Questions in our speech occupy no less place than statements. It is especially necessary to know the construction of such constructions in a foreign language, because they allow you to clarify important points, eliminate misunderstandings, and simply make new acquaintances or find out how to get to some attraction. Today our tasks are to understand what interrogative sentences are in English language, and learn to compose them yourself.

For beginners, it may seem difficult that the English language contains several at once and has special rules for constructing each of them. Yes, here you cannot beat the statement with a different intonation and get a ready-made question. Yes, you will have to memorize certain combinations and understand when to use them. But in fact, all this grammar is perhaps the simplest thing that is in the rules of the English language. We will analyze each subtype of questions separately, and later we will reduce them to a common basis.

General questions

The simplest and most frequently used type of construction in speech, which is notable for the fact that it does not require a detailed answer. The statement for such questions looks like this: “ Yes, I did / am / will do" or " No, I didn’t/I do/will do».

The composition of a general interrogative construction depends on which predicate is used in the original sentence. If the statement contains a verb tobe in any form, then you just need to change the word order in the English sentence, putting the predicate itself in first place. At the same time, depending on which person the question is asked, the form of the pronoun changes. The predicate of the answer is tobe.

In more common cases, when the predicate is expressed by any other verb, to turn the statement into an interrogative sentence it is enough to use an auxiliary verb do . This word is put first, and then they simply retell the original expression, without changing the original word order! Please note that the auxiliary word appears in the answer as a predicate.

Grammar notes : According to generally accepted rules, in English animals are classified as inanimate objects, so it is necessary to use the pronoun it. But there are exceptions to all rules, so when talking about their favorite pets, the British use the pronouns she or he. The following division is informally accepted: if the sex of the animal is unknown, use it; if known, use he/she, respectively.

Verb do used to formulate a question in the present or past tense ( did), while the word itself does not carry any semantic load, but acts only as a kind of intermediary. It is important to note that with a 3rd person subject, this assistant takes on the ending es, That's why again with predicate lettersno need to use!

If the question is posed to a sentence that contains a modal verb, the use of auxiliary constructions is not required.

Don’t be afraid of the two predicates; these are just designations for the same auxiliary do, will and the main verb. To make it easier for beginners to understand such constructions foreign language Let's look at specific examples.

From the examples it is clear that grammatically this is a compound predicate, but for simplicity we have designated it in the diagram as two parts.

In principle, questions of this type are quite easy to handle; we will only note the situation of their use with to be constructions.

Grammar notes: question word what can be used with an animate person when we're talking about about his occupation. Compare.

In an interrogative sentence c whose, whichwhatkindof, after these words there may not be a predicate, but a subject or an object.

Selective type questions (Alternative)

Using similar combinations, we can offer the interlocutor a choice of two various options. Such questions are constructed using a short preposition or(or) and can refer to any member of the sentence. Their structure consists of two phrases connected by the indicated preposition. Let's look at the examples given and their translations.

With a little practice, the formation of such structures will not be difficult.

Disjunctive questions

This subtype of interrogative sentences in English is a little similar to the previous one, but has a different shade of meaning and is constructed according to its syntactic construction. Such questions are rather clarifications, confirmations of actions and are translated into Russian by the expressions “ is not it? Truth? it is so?". In order to make this construction, you do not have to change the order of words. On the contrary, at the end of the original sentence, an additional phrase is formed “ tobe/do/will+pronoun».

It’s not difficult to make such a proposal; you just need to pay attention to one nuance. If the original phrase contains a negation, then the additional construction will be in the affirmative form. The same rule is true for the reverse situation.

Grammar notes: if the affirmative sentence contains a pronoun I, then in the additional construction the form of the verb will be aren't't. If the sentence has a negative context, the addition is expressed in words Iam. The use of the phrase in this construction Iamnot practically never occurs.

In order not to go beyond political correctness, you should remember the use of this combination with collective pronouns.

At the end of this section, it is worth mentioning another type of questions called direct questions. They are asked using question words and refer exclusively to the subject. To create such a construction, you need to replace the subject with who or what.

Interrogative sentences in English - summary table

Let's summarize our knowledge and see how varieties of English interrogative sentences are formed in different tenses. This table will be a useful cheat sheet for practicing designs in practice.

According to the purpose of an utterance, there are three main types of sentences in English: declarative sentences, interrogative sentences and imperative sentences. In this case, we are interested in interrogative sentences. The types of questions in English are the following: general, alternative, question to the subject, special and dividing. Each type has its own characteristics, so we will consider each of them separately.

1. General Question

The general question is asked about the entire sentence. You can answer it either “yes” or “no”. That is why general questions in English are also called yes/no questions. The word order is reversed here. The auxiliary verb (Auxiliary Verb) should come first, then the subject (Subject), predicate (Predicate) and other members of the sentence.

To pose a question grammatically correct, the auxiliary verb do (does) is required, in the Past Simple - did. If the sentence uses the verb to be or as a predicate (with the exception of have to and need to), then they will act as auxiliaries. Examples:

• Does James smoke? — Does James smoke?
• Are are you living in London now? — Do you live in London now?
• I have a look at your photos? -Can I see your photos?

Short answers to common questions depend entirely on the auxiliary verb used. If the question begins with the verb does, then it should also appear in the answer. For example:

• Does she like English poetry? — Yes, she does. — Does she like English poetry? - Yes.
• Is Ann playing the piano? - No, she isn't. — Does Anna play the piano? - No.

2. Alternative Question

Alternative question in English it involves choice. It always contains the conjunction or (or). The structure of this question is similar to the general one, but a choice sentence is also added here. Compare:

• Do you want to go to Warsaw by car? — Do you want to go to Warsaw by car?
• Do you want to go to Warsaw by car or by train?— Do you want to go to Warsaw by car or by train?

• Is Kate going to buy shoes? — Is Katya going to buy shoes?
• Is Kate going to buy shoes or high boots? — Is Katya going to buy shoes or boots?

3. Question to the subject (Subject Question)

When posing a question to the subject, the direct word order in the sentence does not change. You just need to use a suitable question word instead of the subject. Who (who), What (what) are usually used. Please note that in the Present Simple tense the verb will be used in the third person, singular. Examples:

• Who lives in that old house? -Who lives in that old house?
• Who will post this letter? - Who will send it?
• What caused the exlosion? — What triggered the explosion?

4. Special Question

Special questions in English are used to request specific information. They begin with the question words Who, What, Which, When, Where, Why, How, How many/How much . The word order after the question word remains the same as in the general question, you just need to remove the part of the sentence to which the question is asked. For example:

• What does Jane do on Sundays? — What does Jane do on Sundays?
• Why are you sitting at my desk? - Why are you sitting at my desk?
• When did he borrow your car? - When did he take your car?
• How many pictures have they bought? — How many paintings did they buy?

In English, phrasal verbs are common, that is, a sentence contains a preposition that is closely related to the main verb. When setting special issue this preposition is used at the very end of the sentence. For example:

• What are you busy with? - What are you doing?
• Who was Jack waiting for? -Who was Jack waiting for?

5. Disjunctive Question.

Disjunctive questions in English are an affirmative or negative declarative sentence followed by a short general question, often called a tag. This type of question is used to express surprise, doubt, confirmation of what was said. The “tail” itself is translated into Russian as “isn’t it true”, “isn’t it so”.

When posing a question, the first part remains unchanged, in the second part an auxiliary verb is placed at the beginning (depending on the predicate in the first part), and then the nominative pronoun comes. If the sentence is affirmative, then the “tail” must be made negative and vice versa. Examples:

• You heard from him, didn't you? “You heard from him, didn’t you?”
• Alex is a driver, isn't he? — Alex is the driver, isn’t he?
• That isn't Tom is it? - It's Tom, isn't it?
• Ann hasn't got color TV set, has vshe? — Anya doesn’t have a color TV, does she?

When considering this type of question, it should be noted that dividing questions in English have several nuances that are important to remember.
1. I am the first part requires a question aren't I.

• I'm so exhausted aren't I? “I’m so tired of everything, aren’t I?”

2. If the first part begins with let's, then in the second part we use the question shall we.

• Let's visit our grandparents, shall we? - Let's visit our grandparents, okay?

3. If the pronouns anyone, anybody, nobody, none, neither, everybody, everyone, somebody, someone are used as the subject of a sentence, then the pronoun is placed in the second part they. For example:

• Neither of them prepared for the lesson, did they? “None of them were prepared for the lesson, were they?”
• Someone had seen him, hadn’t they? - Someone saw him, didn't they?
• Everyone liked your story, didn’t they? - Everyone liked your story, didn't they?

There are 5 types of questions in English. Mastering them will not be difficult if you know the word order in declarative sentences and can pose general questions to them.

All sentences in English express an affirmation, negation or question. Today we will focus on interrogative sentences, because it is with them that students often have difficulties.

There are only 5 types of questions in English. Today’s article is a review article, which means that we will briefly talk about each of the five types of questions, provide a table for downloading, links to detailed articles about each question, and, of course, a test.

Let's remember that in English there is a certain order of words in a sentence: first comes the subject, followed by the predicate, then the object and the rest of the sentence. But this word order is violated in the question. A question can begin with a question word or an auxiliary verb (except for dividing questions), then there is a subject, predicate, object and the rest of the sentence. There are five types of questions in English:

General question

If the question must be answered “yes” or “no”, then it is a general question. It is also called “ Yes/No question" The general outline for such a question looks like this:

auxiliary or modal verb + subject + predicate + object + other parts of the sentence.

Do (auxiliary) you (subject) play (predicate) computer games (object) ? - Do you play computer games?

Can (modal verb) you (subject) do (predicate) it (object) for me ? -Can you do this for me?

Just don't forget that the verb to be In the present and simple past tenses, no auxiliary verbs are needed:

Are (verb to be) you (subject) at home (other members of the sentence)? - Are you home?

Was (verb to be) he (subject) at the cinema yesterday (other members of the sentence)? – Was he at the cinema yesterday?

• Read more about the general issue in the article “”.

And also questions about time Present Simple the teacher sorted it out Alex:

Special question

There is no longer a simple “yes” or “no” answer to such a question. It requires a detailed and detailed answer. A special question in English is different in that it can be asked to any member of a sentence. The word order in such questions is the same as in general, only one of the question words must be placed at the beginning:

• What? - What?
• When? - When?
• Where? - Where?
• Why? - Why?
• Which? - Which?

Please note that all question words begin with wh, which is why this type of question is also called “ Wh-questions”.

And this is what the formula for constructing a special question looks like:

question word + auxiliary or modal verb + subject + predicate + object + other parts of the sentence.

Where (question word) are (auxiliary) you (subject) going (predicate) ? - Where are you going?

What (question word) do (auxiliary) you (subject) want to read (predicate) ? -What do you want to read?

When (question word) did (auxiliary) you (subject) leave (predicate) the house (object) ? - When did you leave home?

• If you have studied the general question well, then you can proceed to the special one. We are sure that after reading our article “”, you will not have any difficulties with this type.

Alternative question

Look at the name of this type of question - “alternative” means that the question must have a choice between two options. This question can be asked of any member of the proposal. And most importantly, here you will always find a union or(or). The formula is the same as in the general question, but you must remember to put or where needed. Let's look at how we can ask alternative questions to such a sentence:

They finished writing the article at 5 p.m. They finished writing the article at 5 pm.

Did they finish writing the article in the morning or at night? – Did they finish writing the article in the morning or in the evening?

Did they finish writing or reading the article? – Have they finished writing or reading the article?

• If you need more material on this issue, then use the materials in the article “”.

Separated question

The word order in such a question is direct, as in regular sentence. And only at the end of such a sentence we will encounter a question called tag. In Russian there is also such a question, and it sounds like this: “ is not it?» / « is not it?» / « Yes?. In order to form tag-question, the auxiliary verb and the subject must be placed at the end of the sentence. There are two ways to form such a question in English:

1. The beginning of the sentence is affirmative + a short negative question.

He reads a book, doesn't he? – He’s reading a book, isn’t he?

His friend is German, isn't he? – His friend is German, isn’t he?

2. The beginning of the sentence is negative + a short positive question.

She doesn't go to the church, does she? - She doesn't go to church, does she?

He is not at the meeting, is he? - He's not at the meeting, is he?

• Don't forget to read the article "". In it you will find interesting cases of using tag-question and many other examples.

And, as always, the teacher Alex in his video he will tell you this topic from the point of view of a native English speaker. The topic of dividing questions is the same, but from a slightly different angle.

Question to the subject

The easiest question to formulate. You need to take an affirmative sentence, remove the subject and replace it with who(who) or what(What). No auxiliary verbs are needed. There is only one nuance - in the present tense we add the ending - s to the verb.

Who invite s guests for the party? – Who invites guests to a party?

What make s do you feel upset? – What makes you sad?

What happened to us? – What happened to us?

• Even though the topic seems simple, we still advise you to look at the article “” for more detailed information.

That's all 5 types of questions in English. Having studied the methods of constructing them and downloaded our tablet, you can easily determine what question you have in front of you.

(*.pdf, 49 Kb)

Want to practice question types? Then take our test:

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Test

Types of Questions in English 1

There are five types of questions in English:

I. General Question(for ease of recording in further formulas, we denote this type of question by the letter T).

II. Alternative Question(question-choice) .

III. Special Question

IV. Disjunctive question(question-request, narrative sentence + short question to it ( Question Tags)).

V. Question to the subject.

Characteristics of question types

I - applied to the entire sentence, and you can give it short answer "yes" or "no":

Do you live in Kyiv? - Yes.
He is a student? - No.

II - choice question, which cannot be answered “yes” or “no”, need to give an answer to the choice:

Do you live in Kyiv or Lvov? - I live in Kyiv.
Is he a student or a worker? - Student.

III - is placed on a separate word (member) of a sentence(requires a special answer). Based on this characteristic, we can pose a question to the word - the subject of the sentence and this will also be a special question. But the construction of a question to the subject differs from the construction of all other special questions, therefore the question to the subject is posed in independent type questions ( V).

Where do you live?
Who is he?

IV - corresponds to Russian questions - repeat questions like "is not it?", "it's true?"These questions, like general questions, require an affirmative or negative answer, that is, an affirmation or denial of the thought expressed in the question.

I live in Kyiv, right?
He's not a student, right?

V - to questions about the subject or its definition Usually short answers are given, which consist of a subject and an appropriate auxiliary verb in the required person, number, tense.

Who lives on Kiev? My sister does.

Construction of questions

1. The basis for constructing all types of questions(except the last one) is a common question. There are two ways to construct a general question:

First way refers to all sentences whose predicate is any form of verbs "to be", "to have" or modal verbs (if they are part of a complex predicate). The general question according to the first method is built according to the verb rule "to be".

Not a student.
Is he a student?

I have read the book.
Have I read the book?

Second way applies to all other sentences (when the predicate does not include the verbs listed above). The general question regarding the second method is based on the formula:

Everyone knows this phrase without error, even those who can’t say anything else in English. It is taken as an example, a standard of a general issue.

Using the substitution method using this formula, you can pose a general question to any sentence that fits the second method of constructing a question.

I live in Kiev.
Do I live in Kiev?

We lived in Kiev last year.
Did we live in Kiev last year?

He lives in Kiev.
Does he live in Kiev?

Having mastered the construction of a general question (which we previously designated T), we can move on to constructing all other questions.

2. An alternative question consists of a general question plus a choice that is given through the word "or" ("or").

Do you live in Kiev or in Lvov?

Briefly this construction can be written as follows: T + "or".

3. A special question consists of a special word plus a general question

Special questions are:

what- what, who
who- Who
whose- whose, whose
where- where, where
when- When
why- Why
which- which one, etc.

All these special words have the first two letters in common. "wh", so the formula for a special question can be written as follows: "wh" + T

4. Dividing questions consist of 2 parts: First part represents narration(declarative sentence) - affirmative or negative, A second - a short general question to the first part (Question Tags), which consists of:

a) an auxiliary (or modal) verb in the required form

b) subject (always in the form of a pronoun)

c) there is always an inverse relationship between the first and second parts: if the 1st part is positive, then the 2nd is negative and vice versa.

Dividing question formula: S, + start T.

I live in Kiev.
I live in Kiev, don't I?
My friend is a student, isn't he?

Examples of using separating questions are discussed in vignette 11.

5. To build question to the subject(or its definition) you only need to replace the subject in a declarative sentence with a question word who "Who" or what "What", "Which", whose "whose", which "which". There are no more changes in the formation.

Question words who, what, which usually agree with the predicate verb in the 3rd person singular.

I live in Kiev?
Who lives in Kiev?
My friend is a student.
Who is a student?