English grammar is quite complex and varied. A beginner who is just starting to learn the basics of the language will have to face a huge number of difficulties. It is not enough to memorize the basic set of words and expressions, you also need to learn how to use these words correctly, build sentences. If everything is more or less clear with affirmative sentences, then when it is necessary to ask a question, many people become numb and do not know what to say. In English, it is not enough to simply change the intonation in an affirmative sentence or put a question mark at the end. This topic requires detailed study.
Types of questions
There are five types of interrogative sentences in total:
- General questions in English. Example - "Do you like going to school?".
- Dividing questions. "You go to school every day, don't you?".
- Alternative questions. "Do you go to school or college every day?"
- Specialquestions. "Why don't you come visit us?".
- Questions to the subject. "Who did this?".
Let's consider each question separately.
General questions in English. Examples
What are the features of the first type of interrogative sentences? Common questions in English and examples imply that this question can be answered either yes or no. There is no third option. Such questions require a clear answer. If we draw an analogy with the Russian language, then we will see that in Russian we simply change the intonation in an affirmative sentence. For example:
You go to school every day. - Do you go to school every day?
It's not so easy in English. The order of words, intonation changes, for each time - in its own way. Take the example of a general question in English:
Do you like your school? - Do you love your school?
The word order for the general question is:
| Simple group times | Auxiliary word | Subject | Predicate (verb in first form) |
| Progressive Group Times | The verb to be in the right form | Subject | Predicate (verb in first form) |
| Group Times Perfect | The verb have in the correct form | Subject | Predicate (verb in third form) |
| Group timesPerfect Progressive | The verb have been in the correct form | Subject | Predicate (verb ending -ing) |
Auxiliary verbs for Present Simple - do/does; auxiliary verb for Past Simple - did; auxiliary verb for Future Simple - will.
General questions in English. Example:
- Do you speak Japanese? - Do you speak Japanese?
- Does your mother work in a hospital? - Does your mom work at the hospital?
- Did you spend last summer abroad? - Did you spend last summer abroad?
- Will you go to the concert tomorrow? - Will you go to the concert tomorrow?
Cutting questions in English
The tag question is often referred to in English as a "Tag question". In order to ask this question, you need to add a "tail" to the affirmative sentence. This ponytail will be translated into Russian with the phrase - right?
You play in a school band, don't you? - You play in the school band, don't you?
She is speaking with her teacher now, isn't she? - She's talking to the teacher now, isn't she?
As we can see, the "tails" are different, depending on the time in which the sentence is built. By analogy with general questions, you can make a small table:
| Simple group times | Auxiliary verb |
| Progressive Group Times | Verb to be |
| Group Times Perfect | Verb have |
| Perfect Progressive Group Times | Verb have + been |
The following is a pronoun that corresponds to the subject in the affirmative sentence. Please note that if the sentence itself is affirmative, then the "tail" will be negative and vice versa.
Examples of disjunctive questions:
You speak English very well, don't you? - You speak English well, don't you?
She made a decision to terminate a contract, didn't she? - She decided to break the contract, didn't she?
Alternative questions in English
Already from the name alone it is clear that the answer to the question of an alternative type involves the choice of something. If you have studied the topic "General questions in English", then it will not be difficult for you to learn how to ask alternative questions.
To make an alternative question, you need to take the general question as a basis and add the union or (or). For example:
Do you speak English or German? - Do you speak English or German?
Did your teacher study abroad or only in Russia? - Did your teacher study abroad or only in Russia?
Have you bought the book or the magazine? - Did you buy a book or a magazine?
Special questions in English
Questions of a special type are formed using special question words. These question words come first.place in the general question. These questions require a detailed answer.
| what? | what? |
| when? | when? |
| where? | where? where? |
| why? | why? why? |
| how? | how? |
|
how much? how many? |
how much? |
What are you doing now? - What are you doing now?
When have you been to England? - When were you in England?
Where do you work? - Where do you work?
Why are you so bad-tempered? - Why are you so angry?
How are you? - How are you?
How many book have you read this summer? - How many books did you read this summer?
Questions to the subject
This type of question is not always singled out, since it is formed using the special question word WHO (who). Thus, it can be categorized as a special question. But since these questions are formed a little differently, we will single them out as a separate paragraph. The peculiarity of this question is that the word order here will be direct, as in an affirmative sentence. We won't need any auxiliary words.
Who slept all day? - Who slept all day?
Who is talking in the class? - Who is talking in class?
Who has made it? - Who did this?
Practice exercises
1. Ask general questions aboutEnglish (translate into English):
- Do you like music?
- Have you ever been abroad?
- Does your sister work in a factory?
- Do your parents live in Moscow?
- Is your computer broken?
2. Translate the sentences. Ask in English general and special questions to these affirmative sentences:
- My mother has been working at the school for twenty years.
- My teacher says I'm bright.
- I work out at the gym twice a week.
- My dog picks me up every day from work.
- Children are playing in the garden with the dog now.
It's easy to write the right questions using the suggestions above.
