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WH Questions

March 14, 2014 by Bret Tutor

WH Questions

Computer Keys With How Question For Asking Advice

Since question words include both a “W” and an “H”, they are referred to as “wh” question words.

 
Question words Meaning Examples
who person Who is she? That’s the neighbor next door.
Who is that? Our mailman.
where place Where are you from? I’m from California.
Where are you staying? At my parent’s house.
why reason Why do you stay up so late? I work the night shift.
Why did she leave? She has to work in the morning.
when time When are you leaving? I am leaving at 10 pm.
When do you work again? Tomorrow.
how manner How did you get here? I got here by plane.
How did you do on the test? I got an 88.
what object, idea or action What time is it? It is 5 o’clock.
What color is that? Red.
which choice Which one do you like better? I like the blue one.
Which one looks better? I prefer the purple one.
whose possession Do you know whose dog this is? It’s Susan’s.
Whose car is that? Robin’s.
whom object of the verb Whom did you talk to? I talked to Bob.
Whom did you interview with? The HR manager.
what kind description What kind of food do you like? Mexican.
Do you know what kind of car Mary drives? A Cavalier.
what time time What time did you get here? I arrived at 3 pm.
What time do you have to leave? By 4 pm.
how many quantity (countable) How many kids do you have? I have two.
How many puppies did she have? Five.
how much amount, price (uncountable) How much time is left until they close? We have 20 minutes.
How much for the flowers? $19.95
how long duration, length How long until we arrive? We will be there in five minutes.
How long before they close? 10 minutes.
how often frequency How often are we paid? Every two weeks.
How often do you get Christmas off? Every other year.
how far distance Do you know how far it is to the gym? It’s about five miles away.
How far is the restaurant? 10 minutes away.
how old age How old is your dog? He is three years old.
How old is this food? I made it yesterday.
how come reason How come you arrived so late? I had to work overtime.
How come you weren’t at work yesterday? I didn’t feel well.

Asking questions

Add question words to the beginning of the sentence if you ask about the subject in the sentence.

Example:

Sally makes great lasagna. — Who makes great lasagna?

When asking about the sentence’s predicate (the sentence part containing the verb and providing information about the subject), you can choose from one of three choices.

1. When a helping verb comes before the main verb, you simply add in the question word and flip the helping verb and subject.

Examples:

  • Stacie sent a letter in the mail. – What did Stacie send?

  • Jenny makes great tacos. – What can Jenny make?

2. When asking about the predicate and no helping verb exists and the verb itself is “to be”, all you need to do is add in a question verb and swap the verb and the subject.

Example:

  • The movie was amazing. — How was the movie?

3. When there isn’t a helping verb for the predicate and your main verb isn’t “to be”, you add in the helping verb “do” using the proper form.

Examples:

  • Sally and Mike go out to dinner every Friday. — When do Sally and Mike go out to dinner again?

  • Sarah slept in late. — When does Sarah get up?

  • Tom got a message. — What did Tom get?

  • He gave me a sandwich. — What did he give you?

Filed Under: Questions Tagged With: WH Questions

Yes/No Questions

March 14, 2014 by Bret Tutor

Yes/No Questions

Yes No Signpost Showing Indecision Choosing And Dilemma

A yes or no question is one that will only be accompanied by a yes or no response.

How to form yes-no questions

There is a specific word order (position) used when creating yes-no question.
Examples:

 
Affirmative Yes or No Question
She is late again. Is she late again?
Tim walks his dog. Does Tim walk his dog?

The rules

1. If “to be” is the main verb in your sentence, you need to invert the verb to be and the subject:

Examples:

  • They are coming over tonight. — Are they coming over tonight?

  • Sarah and Mike are newlyweds. — Are Sarah and Mike newlyweds?

2. If the subject of the sentence has a main verb and a helping verb, you need to invert the subject and the first verb.

Examples:

  • She is going to the store. — Is she going to the store?

  • Sam has been to Germany before. — Has Sam been to Germany before?

  • Sandy has been cooking all day. — Has Sandy been cooking all day?

  • Brad will be taking the trash out. — Will Brad be taking the trash out?

3. If you have a sentence that doesn’t include a helping verb, but it does include a verb that isn’t to be, transforming the sentence will be more difficult.

a. If you have a present tense verb, adding in either does or do will put that verb into its base form:

do is used when the subject of the sentence is in singular first person or second person or plural first, second or third person

Examples:

  • I enjoy swimming. — Do you enjoy swimming?

  • Amy and Matt go to North Ridge. — Do Amy and Matt go to North Ridge?

does is used when the subject of the sentence is in singular third person

Examples:

  • Jenny likes cooking. — Does Jenny like cooking?

  • Bre despises doing math problems. — Does Bre despise doing math problems?

b. If you have past tense verbs, add did to the sentence and put the main verb back to its base form:

Examples:

  • Jack found his missing assignment. — Did Jack find his missing assignment?

  • He sang beautifully. — Did he sing beautifully?

  • Steve ran to the bank. — Did Steve run to the bank?

Filed Under: Questions Tagged With: Yes/No Questions

Direct And Indirect Questions

March 14, 2014 by Bret Tutor

Direct and Indirect Questions

Direct And Indirect Question Woman Thinking Medium

Questions that you ask friends, family and those you know well on a normal basis are considered direct questions.
Example of a direct question:
“How do we get to your house?”

Questions that are more polite and formal are referred to as indirect questions. If we are talking to someone we don’t know as well, we often use these types of questions.
Example of an indirect question:
“Could you tell me where your house is?”

Phrases for Indirect Questions

  • Could you tell me…

  • Do you know…

  • I was wondering…

  • Do you have any idea…

  • I’d like to know…

  • Would it be possible…

  • Is there any chance…

Examples

Direct: Where is Bob Evans?

Indirect: Could you tell me where Bob Evans is?

In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Bob Evans).

Direct: What time does the doctor’s office open?

Indirect: Do you know what time the doctor’s office opens?

With indirect questions, we aren’t going to use auxiliary verbs like do/does/did. You can also see that the direct question uses the verb open, whereas, the indirect question uses the verb opens.

Direct: Where is the best place to eat lunch?

Indirect: I was wondering where the best place for lunch is.

Once again, there isn’t an auxiliary verb do/does/did in the indirect question. Essentially, there isn’t even a question in the indirect question. It is actually more of a statement inviting the other party to provide more information on the subject.

Direct: How has Jami managed to move up the ranks so quickly?

Indirect: Do you have any idea how Jami has managed to move up the ranks so quickly?

Have and has auxiliary verbs can be used in both indirect and direct questions. However, in direct questions, has will come before the subject, while it comes after the subject in the indirect question.

Direct: How much does she spend on groceries?

Indirect: I’d like to know how much she spends on groceries.

By removing does and change “spend” to “spends.”, you can form an indirect question.

Direct: Can you complete the article by Monday?

Indirect: Would it be possible for you to complete the article by Monday?

When direct questions use can, we are able to implement the phrase “would it be possible…” to formulate an indirect question.

Direct: Can we move the doctor’s appointment to Friday?

Indirect: Is there any chance we could move the doctor’s appointment to Friday?

“Is there any chance…” is another alternative to help with forming an indirect question with can.

Converting Yes/No Direct Questions Into Indirect

If you have a direct question that is a “yes or no” question, it won’t have any question words like who, when, what, where, how or why, and the indirect question will have the word if in it.

Direct: Does Samantha work on Monday?

Indirect: Do you know if Samantha works on Monday?

Direct: Are Sandy and Matt coming to the movie?

Indirect: Could you tell me if Sandy and Matt are coming to the movie?

Direct: Do they have a dog?

Indirect: I was wondering if they have a dog.

Direct: Has Jenny ever went to Paris?

Indirect: Do you have any idea if Jenny has ever went to Paris?

Direct: Do you plan on going to Mackinaw in July?

Indirect: I’d like to know if you plan on going to Mackinaw in July.

Filed Under: Questions Tagged With: Direct And Indirect Questions

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