Sentence structure · Elementary (A2)
Question forms
Make correct questions: auxiliary before subject, subject questions, indirect questions and question tags.
The rules
Word order: (question word) + auxiliary + subject + verb: Where do* you work? What are you doing? Have you finished? Can she swim?*
Subject questions (asking about the subject) have no auxiliary: Who called you? (someone called) vs Who did you call? (you called someone). What happened?
Indirect questions are more polite and use statement order: Could you tell me where the station is? Do you know what time it starts?
Question tags check information: positive sentence → negative tag, and vice versa: It’s cold, isn’t it? You don’t smoke, do you?
Examples
- How long have you been waiting?
- Who wrote this book?
- Do you know if the bank is open?
- You’re coming tomorrow, aren’t you?
Common mistakes
✗ Where you are going?
✓ Where are you going?
Auxiliary before the subject.
✗ Who did call you?
✓ Who called you?
Subject questions don’t use did.
✗ Can you tell me where is the bank?
✓ Can you tell me where the bank is?
Indirect questions use statement order.
Practice
Put the words in the right order.
Quiz
1.How long ___ you lived here?
2.You aren’t busy, ___?
3.Complete the sentence.
4.“Who saw you?” is a subject question.