General questions in English. Examples and rules

English grammar is quite complex and diverse. A beginner, just starting to learn the basics of the language, will have to face a huge number of difficulties. It is not enough to remember the basic set of words and phrases, it is also necessary to learn how to use these words correctly, to build sentences. If with affirmative sentences everything is more or less clear, then when you need to ask a question, many people become numb and do not know what to say. In English, it is not enough to simply change the intonation in an affirmative sentence or put a question mark at the end. This topic requires detailed study.

Types of Questions

There are five types of interrogative sentences:

1. General questions in English. An example is “Do you like to go to school?”.
2. Separation issues. "You go to school every day, right?"
3. Alternative questions. "Do you go to school or college every day?"
4. Special issues. "Why don't you come to visit us?"
5. Questions to the subject. "Who did this?".

We consider each question separately.

General questions in English. Examples

What are the features of the first type of interrogative sentences? General questions in English and examples imply that this question can be answered either yes or no. There is no third option. Such questions require a clear answer. If we draw an analogy with the Russian language, we will see that in Russian we simply change the intonation in the affirmative sentence. For instance:

You go to school every day. “Do you go to school every day?”

In English, everything is not so simple. The word order, intonation is changing, for each time - in its own way. Take an example of a general question in English:

Do you like your school? - Do you love your school?

The word order for the general question is as follows:

Auxiliary Verbs for Present Simple - do / does; auxiliary verb for Past Simple - did; auxiliary verb for Future Simple - will.

General questions in English. Example:

1. Do you speak Japanese? “Do you speak Japanese?”
2. Does your mother work in a hospital? - Does your mom work in a hospital?
3. Did you spend last summer abroad? “Have you spent last summer abroad?”
4. Will you go to the concert tomorrow? “Will you go to the concert tomorrow?”

Separation questions in English

The separation question in English is often called the "tag question". In order to ask this question, you need to add a “tail” to the affirmative sentence. This ponytail will be translated into Russian by the phrase - right?

You play in a school band, don't you? - You play in a school group, right?

She is speaking with her teacher now, isn't she? - She's talking to the teacher now, right?

As we see, the “tails” are different, depending on the time at which the proposal is built. By analogy with general questions, you can make a small table:

The following is a pronoun that matches the subject in the affirmative sentence. Please note that if the sentence is affirmative, then the “tail” will be negative and vice versa.

Examples of separation type questions:

You speak English very well, don't you? “You speak good English, don't you?”

She made a decision to terminate a contract, didn't she? “She decided to break the contract, didn't she?”

Alternative questions in English

Already from one name it is clear that the answer to an alternative type of question involves the choice of something. If you have studied the topic "General Questions in English", then learning to ask alternative questions will not be difficult for you.

To formulate an alternative question, you must take the general question as the basis and add a union or (or). For instance:

Do you speak English or German? “Do you speak English or German?”

Did your teacher study abroad or only in Russia? - Did your teacher study abroad or only in Russia?

Have you bought the book or the magazine? “Have you bought a book or magazine?”

Special Issues in English

Questions of a special type are formed using special interrogative words. These interrogative words are put first in the general question. These questions suggest a detailed answer.

What are you doing now? - What are you doing now?

When have you been to England? - When were you in England?

Where do you work? - Where do you work?

Why are you so bad-tempered? - Why are you so mad?

How are you? - How are you?

How many book have you read this summer? “How many books did you read this summer?”

Questions to the subject

This type of question is not always highlighted, as it is formed using the special question word WHO (who). Thus, it can be categorized as a special issue. But since these questions are formed in a slightly different way, we will single them out as a separate item. The peculiarity of this question is that the word order here will be direct, as in the affirmative sentence. We do not need any auxiliary words.

Who slept all day? - Who slept all day?

Who is talking in the class? - Who's talking in the classroom?

Who has made it? - Who did this?

Practice exercises

1. Ask general questions in English (translate into English):

1. Do you like music?
2. Have you ever been abroad?
3. Does your sister work in a factory?
4. Do your parents live in Moscow?
5. Has your computer crashed?

2. Translate the sentences. Ask general and special questions in English for these affirmative sentences:

1. My mother has been at school for twenty years.
2. My teacher says I'm capable.
3. I train in the gym twice a week.
4. My dog ​​meets me every day from work.
5. Children are playing in the garden with a dog now.

Using the recommendations outlined above, it will not be difficult to make the right questions.