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  2. A1-A2 grammar
  3. Question forms

Question forms

Question forms

Do you know how to make questions? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how questions are made.

Is he a teacher?
Does she eat meat?
When did you get here?
How much does a train ticket cost?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

Question forms: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

To make questions, we often put the verb before the subject. This is called inversion.

Affirmative Question
I am late. Am I late?
I can help. Can I help?
She is sleeping. Is she sleeping?
We have met before. Have we met before?

If there is a question word (why, what, where, how, etc.), it goes before the verb.

Question Question with question word
Are you late? Why are you late?
Was she there? When was she there?
Can I help? How can I help?
Have we met before? Where have we met before?

This is true for sentences with be, sentences that have auxiliary verbs (e.g. They are waiting. She has finished.) and sentences with modal verbs (can, will, should, might, etc.).

Questions in the present simple and past simple

For other verbs in the present simple, we use the auxiliary verb do/does in the question.

Affirmative Question Question with question word
You work at home.   Do you work at home? Where do you work?
It costs £10.  Does it cost £10? How much does it cost?

We use the auxiliary verb did in the past simple.

Affirmative Question Question with question word
She went home.  Did she go home? Where did she go?
They went to the cinema.  Did they go to the cinema? Where did they go?

Subject questions

In some questions, who or what is the subject of the verb. There is no inversion of subject and verb in these questions.

Who broke the window?
Who is knocking on the door?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

Question forms: Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson
Average: 4.3 (75 votes)
Or rather, " how much Korean can you speak"?

Submitted by Muay on Wed, 29/07/2020 - 22:12

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Thank you so much, it's Always good and helpful to revise and remamber how to make questions with question words and auxiliaries

Submitted by yusuf fanani on Tue, 28/07/2020 - 12:15

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would you like to explain to me how to use " which" and "whose" in a question word?

Hello yusuf fanani,

These are explained on our Pronouns in questions page. Please have a look and if you have any specific questions about them, please feel free to ask us on that page.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user sribashu30

Submitted by sribashu30 on Mon, 27/07/2020 - 17:25

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Which sentence is correct among the following two sentences: 1)Mr Sen is an actor and writer. 2)Mr Sen is an actor and a writer.

Hello sribashu30,

Both are correct. When word is repeated like the indefinite article in this sentence you can often omit it.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Saamongo on Sun, 26/07/2020 - 15:47

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Very intretesting but I use to give the following structures: WH questions: a)- wh+ aux+ s+ v + (c)? Used with the auxiliaries HAVE - BE and modals. b)- WH+do/does+s+v+(c)? When the verb is in the present tense. C)- WH+DID+S+V+(C)? When the main verb is in the past. YES/NO QUESTIONS: a)- aux+ S + V+ (c)? For the present, past, or future. b)- DO/Does+S+V+(c)? When the verb is in the present. C)- Did+S+V+(c)? When the verb is in the past.

Hello Oumou,

I've had a quick glance and what you wrote looks correct to me and seems to be what is taught on this page. Do you see a discrepancy between your formulas and what is on this page?

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Teams

Submitted by Allate on Sun, 26/07/2020 - 00:46

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I'd like to know if there is a problem with these questions: When did you get home? I got home yesterday. Did the children go to the park? Yes, they went there after school.