Summary
In-depth Explanation
Interrogative sentences (questions) are typically formed by changing the word order (subject-verb inversion) or by using auxiliary verbs. Here are the key structures:
Yes/No Questions
These questions can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” The structure is:
[Auxiliary verb] + [subject] + [main verb] + [object/complement]?
For example:
Do you like pizza?
Is she coming to the party?
The two exceptions are when using the verb “to be” or a modal verb like “can” or “should.” In this case, they invert directly (switch places) with the subject. For example:
Are you ready?
Were they at the park yesterday?
Can we leave now?
Should he bring a towel?
Wh- Questions
These questions ask for specific information. We use the same structure as we do for yes/no questions, with the Wh- word at the beginning.
Question Word | Example |
who | Who is at the door? |
what | What are you doing? |
where | Where does he live? |
when | When will the train arrive? |
why | Why were they late? |
how | How does this work? |
Tag Questions
Tag questions are used to confirm or check information. For this, we use a statement followed by a tag that consists of an auxiliary verb and subject pronoun:
[Statement] + [auxiliary verb] + [subject]?
The auxiliary verb is negative if the statement is positive and positive if the statement is negative. For example:
You’re coming, aren’t you?
She wasn’t angry, was she?
I didn’t leave my phone at home, did I?
Negative Questions
We can also form questions with negative verbs for various reasons, including to confirm or clarify information, express surprise or disbelief and to make polite suggestions or offers. They are formed using “not” or its contraction (n’t). For example:
Didn’t you see the sign?
Isn’t it a beautiful day?
Why haven’t they called?