How to ask a general question in English? Examples

2024 Author: Angel Austin | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:14

To communicate with foreigners, sometimes just gestures are enough, but there are situations when it is extremely necessary to clarify something. This is where the difficulty begins, because few people remember how to ask a general question in English. The rules are often long forgotten and the person is simply lost.

It is pointless to argue that the right question is one of the most effective and fastest ways to get the required information from the interlocutor. With the help of a question, you can find out:

person's name;
how to get to the place you need;
information about the product you are interested in in the store;
the state of your he alth if you find yourself in a hospital abroad;
what to do in an emergency or emergency, etc.

However, people who have difficulty with English feel rather insecure in situations where it is necessary to say something. As a rule, theyare embarrassed to say anything at all, even if they need help or some clarification. Therefore, the ability to correctly construct a question in English will give confidence to any person in any situation abroad.

How to ask a general question in English

What types of questions are there in English

Constructing affirmative sentences is usually easy for language learners, but composing questions is difficult. Only understanding their structure will make it clear for yourself how to ask a general question in English. Types of questions have their own characteristics and are used in everyday communication by native speakers. There are five types of questions in total, including:

General question. For example: Do you like reading (Do you like to read) ?
Special question. For example: Who bought this ugly hat (Who bought this terrible hat) ?
An alternative question. For example: Do you like comedies or dramas (Do you like comedies or dramas)?
Question to the subject. For example: Which pen is yours?
Dividing question. For example: Children usually eat fruit and vegetables, don’t they (Children usually eat fruit and vegetables, don’t they)?

How to ask a general question in English words

Let's take a closer look at how to ask a general question in English.

Destination of the question

This is the simplest and most common type of the five. It is asked to the whole sentence, and it requiresa simple yes or no answer. Consider the examples:

I like eating chocolate. Do you like eating chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't. - I like to eat chocolate. Do you like to eat chocolate? Yes. No.
Mark drives to California every month. Does Mark drive to California every month? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't. Mark goes to California every month. Does Mark go to California every month? Yes. No.
They can bring Kate some fruit. Can they bring Kate some fruit? Yes, they can. No, they can't. - They can bring fruit to Katya. Can they bring fruit to Katya? Yes. No.

Note that in order to construct a general question, the auxiliary word "do" is sometimes used. This verb and its derivatives are used in combination with other verbs to obtain an interrogative or negative type of interrogative sentence. However, if it contains the verb "to be", the use of the auxiliary word "do" is not required. Consider the examples:

He is a generous man. Is he a generous man? Isn't he a generous man? - He is a generous person. Is he a generous person? Is he a generous person?
They are doctors. Are they doctors? Aren't they doctors? - They're doctors. They're doctors? Are they doctors?
They visit Margaret every Tuesday. Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday? Don't they visit Margaret every Tuesday? They visit Margaret every Tuesday. Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday? Do they visit Margaret every Tuesday?

How to ask a general question in Englishlanguage word order

Building a question

How to ask a general question in English? It's easier than it might seem. First of all, you need to find the verb in the sentence and determine what function it performs:

linking verb (to be and its derivative forms - am, are, is);
modal verb (must, need, can, should, have to);
main verb (any verb like jump, go, watch, work, etc.).

Then you should determine the time of the question. In order not to get confused with its definition, try turning this phrase into a declarative sentence. For example, the interrogative sentence "Does your aunt like to sing?" is reworked into the affirmative "Your aunt likes to sing." After you find the verb and determine the time, proceed to the construction of the question itself.

Word order

Another point worth mentioning for those who don't know how to ask a general question in English is word order. While in Russian we just change intonation and get an interrogative sentence, this does not work with English. To ask something, it is not enough just to change the intonation to an interrogative one. In the English interrogative construction, the reverse word order is characteristic.

This means that it is especially important in this situation to use either an auxiliary or modal verb, or a linking verb “to be”, in the right form. Next comes the subject (most often expressed by a personal pronoun), the predicate and other members of the sentence. Consider the examples:

They like expensive cars (they love expensive cars). In this example, "they" is the subject, and "like" is the predicate. Do they like expensive cars (they love expensive cars)? Here "do" acts as an auxiliary word, "they" - as a subject, "like" - as a predicate.
We are friends (we are friends). In this example, "we" is the subject and "are" is the predicate, in the form of the verb "to be" for the pronoun "we". Are we friends (my friends)? Here "are" is the predicate and "we" is the subject.
He can sing well (he sings well). In this example, "he" is the subject and "can" is the modal verb. C an he sing well (he sings well)? Here "can" is the predicate that comes first, and "he" is still the subject.

How to ask a general question in English types of questions

Constructing a negative question form

Having de alt with the word order, you can move on to the next important point - how to ask a general question in English in a negative form. The mentioned construction in Russian, as a rule, begins with the words "really" or "is it" and serves to express surprise and misunderstanding. The scheme for the formation of this form is the same as that of the affirmative one, only with the use of the negative particle “not”. Consider the examples:

1. Do you not like our French lessons? - Don't you like our French lessons? - Don't you love our French lessons?

2. Are they not at work? - Aren't they at work? -Are they not at work?

3. Must we not do this work tomorrow? - Shouldn't we do this work tomorrow? - Shouldn't we do this work tomorrow?

How to ask a general question in English rules

How to answer the question

A general question requires an unambiguous "yes" or "no", which are formed as follows:

1. A positive answer implies the use of the word "yes", a pronoun and a verb. For example:

Do you like eating strawberry cakes? Yes, I do. - Do you like to eat strawberry cakes? Yes.
Should they go to the party this Friday? Yes, they should. - Should they go to the party this Friday? Yes.
Is he a student of Harvard University? Yes, he is. - Is he a student at Harvard University? Yes.

2. A negative answer is formed as follows: "no" + pronoun + verb + particle "not". For example:

Do they like watching TV before going to bed? No, they do not (don't). - Do they like to watch TV before going to bed? No.
Can you read this new novel? No, I can't (can't). - Can you read this new novel? No.
Is Casandra his friend's sister? No, she is not (isn't). - Is Kasandra his friend's sister? No.

Intonation features

The hard part is over, because you already know how to ask a general question in English. Rules of pronunciation and intonation - one moremoment to stop. It is typical for English to pronounce general questions with a rising tone. This tone is used in all questions that can be answered unambiguously “yes” or “no”. To clarify everything, let's take a closer look at the examples:

'Do you 'like this 'new ↗films? This is an interrogative sentence that implies an unambiguous answer (yes / no), so it is pronounced in an ascending tone.
'Is it a ↗ desk? This interrogative sentence can be answered unambiguously (yes/no), so it is pronounced in a rising tone.
Have you got a ↗ sister? Also pronounced in an ascending tone, as it requires a yes or no statement.

Now you know how to ask a general question in English. The pronunciation rules in this case are very easy to remember.

Conclusion

Thus, we have considered all the theoretical aspects regarding how to ask a general question - in English such a phrase is the simplest and at the same time the most important and common, therefore, knowing how to formulate it correctly, you you will be able to feel more confident in a conversation with foreigners abroad. To consolidate the studied material, you should go to the practical part.

How to ask a general question in negative English

Reinforcement exercises

1. To complete the first task, remember everything you learned earlier regarding how to set a generalquestion. In English, words after the ↗ sign are pronounced with rising intonation: