ASKING QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH

1) YES/NO QUESTIONS.
Invert the order of the subject and the first auxiliary verb.

 It is snowing. = Is it snowing?
 He can speak German. = Can he speak German?
 They have lived here a long time. = Have they lived here a long time?
 He was driving fast. = Was he driving fast?
 You have been smoking. = Have you been smoking?

2) If there is no auxiliary, use part of the verb 'to do'. (DO, DOES, DID)

 You speak fluent French. = Do you speak fluent French?

 She lives in Brussels. = Does she live in Brussels?
 They lived in Manchester. = Did they live in Manchester?

3) WH-QUESTIONS
Most questions with question words are made in the same way:

 Why don't you come?

 Which one do you like?
 Whose car were you driving?

QUESTION WORD AUXILIARY VERB SUBJECT MAIN VERB OTHER WORDS

How often does she go to the gym?
Where do you live?
When will they visit me?
Whose bag did you take?

4) Note who, what and which can be the subject. When the question word is the
subject of the question, we write the verb directly. (No inversion. No auxiliary
verbs)

 Who is coming to lunch? (who is the subject of the verb)

 What happened? (what is the subject of the verb)
 Who wrote ‘Romeo and Juliet’?

5) Note the position of the prepositions in these questions:

 Who did you speak to?

 What are you looking at?
 Where does he come from?

WRITE QUESTIONS FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS.

1. They visited Mary last year

2. We have bought a new car.
3. She goes to the gym twice a week.
4. This laptop belongs to my colleague.
5. They’ve been waiting for two hours.
6. They will send the parcels in three weeks.
7. She was writing an essay when the telephone rang.
8. This is Peter’s house.
9. She didn’t go by plane because she’s afraid of flying.
10. By the time we get there they will have eaten everything.