Questions
Basic Question Structure
In English, formulating a question is very simple. Its basic structure is as follows: auxiliary verb + subject + main verb
| auxiliary verb | subject | main verb | |
| Do | they | like | oranges? |
| Are | you | eating | candy? |
| Will | the baby | get | a gift? |
| Have | they | seen | the elephant? |
Exception!
There is an exception to be made for the verb be when it is in the simple present or simple past. When this is the case no auxiliary verb is necessary. Instead, we just invert be and the subject. Some examples are below:
| Statement: | He | is | a boy. |
| Question: | Is | he | a boy? |
Basic Question Types
In English the three basic types of questions are as follows:
1. Yes/No Questions (“Yes” or “No” will answer the question)
2. Question Word Questions ( we will receive information through the question’s answer)
3. Choice Questions (choices are outlined in the question and its answer is one of the choices)
1. Yes/No Questions
| auxiliary verb | subject | main verb | Answer (Yes or No) | |
| Do | you | eat | apples? | Yes, I do. |
| Can | they | fish? | Yes, they can. | |
| Has | the student | completed | the assignment? | No, he hasn’t. |
| Did | she | go | abroad? | No, she didn’t. |
| Exception! verb be, simple present and simple past |
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| Is (auxiliary verb) |
Luis (subject) |
Mexican? | Yes, he is. | |
| Was (auxiliary verb) |
Sally (subject) |
away? | No, she wasn’t |
2. Question Word Questions
| question word | auxiliary verb | subject | main verb | Answer Information | |
| Where | do | the boys | work? | In an office downtown. | |
| When | will | they | get | Married? | In August. |
| Who (m) | did | she | choose? | She chose her sister. | |
| Who | has | been | there? | Alex has been there. | |
| Who* | went | there? | Alex went there. | ||
| Why | hasn’t | Thomas | bought | it? | Because he doesn’t have the money. |
| Exception! verb be, simple present and simple past |
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| Where | is (auxiliary verb) |
Caracas (subject) |
In Venezuela. | ||
| How | was (auxiliary verb) |
the speech (subject)? |
Very inspirational. |
We normally do not use an auxiliary verb in the past and present simple when who* is the subject.
3. Choice Questions
| auxiliary verb | subject | main verb | OR |
Answer (the question) | ||
| Do | the ladies | want | cream | or | sugar? | Sugar, please. |
| Will | he | take | Oak street | or | Elm street? | He will take Oak. |
| Did | they | go | to lunch | or | home? | They went to lunch. |
| Exception! verb be, simple present and simple past |
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| Is (auxiliary verb) |
his house (auxiliary verb) |
on the right | or | on the left? | It’s on the right. | |
| Were (auxiliary verb) |
the shoes (subject) |
cheap | or | expensive? | Cheap. |