Speaking Situations: Simple Questions
There are many types of questions in English. The easiest are questions that can be answered "yes" or "no."
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Q: Are you from around here?
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A: Yes, I am.
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Q: Do you come here often?
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A: Yes, I do.
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Q: Can I buy you a drink?
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A: No, thanks.
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Q: Are you married?
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A: Yes, I am.
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To form a question from a statement, first
count the number of verbs.
John is a doctor. |
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One verb: is (be) |
Jane drives a sports car. |
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One
verb: drives |
Joan played basketball last night. |
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One verb:
played |
Jan is eating her dinner. |
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Two verbs: is
eating |
June has rented an apartment. |
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Two verbs:
has rented |
Jen has been living there since 1969. |
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Three verbs: has been living |
If there is
one verb in the statement and the verb is a form of
be, simply switch the
positions of the subject and verb.
Statement |
|
Question |
John is a doctor. |
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Is John a doctor? |
The Jensens are here. |
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Are the Jensens here? |
If there are
two verbs, simply switch the positions of the subject and
first verb.
Statement |
|
Question |
Jan is eating dinner. |
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Is Jan eating dinner? |
June has rented an apartment. |
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Has June rented an apartment? |
Jen has been living here since 1969. |
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Has Jen been living here since 1969? |
If there is one verb, and the verb is not a form of
be, the process is more complex.
1. Add Do to the beginning of the sentence.
The Johnsons live in that house. |
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Do the Johnsons live in that house? |
2. If the main verb "carries" a third person singular
s, move the
s to
Do, making it
Does.
Jane drives a car. |
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Do Jane drives a car? (Not finished yet!) |
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Does Jane drive a car? (Good question!) |
3. If the main verb "carries" past tense, move the
past tense to
Do, making it
Did.
Joan played basketball last night. |
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Do Joan played basketball? (Not finished yet!) |
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Did Joan play basketball? (Good question!) |
In conversation, most questions are asked of the
second person (you) and answered in the
first (I).
A: Are you from California?
B: No, I'm from Oregon. Are you?
A: Yes, I'm from Hollywood.
B: Do you know any movie stars?
A: No, I don't go out at night.
In British English, the main verb
have sometimes functions like
be in questions. This is not common in American English.
Statement |
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Question |
You have a pet ferret. |
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Have you a pet ferret? (British) |
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Do you have a pet ferret? (American) |
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