All warm and fiery greetings! Today we continue to develop and complete the theme “ To ask questions» — « Asking questions". And in this lesson, in addition to the next portion of questions and answers in English, we will study 5 types of questions, or rather interrogative sentences in english language. The topic is both complex and relatively simple at the same time. Indeed, due to the fact that the established order of words in the phrase is in English, it’s much easier for us to remember the structure of the question in English than for foreigners in Russian.
Types of questions in English with examples
So, we will not postpone for a long time and proceed directly to the study 5 types of questions in English:
- General - The most common type of interrogative sentence in English. Having studied the rules for the formation of a common question, it will not be difficult to create all the others. And the order here is this: auxiliary verb - subject - predicate - addition - circumstance. Example: Do you play tennis every week? - Do you play tennis every week?
- Separation - consists of two parts: statement and directly a question to this statement. It is constructed in the following order: the first part, as in the statement, and the second part uses an auxiliary verb, the subject is replaced by a pronoun. For instance: Jamie likes his friend’s sister, doesn’t he? “He loves his friend’s sister, right?”
- Special - the sentence begins with special interrogative words: what? (what?), who? (who?), when? (when?), where? (where?), whose? (whose?), how much? (how much?), etc. After that, all the words follow in the same order as in the general question: Why (Where, When) did you fight with him again? - Why (Where, When) did you fight him again?
- Question to the subject - the direct word order is preserved, as in the narrative sentence: Subject - predicate - addition, etc. There are no inversions and auxiliary verbs, interrogative words can be used. Interrogative pronouns play the role of the subject: Who is taliking to you? “Who's talking to you?”
- Alternative - an offer to make a choice or / or. The union "or" is always used. The word order is practically no different from the order in the general case, the union “or” is simply added: Do you like coffe or tea? “Do you like coffee or tea?”
So we got to know all types of questions in English. To learn how to ask questions in English correctly, you need to remember the word order in each of the 5 types of interrogative sentences. See also the previous audio lesson on this topic. Now listen to a few more examples of how to ask questions in English and how to answer them correctly:
With this audio lesson you can not only hear examples of some english questions and answers to them, but you can also use it to train pronunciation and perceive the correct English language by ear. Remember that the ability to correctly set a task is half its solution. Therefore, learn to build interrogative sentences for comfortable communication with native speakers.
How is the question built in English?
This table will demonstrate to you how the questions in English that you heard in the audio lesson are built. Having studied this table, and remembering the correct word order, you can easily formulate any questions for statements in English. Remember these simple rules and when you speak or write in English, ask questions to your English speaking interlocutors correctly!
| Ask questions (Asking questions) | |
| English | Russian |
| I have a hobby | I have a hobby |
| I play tennis | I play tennis |
| Where is the tennis court? | Where is the tennis court? |
| Do you have a hobby? | Do you have a hobby? |
| I play football / soccer (am) | I'm play soccer |
| Where is the football / soccer (am) field? | Where is the soccer field? |
| My arm hurts | I have a pain in my arm |
| My foot and hand also hurt | My leg and arm hurt too |
| Is there a doctor? | Where is the doctor? |
| I have a car / automobile | I have a car |
| I also have a motorcycle | I have a motorcycle too |
| Where could I park? | Where is the parking lot? |
| I have a sweater | I have a sweater |
| I also have a jacket and a pair of jeans | I also have a jacket and jeans |
| Where is the washing machine? | Where is the washing machine? |
| I have a plate | I have a plate |
| I have a knife, a fork and a spoon | I have a knife, fork and spoon |
| Where is the salt and pepper? | Where is the salt and pepper? |
In the table, I intend not to list all types of English questions, but they are designed so that you yourself can easily convert one type of interrogative sentence to another. So you will once again practice the wording of the questions in English. And practice is the key to obtaining a skill and / or skill.
Before considering the examples, first of all, let us recall the definition of general issues.
General questions are asked to the interlocutor in order to obtain confirmation or denial of all thoughts expressed in the question and, therefore, require a yes or no answer. They begin with an auxiliary or modal verb.
1. Examples of common questions with the verb to be.
- Am i right? - I'm right?
- Is he in London? - He is in London?
- Is it your bag? - Is that your bag?
- Are you at the hotel? “Are you at the hotel?”
- Are grapes grown in California? - Do they grow grapes in California?
- Was Mary there? “Was Mary there?”
- Was the story interesting? - Was the story interesting?
- Were they tired? “Were they tired?”
- Were the walls painted? - Were the walls painted?
2. Examples of common questions sorted by time.
- Present continuous
Is your husband sleeping? - Is your husband sleeping?
Are you talking to him now? “Are you talking to him now?” - Past continuous
Were you sleeping at 10 o’clock yesterday evening? - Did you sleep yesterday at 10 pm?
Was it raining at noon? “Was it raining at noon?” - Future continuous
Will you be working at 5 oclock? - Will you work at 5 o’clock?
Will he be sitting in the first row? “Will he sit in the front row?” - Present Simple
Do you love her? - Do you love her?
Does your father live in New York? “Does your dad live in New York?” - Past simple
Did John and Mary recognize him? “Did John and Mary recognize him?”
Did you prepare the presentation? - Have you prepared a presentation? - Future simple
Will they call us tomorrow? “Will they call us tomorrow?”
Will Ann look after him? “Will Anna look after him?” - Present perfect
Have you seen the manager today? “Did you see the manager today?”
Has your daughter ever been to London? “Has your daughter ever been to London?” - Past perfect
Had the train arrived by that time? “Has the train arrived by then?”
Had Molly already called him when you came? “Molly already called him when you arrived?” - Present Perfect Continuous
Has the dog been barking for more than an hour? “Has the dog barked for more than an hour?”
Have you been setting the table since 2 o "clock? - Do you set the table from two o'clock?
3. Examples of common questions with modal verbs.
- Modal verb Can / could
Can you stay here? “Can you stay here?”
Could you lendme a dictionary please? “Can you borrow a dictionary, please?” - Modal verb May
May I come in? “May I come in?”
May I use the car tonight? “Can I get a car tonight?” - Modal verb Must
Must I go there? - Do I have to go there?
Must I help in the garden? - Should I help in the garden? - Modal verb Need
Need he come here? - Does he need to come here?
Need I go there at once? - Do I have to go there right away?
Question / Question
In this material we will try to figure out with you how to give answers to questions in English.
Note: How to explain to the child how to write answers to questions in English
To begin, let's figure out how to make an interrogative sentence in English. To do this, you need to know the word order. In any english sentence the word order is strict and clear, any violation leads to an error.
As a rule, the feature of interrogative sentences in English is the presence of auxiliary and modal verbs.
For instance,
Is it a dog? - This is a dog?
(Sentence in the present simple tense, auxiliary verb “is”)
Do you swim? - You swim?
(Sentence in the present simple tense, auxiliary verb "do")
Does he go? - He walks?
(Sentence in the present simple tense, auxiliary verb “does”)
Did she fly? - Did she fly?
(Sentence in the past simple tense, auxiliary verb “did”)
Can you jump? -You can swim?
(Real simple sentence, modal verb “can”)
May I come in? - Can I come in?
(A sentence in the present simple tense, the modal verb "may")
Now let's analyze the word order in the interrogative sentence of the English language:
1. interrogative word (what, which, when, where, why, how, how much, how long, etc.)
2. auxiliary or modal verb
3. subject (who, what)
4. semantic verb (the verb that gives meaning to the whole sentence)
5. addition
6. circumstances of the place (where, where)
7. circumstance of time (when, what time).
To reveal the secret of the correct answer to an interrogative sentence in English, you need to follow only two rules:
1. Know the translation of the question, and for this you need to know the vocabulary.
Note: The easiest memorization technique english words contained in the section ““.
2. The answer itself is hidden in the question itself, ie you need to listen carefully, hear the words, understand the structure, change, if necessary, face.
How to answer the question in English?
The answer to the question can be complete (repetition of the whole sentence), or short. If you are just starting to learn English, it would be better for you to begin to learn how to give a complete answer to the question.
Full answer to the question in English
After the word order in interrogative sentencewill not be difficult and answer the question. The full answer is used less often, it contains the verb in full form and all the words related to it:
Look carefully at the diagram below. You just need to swap the word order in the interrogative sentence.
The scheme of a positive answer to the question: subject + semantic verb + addition + circumstance of a place + circumstance of time.
For instance,
Do you like apple? - Yes, I like apple.
The scheme of the negative answer to the question:subject + auxiliary or modal verb + negative particle “not” + semantic verb + addition + circumstance of place + circumstance of time.
For instance,
Do you like apple? - No, I do not like apple.
Short answer to a question in English
Of course, the question can be answered and in simple words yes or no. This is possible in colloquial speech. But for all the brevity of colloquial speech, foreigners know how to use the short answer correctly and beautifully, and use it. This should be known to us.
The principle of the short answer: after yes / no add the basis of the sentence (subject + auxiliary or modal verb).
Scheme:
Yes, subject + auxiliary or modal verb.
No, subject + auxiliary or modal verb + negative particle “not”.
How does this happen:
1. Listen to the question carefully, especially its beginning, since the beginning is an auxiliary or modal verb and the subject.
2. Mentally swap them. Add yes or no.
For instance,
Does she like cheese? - Yes, she does.
Is he swimming in the river? - Yes, he is.
Can you swim? - No, I can’t.
(Abbreviations in denial)
Do you know Mr. Wallace? - No, I don’t.
Remember!
If the short answer is no, then a negative particle of not is needed.
Writing answers to questions in English
At first, difficulties may arise regarding the reverse word order in the question of where to transfer. But actually it is not difficult.
The subject always comes first in affirmative offer. There are exceptions - sometimes the circumstances of time are put before the subject. On Friday the baby was taken to the hospital. In this sentence, the subject is - the baby, so part of the predicate ( was) it is necessary to put it in front of him.
Was the baby taken to the hospital on friday?The only way!
The question words when, where, what are also confusing.
We also do not pay attention to them, remember that part of the predicate ( was) stands before the subject ( the baby) !
When was the babytaken to the hospital?
Sometimes they are very, very long. Nothing wrong. We “bend” our line, all the same we warn the interlocutor about the question, and precisely before the subject!
What time exactly and why was the baby taken to the hospital?
Here's another suggestion that you can trip over.
The most delicious and yummy dish ispasta.
In English, the word subject refers to the entire group of the subject, that is, all words that directly depend on it and are logically inseparable from the subject. Remember the logic!
You can: What is the most delicious and yummy dish?
Not allowed: What the most delicious and yummy is dish?
Here we break the indivisible group of the subject, and the whole meaning of the sentence is crushed into pieces. is as if it no longer belongs to the subject, but as it relates to interrogative word, and it turns out nonsense. Read these two sentences aloud several times and feel the difference. Try to remember the first option by ear.
A little more about the predicate
The English language has two parts. Again, all for the same reason: the whole structure of the proposal, its structures are of great importance. And in this case, of course, the predicate from one word is not very functional. Much more opportunities appear if it consists of two, or better, three words! In Russian, too, there is such a thing.
Example: I i will read a book. - I will read the book.
Our task is to find these two parts of the predicate in the English sentence.
It is raining. – Is it raining? - what is it raining?
It's raining. - It's raining? - What is it raining?
I am right. – Am I right? - why am I always right?
I'm right. - I'm right? “Why am I always right?”
They have finished the exercise. - Have they finishedthe exercise? - what haveyou finished?
They finished the exercise. “Did they finish the exercise?” - What did you finish?
You can write. – Canyou write? - how fast can you write?
You can write. - You can write? - How fast can you write?
In this example, two parts of the predicate are marked in bold.
Sometimes the predicate can be divided by adverbs.
She has already decidedabout her future holiday.
Some grammarians call the first part of a predicate operator. Operators can be divided into auxiliary verbs, modal verbs and connected verbs.
What is an auxiliary verb
Probably, while studying English grammar, you came across the term: auxiliary verb. But you probably always thought that it was something complicated and incomprehensible. In fact, everything is simple. Just the first of the verbs in the predicate and is called an auxiliary verb, since it performs only grammatical functions, that is, as if helps the main (second) verb. To understand why it costs, which means, it is possible only from the study of grammar, and not from the dictionary.
The second verb (main) is calledsemantic, because it conveys meaning, thanks to it we understand what kind of action the subject performs. Here its meaning can be learned from the dictionary. Sometimes students try in vain to find the meanings of the auxiliary verb in the dictionary, but find nothing, or find its meaning, which it has, standing in the semantic position.
But in fact, when a verb stands in the role of an auxiliary, that is, the first of two verbs, it loses its lexical meaning, which is recorded in the dictionary. Do not repeat the mistake of many,do not try to translate auxiliary. There are three auxiliary verbs in English:to be,tohave,todo and all their forms.
Example: greenhighlighted auxiliary verb
The man is doing his business well. - A man does his business well.
My mom hascooked the dinner already. - My mother has already cooked dinner.
Do you go to school every day? “Do you go to school every day?”
Modal verbs
Not every compound predicate can be divided into auxiliary verb and semantic.
For instance: My sister can play the piano. “My sister can play the piano.”
Here can is an operator verb, not an auxiliary verb, but. The list of modal verbs is rather big, this is can, may, must, ought to, shall, will, and their past tense forms: could, might, should, would.
But this is all a matter of terms, and for understanding grammatical functions it is not so important. The principle of constructing the question remains the same: can is put in place before the subject, play remains in place.
Can your sister play the piano? “Can your sister play the piano?”
The only, in this case, the modal verb does not lose its lexical meaning, of course, as it happens with the auxiliary verb.
Noun Predictors
The predicates can be verb, that is, consist of two verbs, and can be nominal, that is, consist of a verb and a nominal part (noun, adjective, pronoun, numeral, adverb, that is, those parts of speech that do not indicate action). Everything will be clear on examples:
I will be a student.
Her words were beautiful.
He was ill .
The predicate is highlighted in green.
Yes, the words “sick”, “beautiful”, “student” can also be predicates, or rather part of it.
In English:
I am a student.
She is 13.
They are incredibly beautiful.
In this case, the verb is called not an auxiliary verb, but bunch verb. Most often, the verb to be (or rather, its forms is, am, are, was, were) acts as a bundle verb. But these are also terms. The question is constructed in the same way as in the scheme with auxiliary and modal verbs:
Am I a student?
Isshe 13?
Aretheyincrediblybeautiful?
The only case when the predicate does not consist of two parts
Yes, there are situations when a verb does not consist of two parts. But this is extremely rare in English.
We can see such a phenomenon in the sentences:
The dogs run along the street.
My mother cooks very well.
I went to Italy last year and I liked it.
This is a simple form ( Simple)predicate. It is used in present tenses Simple, Past Simple and imperative (orders, requests).
Find this city on the map! - Find this city on the map!
Close the door, please. - Close the door, you are welcome.
For more information on how to ask a question to such proposals, see: “