There are two basic types of question:
- yes/no questions (questions that can be answered with the words yes or no)
- wh- questions (questions that start with who, why, where, when, what and how.)
Yes/No questions
To form yes/no questions with the verb to be, you simply change the order of the verb and the subject. Compare the following:
- Marco is hungry. (statement)
- Is Marco hungry? (question – the verb and the subject are the other way round)
We do the same when there is an auxiliary verb or a modal verb:
- Can Lily play the piano?
- Have their parents bought a new car?
To form yes/no questions with other verbs, you need to use the auxiliary verb do before the subject of the question:
- Do you like cheese?
- Does Susie go to the same school as you?
- Did Peter tell you his good news?
Wh- questions
These work in the same way, with one of the words who, why, where, when, what and how at the beginning of the sentence.
So wh-questions with to be, modal verbs and verbs with auxiliaries are formed like this:
- Why is Lena so tired?
- What will you do if you lose your job?
- Where has Mum hidden the chocolate?
Wh- questions with other verbs are formed like this:
- When do you do your homework?
- How does Katie travel to college?
- Where did you buy that coat?
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