!""#$%"&'()%*& WH- Questions WH questions ask for information. They are different than Yes/No questions.

There are 6 different WH question words: Question What When Who Where Why How Answer Thing Time Person Place Reason Directions/Feelings Example What is that? When is the game? Who do you live with? Where do you live? Why are you happy? How are you?

STRUCTURE WH questions in simple present use do or be: WH Questions with "do" WH + DO / DOES + SUBJECT Examples: Where do you work? Where does she live? When do you wake up? WH Questions with "be" + VERB

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!""#$%"&'()%*& WH + BE Examples: Where are you from? Who is that man? When is your class? WH Questions are similar to YES/NO questions except they have WH words at the start. Examples: Are you from Canada? Where are you from? Here are some example questions and answers: Where are you from? I am from Japan. What is your name? My name is Jacob. When do you wake up? I wake up at 7:30 am. Why are you angry? I am angry because I did not pass my exam. + SUBJECT

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YES / NO Questions There are many types of questions in English. The easiest are questions that can be answered "yes" or "no." A: Are you from around here? B: Yes, I am. A: Do you come here often? B: Yes, I do. A: Can I buy you a drink? B: No, thanks. A: Are you married? B: Yes, I am. To form a question from a statement, first count the number of verbs. John is a doctor. Jane drives a sports car. Joan played basketball last night. Jan is eating her dinner. June has rented an apartment. Jen has been living there since 1969. One verb: is (be) One verb: drives One verb: played Two verbs: is eating Two verbs: has rented Three verbs: has been living

If there is one verb in the statement and the verb is a form of be, simply switch the positions of the subject and verb. Statement John is a doctor. The Jensens are here. Question Is John a doctor? Are the Jensens here?

If there are two verbs, simply switch the positions of the subject and first verb. Statement Jan is eating dinner. June has rented an apartment. Jen has been living here since 1969. Question Is Jan eating dinner? Has June rented an apartment? Has Jen been living here since 1969?

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!""#$%"&'()%*& If there is one verb, and the verb is not a form of be, the process is more complex. 1. Add Do to the beginning of the sentence. The Johnsons live in that house. Do the Johnsons live in that house?

2. If the main verb "carries" a third person singular s, move the s to Do, making it Does. Jane drives a car. Do Jane drives a car? (Not finished yet!) Does Jane drive a car? (Good question!)

3. If the main verb "carries" past tense, move the past tense to Do, making it Did. Joan played basketball last night. Do Joan played basketball? (Not finished yet!) Did Joan play basketball? (Good question!)

In conversation, most questions are asked of the second person (you) and answered in the first (I). A: Are you from California? B: No, I'm from Oregon. Are you? A: Yes, I'm from Hollywood. B: Do you know any movie stars? A: No, I don't go out at night. In British English, the main verb have sometimes functions like be in questions. This is not common in American English. Statement You have a pet ferret. Question Have you a pet ferret? (British) Do you have a pet ferret? (American)

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!""#$%"&'()%*& QUESTION TAGS We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English. They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open. Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

It's beautiful, isn't it? He has been, hasn't he? You can, can't you? It must be, mustn't it? You know him, dont you? He finished it, didn't he? He will come, won't he? It isn't very good, is it? It hasn't rained, has it? It can't be, can it? Jenny doesn't know James, does she? They didn't leave, did they? He wont do it, will he?

Notice these: There isn't an ATM here, is there? Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we? To reply, use the same auxiliary: It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous. It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible. Although, the rules are very simple and mechanical, in order to use them easily in conversation, they have to be automatic. So you need to hear and practice them very often.

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