QUESTIONS

A. Yes/No Question
 A question that may be answered by yes or no.
 Example:
Yes/no question=> Does he live in Chicago?
Answer => Yes, he does. Or No, he doesn’t.
B. An Information Question
 A question that asks for information by using a question word.
 Question Words: what, when, who, where, why, how, whom, whose, which,
etc.
 Example:
Information question => Where does he live?
Answer => in Chicago.
 Making an information question:
Statement =>(+) She lives in Jakarta.
(-) She does not live in Jakarta.
Y/N Qst. =>(?) Does she live in Jakarta? => Yes, she does. Or No, she does not.
Inf. Qst. => (?) Where does she live? => In Jakarta.
 If the verb in the simple present, use does or do in the question. If the verb is
simple past, use did. The main verb in the question is in its simple form;
there is no final –s or –es or –ed.
 If the verb has an auxiliary (a helping verb), the same auxiliary is used in the
question. There is no change in the form of the main verb.
Example: Where is she living?
QW A.V S Main Verb
 If the verb has more than one auxiliary, only the first auxiliary precedes the
subject.
Example: Where will he be living?
QW A.V1 S A.V2 Main Verb
 If the question word is the subject, do not change the verb. Do not use does,
do, or did.
Example: Who _Ø___ _ Ø_ lives there?
QW A.V S Main Verb Adverb
 Be, in the simple present (is, am, are) and simple past (was, were) precedes
the subject when be is the main verb.
Example: They are there.
Where are they?
QW A.V S

EXERCISE 1
Make a Yes/No Question and it’s answer.
1. They can stay there.
2. She is staying there.
3. We live there.
4. They have lived there.
5. He will be living there.

EXERCISE 2
For each of the following, first make a yes/no question. Then make an
information question using where.
Example: They can stay there.
Yes/no question => can they stay there?
Information quest. => where can they stay?
1. She stays there.
2. She is staying there.
3. She will stay there.
4. She is goin to stay there.
5. They stayed there.
6. They will be staying there.
7. They should stay there.
8. He has stayed there.
9. He has been staying there.
10. John is there.
11. John will be there.
12. John has been there.
13. Judy will have been there.
14. Ann and Tom were married there.
15. This package should have been taken there.

QUESTION WORDS
QW Questions Answer Functions
When (a) When did they arrive? Yesterday. When is used to ask
When will you come? Next Monday. questions about
time.
Where (b) Where is she? At home. Where is used to
Where can I find a pen? In that ask questions about
drawer. place.
Why (c) Why did he leave early? Because he’s Why is used to ask
Why aren’t you coming ill. questions about
with us? I’m tired. reason.
How (d) How did you come to By bus. How generally asks
school? Carefully. about manner.
How does he dive?
(e) How much money does it Ten dollars. How is used with
cost? Fifteen. much and many.
How many people came?
(f) How old are you? Twelve. How is also used
How cold is it? Ten below zero. with adjectives and
How soon can you get In ten adverbs.
there? minutes.
How fast were you 50 miles an
driving? hour.
(g) How long has he been Two years. How long asks
here? Every week. about length of
How often do you write 500 miles. time.
home? How often asks
How far is it to Miami from about frequency.
 here? How far asks about
distance.
Who (h) Who can answer that I can. Who is used as the
question? Jane and Eric. subject of a
Who came to visit you? question. It refers to
(i) Who is coming to dinner Ann, Bob, and people.
tonight? Al. Who is usually
Who wants to come with We do. followed by a
me? singular verb even if
the speaker is
asking about more
than one person.
Whom (j) Who(m) did you see? I saw George. Whom is used as
Who(m) are you visiting? My relatives. the object of a verb
(k) Who(m) should I talk to? This or preposition. In
To whom should I talk? secretary. spoken English,
(formal) whom is rarely
used; who is used
instead. Whom is
used only in formal
questions. Note:
whom, not who, is
used if preceded by
a preposition.
Whose (l) Whose book did you David’s. Whose asks
borrow? questions about
Whose key is this? It’s mine. possession.
Whose is this?
What (m) What made you angry? His rudeness. What is used as the
What went wrong? Everything. subject of a
question. It refers to
“things”.
(n) What do you need? I need a pencil. What is also used as
What did Alice buy? A book. an object.
(o) What did he talk about? His vacation.
About what did he talk?
(formal)
(p) What kind of soup is It’s been soup. What kind of asks
that? about the particular
What kind of shoes did heSandals. variety or type of
buy? something.
(q) What did you do last I studied. What+a form of do
night? Reading a is used to ask
What is Mary doing? book. questions about
activities.
(r) What countries did you Italy and What may
visit? Spain. accompany a noun.
What time did she come? Seven o’clock.
What color is this hair? Dark brown.
 (s) What is Ed like? He’s kind and What+be like asks
friendly. for a general
(t) What is the weather like? Hot and humid description of
qualities.

(u) What does Ed look like? He’s tall and What+look like asks
has dark hair. for a physical
(v) What does her house It’s a two- description.
look like? story, red
brick house.
Which (w) I have two pens. Which is used
Which pen do you want? The blue one. instead of what
Which one do you want? when a question
Which do you want? concerns choosing
(x) Which book should I buy? That one. from a definite,
known quantity or
group.
(y) Which countries did he Peru and In some cases, there
visit? Chile. is little difference in
What countries did he meaning between
visit? which and what
(z) Which class are you in? This class. when they
What class are you in? accompany a noun,
as in (y) and (z).

EXERCISE 3
Make questions from the following sentences. The words in
parentheses should be the answer to your question.
1. I need (five dollars)
 How much money do you need?
2. Roberto was born (in Panama).
3. I go out to eat. (at least once a week)
4. I’m waiting for (Maria).
5. (my sister) answered the phone.
6. I called (Benjamin).
7. (benjamin) called.
8. The boy has (a ball) in his pocket.
9. “Deceitful” means (“dishonest”).
10. These are (Jim’s) books and papers.

EXERCISE 4
Make questions from the following sentences. The words in
parentheses should be the answer to your question.
1. She bought (twelve gallons of gas).
2. The doctor can see you (at three on Friday).
3. Her roommate is (Jane Peters).
4. Her roommates are (Jane Peters and Sue Lee).
5. My parents have been living there (for three years).
 6. This is (Alice’s) book.
7. (the soup bubbles) made her sneeze.
8. (Fred and Jack) are coming over for dinner.
9. Ann’s dress is (blue).
10. Anne’s eyes are (brown).
 A form of do is usually used in questions when the main verb is have
(especially in American English but also commonly in British English);
e.g., Do you have a car? Using have without a form of do is also possible
but less common; e.g., Have you a car?
 Note: Especially in British English but also in American English, the idiom
have got is used to indicate possession instead of have alone; e.g., Bob
has got a car. Have you got a car?
 In informal spoken English, another way of asking why is how come.
Usual question word order is not used with how come; instead, the
subject comes in front of the verb.
 Example: John isn’t here (because he is sick).
 Why isn’t John here?
 How come John isn’t here?

C. Negative Questions

(a) Doesn’t she live in the dormitory? In a yes/no question in which the verb is
(b) Does she not live in the dormitory? negative, usually a contraction (e.g.,
(Very formal and is usually not used in does+not= doesn’t) is used, as in (a).
everyday speech) Example (b) is very formal and is usually
not used in everyday speech.
Negative questions are used to indicate the
speaker’s idea (i.e., what s/he believes is
or is not true) or attitude (e.g., surprise,
shock, annoyance, anger).
(c) Bob returns to his dorm room after his In (c): Bob believes that Dick is supposed
nine o’clock class. Dick, his roommate, to be in class now.
is there. Bob is surprised. Expected answer: Yes.
Bob says: “What are you doing here?
Aren’t you supposed to be in class
now?
(d) Alice and Mary are at home. Mary is In (d): Alice believes that Mary’s plane
about to leave on a trip and Alice is leaves at three. She is asking the negative
going to take her to the airport. question to make sure that her
Alice says: “It’s already two o’clock. information is correct.
We’d better leave for the airport. Expected answer: Yes.
Doesn’t your plane leave at three?”
(e) The teacher is talking to Jim about a In (e): the teacher believes that Jim did not
test he failed. The teacher is surprised study.
that Jim failed the test because he Expected answer: No.
usually does very well.
The teacher says: “What happened?
Didn’t you study?”
(f) Barb and Don are riding ina car. Don is In (f): Barb believes that Don did not see
 driving. He comes to a corner where the stop sign.
there is a stop sign, but he does not Expected answer: No.
stop the car. Barb is shocked.
Barb says: “What’s the matter with
you? Didn’t you see that stop sign?”
EXERCISE 5
Notice the examples above: Sometimes the expected answer to a negative question is
yes and sometimes no. In the following dialogues, make negative questions from the
words in parentheses and determine the expected response.
1. A: Why didn’t you come to lunch with us? => Weren’t you hungry? (be hungry)
B: No . I had a late breakfast.
2. A: Did you give Linda my message when you went to class this morning?
B: No. I didn’t see her.
A: Oh? _________________________________________ (be in class)
B: __________________________________. She didn’t come today.
3. A: Do you see that woman over there, the one in the blue dress?
____________________ (be Mrs. Robbins)
B: ___________________________
A: I thought so. I wonder what she is doing here.

D. Tag Questions
(a) Jack can come, can’t he? A tag question is a question added at the
(b) Fred can’t come, can he? end of a sentence. Speakers use tag
questions chiefly to make sure their
information is correct or to seek
agreement.*
* A tag question may be spoken:
(1) with a rising intonation if the speaker
is truly seeking to ascertain that his/her
information, idea, belief is correct (e.g.,
Ann lives in an apartment, doesn’t she?);
OR
(2) with a falling intonation if the speaker
is expressing an idea with which s/he is
almost certain the listener will agree (e.g.,
It’s a nice day today, isn’t it?)
Affirmative sentence + negative tag Affirmative answer expected
Mary is here, isn’t she? Yes, she is.
You like tea, don’t you? Yes, I do.
They have left, haven’t they? Yes, they have.
Negative sentence + affirmative tag Negative answer expected
Mary isn’t here, is she? No, she isn’t.
You don’t like tea, do you? No, I don’t.
They haven’t left, have they? No, they haven’t.
(c) This/that is your book, isn’t it? The tag pronuon for this/that = it.
These/those are yours, aren’t The tag pronoun for these/those = they.
they?
(d) There is a meeting tonight, In sentences with there + be, there is
isn’t there? used in the tag.
(e) Everything is okey, isn’t it? Personal pronouns are used to refer to
(f) Everyone took the test, didn’t indefinite pronouns. They is usually used
they? in a tag to refer to everyone, everyday,
someone, somebody, no one, nobody.
(g) Nothing is wrong, is it? Sentences with negative words take
(h) Nobody called on the phone, affirmative tags.
did they?
(i) You’ve never been there, have
you?
(j) I am supposed to be here, am i In (j): am I not? Is formal English.
not? In (k): aren’t I? Is common in spoken
(k) I am supposed to be here, English.
aren’t I?

* A form of do is usually used in the tag when have is the main verb: Tom has a
car, doesn’t he? Also possible, but less common: Tom has a car, hasn’t he?

EXERCISE 6 Add tag questions to the following.

1. They want to come, don’t they?
2. Elizabeth is a dentist, __________________?
3. They won’t be here, _____________________?
4. There aren’t any problems, __________________?
5. That is your umbrella, _________________?
6. Betty speaks English, _______________?
7. But she doesn’t speak Arabic, ________________?
8. Wulan can speak Indonesian, ____________?
9. In fact, most of her friends are French, ___________?
10. Some of them have visited in Bali, _____________?
11. They didn’t stay in a hotel, _____________?
12. They stayed with Wulan’s parents, ____________?
13. Wulan’s friend is called Aryani, ___________?
14. Aryani is going to Bali this year, _____________?
15. She didn’t go there last year, ___________?
16. She wants to go to Bandung, _____________?
17. She’ll like it, __________________?
18. But Wulan won’t be at home, _______________?
19. She has found a job in Jakarta, _______________?
20. She hopes to make a lot of money, ___________?
21. Living in Jakarta is expensive, _______________?