Asking questions
Make correct questions in any tense, ask subject questions and use polite indirect questions.
In this lesson you will
- Use the right word order in questions
- Ask subject questions without do/did
- Make polite indirect questions
Learn
Word order: (question word) + auxiliary + subject + main verb: Where do* you live? What are you doing? When did they arrive? Have you seen it? Can she swim?*
Question words: what, where, when, who, why, how, which, whose, how much/many, how long, how often, what time.
Subject questions: when who/what is the subject, no do/did: Who called? What happened? Compare: Who did you call? (you called someone).
Indirect questions are more polite and use statement order: Can you tell me where the station is? Do you know what time it opens?
Examples
- How long have you been here?
- Which bus goes to the airport?
- Who wrote this book?
- Could you tell me how much it costs?
Vocabulary
auxiliary
a helping verb: do, be, have, can…
whose
belonging to whom
“Whose bag is this?”
which
what one (from a choice)
how often
how many times
indirect question
a polite question inside another question
Practice
Put the words in the right order.
Speaking
Prepare ten questions (different tenses and question words) to interview a new colleague. Include two indirect questions.
Writing
Write eight questions for a survey about free time, mixing tenses and question words.
Lesson quiz
What ___ you doing right now?
Review
Key points
- (Q-word) + auxiliary + subject + verb.
- Subject questions: no do/did.
- Indirect questions: statement order.
What you learned
- ✓ I can form questions in any tense.
- ✓ I can ask subject questions.
- ✓ I can ask polite indirect questions.
Grammar reference: Question forms