Grammar – How to Ask Questions

SMART Goal: Demonstrate mastery of how to ask basic questions in English by passing a quiz at the end of the week with a grade of 80% or higher.

Introduction

Before we can learn how to ask questions properly, we must review the two types of verbs – linking verbs and action verbs.

· Linking verbs link a noun to another noun (he is a man) or to an adjective (he is tall).

· The main linking verb is “to be” (am, are, is, was, were, be, being, been). Other linking verbs are the “sense” verbs (smell, look, taste, sound, feel), appear, seem, become, grow, remain, stand, and turn. These verbs can be followed by an adjective that links back to the subject, hence, the “linking” function.

· Action verbs express some action on a noun or by a noun (he hit the ball; she said no; he was hit).

· Except for the linking verbs above, virtually all other verbs are considered to be action verbs.

Asking Questions

· Asking questions requires inverting the normal subject-verb order to verb-subject order.

· For action verbs,

· Recall that one form of the present tense is: do/does + verb. In many cases, this form MUST be used for asking questions.

· Recall that another form of the present tense is: “to be” + verb-ing. This form can also be used for asking questions.

· For linking verbs, do/does is NOT appropriate. Instead, the forms “is/am/are/was/were/been/be” are used. This form is NOT for action verbs.

Asking Questions with Linking Verbs (simple inversion; no action verb)

This question form uses ONLY the verb “to be”. It does NOT use the verb “to do”. Note that this form has a one-word verb (is/am/are/was/were) in most cases but a two-word verb (has been/have been/had been/will have been) in some cases.

He is a man. Is he a man? (linking pronoun to noun)

You are tired. Are you tired? (linking pronoun to adjective)

You are the one who asked about this. Are you the one who asked about this?(linking pronoun to pronoun)

She looks pretty. Is she pretty? (linking pronoun to adjective)

He seems to be French. Is he French? (linking pronoun to adjective)

He feels ill. Is he ill? (linking pronoun to adjective)

That sounds strange. That is strange. Is that strange? (linking pronoun to adjective)

Asking Questions with Action Verbs (inversion with do/does/did)

This question form uses the verb “to do”. Note that this form always has a two-word verb (do/does/did + verb). The inverted subject will be between these two words.

1. They like him. Do they like him?

1. She lives in New York. Does she live in New York?

1. He knows the material well. Does he know the material well?

1. She rejected him. Did she reject him?

1. She talked for a long time. Did she talk for a long time?

Asking Questions with Action Verbs (inversion with “to be” + verb-ing)

This question form uses “to be” + verb + ing (present participle). It does NOT use the verb “to do”. Note that this form always has a two-word verb (“to be” + verb-ing). The inverted subject will be between these two words.

1. They are talking to him. Are they talking to him?

1. She is living in New York. Is she living in New York?

1. He is learning the material well. Is he learning the material well?

1. She is dating him. Is she dating him?

1. She is taking a long time. Is she taking for a long time?

Asking Questions with Question Words

Questions words include words like who, what, which, where, why, when, and how. These words typically are the first word in the sentence. They are sometimes called the “wh” words or interrogative words. Note again that the subject will be inside of two-word verbs.

Question Words with Linking Verbs (no “do/does/did”)

1. He was my manager last year. Who was your manager last year? (“who” => no inversion)

1. He is going to New York. Where is he going?

1. She was born in Iraq. Where was she born?

1. He was born in 1950. When was he born?

1. We are leaving in five minutes. When are we leaving?

Question Words with Action Verbs (with “do/does/did” OR “to be” + ing)

1. He said that. Who said that? (“who” => no inversion)

1. Irascible means “easy to become angry”. What does “irascible” mean? What is the meaning of “irascible”?

1. This word means “lucky find”. What does this word mean?

1. I prefer blue. Which color do you prefer?

1. I did that for your benefit. Why did you do that?

1. They left early. Why did they leave early?

1. You do this task like this. How do you do this task?

1. I know this because I read it yesterday. How do you know this?

1. I have known him for 10 years. How long have you known him?

1. I go there often. How often do you go there? How frequently do you go there?

1. I have five properties. How many properties do you have?

1. We are getting a lot of snow this year. How much snow are you getting every year?

1. This is very demanding. How demanding is this?

1. I am pronouncing “irascible” like “eye RASS uh bul”. How are you pronouncing “irascible”? How do you pronounce “irascible”?

1. This word is pronounced “in DELL uh bul”. How is this word pronounced?

Asking Questions with Modal Verbs (modal verb replaces “do/does/did”)

Modal verbs require the main verb to be the simple present tense form of the verb.

1. We may visit you sometime. May we visit you sometime?

1. We can go tomorrow. Can we go tomorrow?

1. We must complete it. Must we complete it?

1. They would help us. Would they help us?

1. She could ask her mother. Could she ask her mother?

1. We should go this way. Should we go this way?

Asking Tag Questions

Tag questions are sometimes tacked onto the end of a sentence. Sometimes they are asking for confirmation from the listener. Sometimes they are asked rhetorically (for emphasis or dramatic effect but not really expecting an answer).

1. He’s the one you were talking about, right? (confirmation)

1. He’s handsome, isn’t he? (rhetorical)

1. Let’s go, shall we? (rhetorical)

1. You didn’t really do that, did you? (confirmation)

1. He said that, did he? (emphasis, anger)

Implied Questions

In speaking, a statement can be turned into a question by simply using a rising tone at the end of a sentence. In writing, however, a question mark must be used for clarity.

1. You believe him. (statement) You believe him? (question)

1. You’re really going to do that. (statement) You’re really going to do that? (question)

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