what is question

A question is anything we write or say which requires a response. In writing, questions are usually followed by a question mark: A: Where do you live? B: Near the station, number 41 Station Road, to be exact. A: Would anyone like to go for lunch now? B: Yeah, me for sure. C: Me too. Typical question clauses are called interrogatives and the normal word order is auxiliary/modal verb (aux/mod) + subject (s) + main verb (v) + x, where x is any other element present (e.g. object/predicative complement): [AUX][S] Do you [V] like [X] my new hairstyle? [MOD] Must [S] you [V] make [X] that noise? Questions can be affirmative or negative: Are you ready yet? Aren’t you ready yet? Why did you leave? Why didn’t you leave? In speaking, questions usually have a particular type of intonation that tells the listener that they are questions. See also: Intonation Questions: statement questions (you’re over 18?) Tags Imperative tags Question tags Statement tags Universal tags: right, yeah

Questions that don’t need an answer (rhetorical questions) In speaking and writing, we sometimes ask questions which do not require a spoken or written response, but they usually require a mental response. The listener or reader thinks about the answer but does not say or write it; the speaker or writer answers the question in their mind. We often use these questions in academic lectures and texts: Knowing taxation laws is important. Why is that? These laws help us … Why was Freud so influential? This is an interesting question which this essay will explore in detail.

Two-step questions that suggest the answer We also use two-step questions to first ask a question and then suggest an answer with a rising or fall-rising intonation. The speaker is quite sure of the answer and wants the listener to confirm it: Where are you from, Helen? Manc↗hester? A: When’s our flight? Aroun↘d ei↗ght? B: Yeah, 8.10 am. See also: Intonation and yes-no questions

In formal contexts, such as interviews, we commonly use these polite pre-questions before we ask the main question: May I ask you a question about your last job? Why did you leave it? We can add just and please to make them even more polite: Polite More polite Can I ask a question? Can I just ask a question, please? May I ask a question? May I just ask a question, please? Could I ask a question? Could I just ask a question, please? See also: Politeness

Two-step yes-no questions We sometimes use yes-no questions one after the other. The first question is an introduction to the topic and the speaker usually knows the answer. The second question is more specific. Compare A: Are you driving to college tomorrow? B: Yeah. I’m hoping to leave at 8 am. A: Could I have a lift with you? A: Could I have a lift with you if you are driving to college? B: Yeah sure. I’m hoping to leave at 8 am. The first question is introductory. A knows that B usually drives to college. The second question is more specific. By asking the question in two stages, the speaker is being less direct with the listener. A asks B for a lift to college all in one question. This is correct too, but it is slightly more direct. Pre-questions in two-step questions Sometimes we ask if we can ask a question. This is very polite: A: Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? B: Sure. A: Do you like Janie? B: Well, most of the time, I do.

Intonation and yes-no questions The intonation of yes-no questions is normally either rising [ri↗sing arrow] or fall-rising [dow↘n u↗p arrow] intonation depending on the meaning. If we do not know the answer, we use rising intonation. If we more or less know the answer and are looking for confirmation, we use fall-rising intonation: Are you w↗arm enough? Did you once li↘ve in Ir↗eland? (I think the answer is yes.) We often use fall-rising intonation with yes-no questions when asking a number of questions together: A: You’re living i↘n B↗ayswater? [Question 1] B: Yeah. That’s right. A: Are you rentin↘g you↗r house? [Question 2] B: Yeah, we are. A: Is it exp↘ensi↗ve? [Question 3] B: It’s not very expensive for somewhere so near the city centre. See also:

Warning: When using the full form not, the order auxiliary + subject (s) + not is more common than auxiliary + not + subject: [AUX][s] Is that [not] not the oldest building in this street? (formal) (preferred to [the very formal] Is not that the oldest building on this street?) We can use negative yes-no questions to make invitations, offers and complaints stronger: Won’t you stay for dinner? (invitation; stronger than Will you stay for dinner?) Wouldn’t you like another coffee? (offer; stronger than Would you like another coffee?) Can’t the manager do something about the noise? (complaint; stronger than Can the manager do something about the noise?)

Responding to yes-no questions Other ways of saying yes and no include yeah, yep, mm, okay, and nah, nope. These are informal: A: Would you like to play tennis with me later? B: Okay. (meaning yes) A: Have you seen Greg? B: Nope. (meaning no) We can also give more than just a yes or no answer. We sometimes add more information: A: Can I grow potatoes in a pot? B: Yeah. They grow really well in pots. A: Will you be going to Ryan’s party? B: No. I’m actually going to be away on Friday night. Sometimes we don’t use yes or no as a reply but the answer that we give means yes or no: A: Do you know Tina Gomez? B: We’ve known each other for years. We went to the same school. (meaning yes) A: Do you have the Thrills latest album? B: I’m afraid we’ve just sold the last one! (meaning no) We sometimes respond using the auxiliary verb from the question instead of yes and no: A: Hey Tim, did you go fishing today? B: I did. I went with the boys. A: Has Jason had breakfast? B: He hasn’t. He’s still in bed. Negative yes-no questions We usually use negative yes-no questions to check or confirm something we believe or expect to be the case, or when we consider that something is the best thing to do: Isn’t that Pauline’s car? (I’m pretty sure that this is correct. I’m asking for confirmation.) Shouldn’t we be leaving? (I think that we should leave now.) We form negative yes-no questions with not. We usually use the contraction n’t. If we use not in its full form, the question sounds very formal: Isn’t that the oldest building on this str

Questions: yes-no questions (Are you feeling cold?) Grammar > Words, sentences and clauses > Questions > Questions: yes-no questions (Are you feeling cold?) from English Grammar Today Questions that need either a yes or a no answer are called yes-no questions: Do you like vanilla ice cream? (answer: yes or no) Have you ever seen a ghost? (answer: yes or no) Forming yes-no questions With an auxiliary verb We form yes-no questions with an auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + subject + main verb or with a modal verb + subject + main verb: Be: Is she working very hard? Were they travelling together? Do: Does that taste okay? Did you go to the concert? Have: Have they eaten yet? Had they visited Rome before? Modal: Could you help me lift this? Should I open the window? Where there is no auxiliary verb be, have or modal verb already present in the statement, we use the auxiliary do, does, did: Statement form (no auxiliary) Question form You usually walk to work. Do you usually walk to work? Not: Walk you…? You liked disco music in the 70s. Did you like disco music in the 70s? Not: Liked you…? We don’t use an auxiliary verb when we use be as a main verb: Is she your sister? Not: Does she be your sister? Warning: When there is more than one auxiliary verb or a modal verb plus auxiliary verb(s), we only put the first auxiliary or the modal verb before the subject and the others after the subject: Auxiliary + subject + auxiliary + verb Is this phone call being recorded? Not: Is being this phone call recorded? or Is being recorded this phone call? Auxiliary + subject + auxiliary + verb Has the garden been looked after while you were away? Not: Has been the garden looked after while you were away? or Has been looked after the garden while you were away? Modal + subject + auxiliary + auxiliary + verb Should we have been writing this down? Not: Should have we been writing this down? We only put auxiliary and modal verbs, not main verbs, before the subject: Where did you find the keys? Not: Where did find you the keys? See also: Be Have Without an auxiliary verb When we ask yes-no questions using the main verb be, we don’t use an auxiliary verb. The word order is: be + subject: Is the weather nice in Turkey in the winter? Was she angry when you told her about the accident? When we ask yes-no questions with the main verb have, we can also use the word order verb + subject, but it sounds rather formal. We use have got and do as more neutral or informal alternatives: Have you an identity card? (formal) Do you have an identity card? (neutral) Have you got an identity card? (informal) Warning: When we ask questions with the main verb have in the past to refer to possession, we use did … have rather than had … got: Did you have your glasses with you when you left the car? Had you got your glasses with you when you left the car? (less common)

Where there is no auxiliary verb be, have or modal verb already present in the statement, we use the auxiliary do, does, did: Statement form (no auxiliary) Question form You usually walk to work. Do you usually walk to work? Not: Walk you…? You liked disco music in the 70s. Did you like disco music in the 70s? Not: Liked you…? We don’t use an auxiliary verb when we use be as a main verb: Is she your sister? Not: Does she be your sister? Warning: When there is more than one auxiliary verb or a modal verb plus auxiliary verb(s), we only put the first auxiliary or the modal verb before the subject and the others after the subject: Auxiliary + subject + auxiliary + verb Is this phone call being recorded? Not: Is being this phone call recorded? or Is being recorded this phone call? Auxiliary + subject + auxiliary + verb Has the garden been looked after while you were away? Not: Has been the garden looked after while you were away? or Has been looked after the garden while you were away? Modal + subject + auxiliary + auxiliary + verb Should we have been writing this down? Not: Should have we been writing this down? We only put auxiliary and modal verbs, not main verbs, before the subject: Where did you find the keys? Not: Where did find you the keys?