g.   She’s much better now.

h.   She had a job during the summer holiday?

i.     He’s a lawyer?

j.     I’m watching my favourite series.

k.    They’re looking for his wallet.

l.     The police were investigating into the girl’s disappearance.

m.  They go to the library twice a month.

n.   I’m 5 foot 9. (1.8 metres) tall.

o.    The baby’s 9 months old.

p.    It’s almost midnight.

q.   It’s very wet and cold today.

r.     The ticket cost £54.

s.    I bought the blue shirt.

t.     She is writing a Christmas card to her friends.

u.   She’s ashamed of forgetting to come.

v.    Something’s worrying me.

w.   23 people came to the conference.

x.    A terrible accident happened last Monday.

y.    No, I didn’t.

z.    Yes, she has.

 

 

When you are finished, check your answers!

1.

a.    Where have you been?

b.    Do you sell newspapers?

c.    Who does that car belong to?

d.   Whose house is this?

e.    What was your last holiday like?

f.     Are you finished with your work?

g.   Why do you ask such silly questions?

h.   Where are these people from?

i.     How long are you staying in Paris?

j.     Which books did you choose?

 

2.

a.    What  did you buy? b.    How old is the tower? c.    What colours does our flag have? d.    Whose car are you driving? e.    How do you go on holiday? f.     How often do you fly a year? g.    How far is the supermarket? h.    Whose first name will she give her baby? i.      What does she look like? j.     What is she like?

Two pairs of jeans. It’s more than 3 centuries old. Red, yellow and black. My dad’s. By car. Maybe twice or three times. About 2 kilometres. Maybe her grandma’s first name. She’s rather tall and still looks young. Not friendly, actually. And he always seems bad-humoured.

 

 

3.

 

a.    Why didn’t he come to school? / How come he didn’t come to school?

b.    What was the film like?  (How was the film?)

c.    Who phoned her boyfriend this morning? // Who did Jane phone this morning? // When did Jane phone her boyfriend?

d.   Whose car is black?

e.    Who did John go abroad with?

f.     Where did she live for five years? // How long did she live in London?

g.   How is she now?

h.   When did she have a job?

i.     What does he do?  (What is he? / What’s his job?)

j.     What are you doing?

k.    What are they looking for?

l.     What were the police investigating into?

m.  How often do they go to the library?

n.   How tall are you?

o.    How old is the baby?

p.    What time is it? (What’s the time?)

q.   What’s the weather like today?

r.     How much did the ticket cost?

s.    Which shirt did you buy?

t.     Who is she writing a Christmas card to?

u.   What is she ashamed of?

v.    What’s worrying you?

w.   How many people came to the conference?

x.    What happened last Monday.

y.    (Did you break that vase?)

z.  (Has she finished doing her homework?)