Questions

 
There are generally two types of questions; yes/no and wh-questions.
 
16.1

 Yes/No Questions

 
  • Yes or no questions are questions whose expected answer is either "yes" or "no".

  • The tense of the answer must follow the tense used in the question.

  • Examples:

 

Do you like tea?

Yes, I do. / No, I don’t.

Are they coming to the event?

Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.

Does Anita speak English well?

Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.

Were the children disruptive?

Yes, they were. / No, they weren't.

Did the clerk send the notice?

Yes, she did. / No, she didn’t.

 

16.2

 WH-Questions

 

Also known as question words, they are also called wh-questions because they include the letters 'W' and 'H'.

 

Question Words

Function

Examples

Who

To ask for information about a person (names, relationship, occupation).

Who is that young girl?

Where

To ask for information about the place (name, location).

Where is the new cinema?

What

To ask for information about an object, a person, or a situation.

What is inside that box?

Which

To ask for specific information.

Which one is your favourite?

When

To ask for information on time (day, month, year, season).

When is your wedding anniversary?

Why

To ask for a reason.

Why do you jump all of a sudden?

How

To ask for the manner or way in which something was done.

How was your holiday?