The word order in do you know questions

Generally, when you form a question in English, you perform three processes:

1. If the main verb is neither an auxiliary verb nor a form of «to be», then replace the main verb with a conjugated form of «do» followed by a bare infinitive.
2. Put the main verb before the subject.
3. Pull the question word to the beginning of the question.

However, process 2 is generally only done in direct questions—questions that you are asking someone as a complete sentence which stands alone. In indirect questions—questions are used as pieces of another sentence—process 2 is not performed.

The question «How old do you think I am?» is a direct question where processes 2 and 3 are applied. So first we have the question word (which is actually two words, «how old»), then the main verb, then the subject.

The question «Do you know how old I am?» is a yes-or-no question which contains an indirect question as a subordinate clause. That indirect question is «how old I am». Since it’s an indirect question, process 2 is not applied. And since the entire question «Do you know how old I am?» is a yes-or-no question, it has no question word and process 3 is not applied.

«Do you think how old I am?» sounds like nonsense. The question word is «how old», and it should have been put at the beginning of the question in order for the question to make sense.

Более вежливый вопрос начинается с дополнительного вопроса

Тест: Do you know where … ?→

Обычный вопрос: – Where is the station?  Где вокзал?
Это простой прямолинейный вопрос. Но, если надо спросить более вежливо можно задать вопрос с вежливым ‘вступлением’: – Could you tell me where the subway station is? Могли бы подсказать где находится станция метро?

Видеоурок ‘Как правильно задать двойной вопрос: Can you tell me … ?’

Непрямой (indirect question), ‘двойной’ вопрос – более вежливый, начинается с вступительного (встроенного) вопроса:

– Could you tell me … ?  Могли бы Вы мне подсказать, … ? 
– Do you know … ?  Вы знаете … ?
– I would like to know … ?  Я бы хотел узнать … ?
– Is there any chance … ?  Есть ли какая нибудь возможность … ?  и др.

Если вопрос НАЧИНАЕТСЯ с короткого встроенного вопроса, то во втором вопросе порядок слов меняется и становится как в обычном предложении!

– Can you tell me? Where is the station?
– Can you tell me where the station is?  Можете мне подсказать, где находится вокзал?

Так с глаголом – ‘be’, потому что ‘be’ сам по себе делает вопросы и отрицания. Unit→

– Who are those people? Do you know?
– Do you know who those people are?  Вы знаете, кто те люди?

Это правило применяется не только к вопросам, но и к положительным предложениям:

– I know where the station is.  Я знаю где станция находится.
Неправильно: – I know where is the station.

– I can’t remember how much this phone is. Я не помню, сколько стоит этот телефон.
Неправильно: – I can’t remember how much is this camera.
В этих примерах, во второй части остаётся глагол BE.

В предложениях с остальными глаголами, вспомогательные do/does/did исчезают во второй части:

смотрите  Do you … ? (вопросы в простом настоящем)→
– Where does he live? – Do you know?  Do you know where he lives?

Не забывайте, что с лицами he/she/it если нет вспомогательных – то смысловой глагол добавит +S или в прошлом времени изменится на вторую форму.
– What did she want? – Do you know
– Do you know what she wanted?  Ты знаешь, что она хотела?

Общие (Yes/No) двойные вопросы будут соединяться словом – if или whether [‘weðə] (ли)

– Do you know? – Does he smoke? Do you know if he smokes? = Do you know whether he smokes?
– Can you tell me? – Is it a subway station? Can you tell me if / whether it is a subway station?

Тест: Do you know where … ?→

Смотри также

< 48 Сколько времени займёт ? How long does it take … ?

50 Прямая и косвенная речь She said that … He told me that … →

Отзывы:

• Вопрос: Hi, Albert! Очень классная тема.Скажите,слово ”if” чаще применяется, чем “whether”? Thanks!
• Albert: Да, ‘if’ применяется чаще, особенно в разговорном английском. Принцип простой, чем меньше и короче слово, тем чаще оно применяется (особенно в Американском английском). Например 2 варианта произношения слова often: [often] и [ofen]. Мне кажется, [ofen] говорят чаще.

When we ask for information, we often say Do you know …?/Could you tell me …? etc. If you begin a question like this, the word order is different from a simple question.
Compare:
Where has Tom gone? (simple question)
but Do you know where Tom has gone? (not ‘Do you know where has Tom gone?’)
When the question (Where has Tom gone?) is part of a longer sentence (Do you know …?/I don’t know…/Can you tell me …? etc.), it loses the normal question word order.
Compare:
* What time is it? but Do you know what time it is?
* Who is that woman? but I don’t know who that woman is.
* Where can I find Linda? but Can you tell me where I can find Linda?
* How much will it cost? but Have you any idea how much it will cost?

Be careful with do/does/did questions:
* What time the film begins? but Do you know what time the film begins? (not ‘Do you know what time does…’)
* What do you mean? but Please explain what you mean.
* Why did Ann leave early? but I wonder why Ann left early.

Use if or whether where there is no other question word (what, why etc.):
* Did anybody see you? but Do you know if (or whether) anybody saw you?

The same changes in word order happen in reported questions:
direct: The police officer said to us, «Where are you going?
reported: The police officer asked us where we were-going.
direct: Clare said, ‘What time do the bank close?
reported: Clare wanted to know what time the banks closed.
In reported questions, the verb usually changes to the past (were, closed).

Study these examples. You had an interview for a job and these were some of the questions the interviewer asked you:
INTERVIEWER
How old are you?
What do you do in your spare time?
How long have you been working in your present job?
Why did you apply for the job?
Can you speak any foreign languages?
Have you got a driving licence?

Later you tell a friend what the interviewer asked you. You use reported speech:
* She asked (me) how old I was.
* She wanted to know what I did in my spare time.
* She asked (me) how long I had been working in my present job.
* She asked (me) why I had applied for the job. (or … why I applied)
* She wanted to know whether (or if) I could speak any foreign languages.
* She asked whether (or if) I had a driving licence. (or … I had got … )

EXERCISES
49.1 Make a new sentence from the question in brackets.
1. (Where has Tom gone?) Do you know where Tom has gone?
2. (Where is the post office?) Could you tell me where —
3. (What’s the time?) I wonder —
4. (What does this word mean?) I want to know —
5. (What time did they leave?) Do you know —
6. (Is Sue going out tonight?) I don’t know —
7. (Where does Carol live?) Have you any idea —
8. (Where did I park the car?) I can’t remember —
9. (Is there a bank near here?) Can you tell me —
10. (What do you want?) Tell me —
11. (Why didn’t Kay come to the party?) I don’t know —
12. (Do you have to pay to park here?) Do you know —
13. (Who is that woman?) I’ve no idea —
14. (Did Ann receive my letter?) Do you know —
15. (How far is it to the airport?) Can you tell me —

49.2 You are making a phone call. You want to speak to Sue but she isn’t there. Somebody else answers the phone. You want to know three things:
(1) Where has she gone? (2) When will she be back? and (3) Did she go out alone?
Complete the conversation:
A: Do you know where —(1)?
B: Sorry, I’ve got no idea.
A: Never mind. I don’t suppose you know —(2).
B: No, I’m afraid not.
A: One more thing. Do you happen to know —(3)?
B: I’m afraid I didn’t see her go out.
A: OK. Well, thank you anyway. Goodbye.

49.3 You have been away for a while and have just come back to your home town. You meet Gerry, a friend of yours. He asks you a lot of questions:
1. How are you?
2. Where have you been?
3. How long have you been back?
4. What are you doing now?
5. Where are you living?
6. Why did you come back?
7. Are you glad to be back?
8. Do you have any plans to go away again?
9. can you lend me some money?

Now you tell another friend what Gerry asked you. Use reported speech.
1. _He asked me how I was._
2. He asked me —
3. He —
4. —
5. —
6. —
7. —
8. —
9. —

49.1

2 Could you tell me where the post office is?

3 I wonder what the time is.

4 I want to know what this word means.

5 Do you know what time they left?

6 I don’t know if/whether Sue is going out tonight.

7 Have you any idea where Carol lives?

8 I can’t remember where I parked the car.

9 Can you tell me if(whether there is a bank near here?

10 Tell me what you want.

11 I don’t know why Kay didn’t come to the party.

12 Do you know if/whether you have to pay to park here?

13 I’ve no idea who that woman is.

14 Do you know if/whether Ann received my letter?

15 Can you tell me how far it is to the airport?

49.2

1 she has gone

2 when she will be back/when she’ll be back

3 if/whether she went out alone

49.3

2 He asked me where I had been. or … where I’d been.

3 He asked me how long I had been back. or … how long I’d been back.

4 He asked me what I was doing now.

5 He asked me where I was living.

6 He asked me why I had come back/… why I’d come back/… why I came back.

7 He asked me if/whether I was glad to be back.

8 He asked me if/whether I had any plans to go away again.

9 He asked me if/whether I could lend him some money

Tip: See my list of the Most Common Mistakes in English. It will teach you how to avoid mis­takes with com­mas, pre­pos­i­tions, ir­reg­u­lar verbs, and much more.

Word order differs between questions and subordinate clauses (i.e. sentences beginning like “the place where …”, “the time when …”, “the man who …”). Clauses beginning with “why”, “where”, “when”, etc., are often misleading because they look like questions but aren’t.

The rule here is that word order in subordinate clauses is exactly the same as in ordinary (non-question) sentences, e.g.:

I don’t know why someone does something.
I don’t know why someone

is

doing something.

(notice that “does” and “is doing” comes after “someone”). For example:

correct I don’t know why she did it.

wrong I don’t know why

did

she do it.

correct I don’t know why she

has

done it.

wrong I don’t know why

has

she done it.

The same would happen in a question:

correct Do you know why she did it?

wrong Do you know why

did

she do it?

correct Do you know why she

is

doing that?

wrong Do you know why

is

she doing that?

But isn’t word order different in questions? Yes, but the question is “Do you know …?”. The part “why she did it” is a subordinate clause, no matter what comes before it. People tend to make mistakes especially after “who” and “what”:

correct Do you know who he is?

wrong Do you know who is he?

The structure is slightly different if there is no subject in the subordinate clause, i.e. when we actually ask about the subject:

Do you know who did it?

Since it has the same as the structure as the corresponding question, it shouldn’t pose any problems.

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General questions

In general questions, the auxiliary verb (do, be, have, will) is placed before the subject, and the main verb follows the subject, i.e., the word order is: auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier). Responses to general questions can be in the form of short «Yes» or «No» answers or in the form of full statements. (General questions are also called Yes / No questions or yes-no questions.) General questions are pronounced with rising intonation.

Do you live here? – Yes, I do. / Yes, I live here. – No, I don’t. / No, I don’t live here.

Does Bell work? – Yes, she does. – No, she doesn’t.

Did you like the film? – Yes, I did. – No, I didn’t like the film.

Are you reading now? – Yes. / Yes, I am. / Yes, I’m reading now. – No. / No, I am not. / No, I’m not reading.

Have the guests left already? – Yes, they have. – No, they haven’t.

Will you see him tomorrow? – Yes, I will. / Yes, I will see him. – No, I won’t. / No, I will not.

General questions with modal verbs have the same structure and word order.

Can you help me? – Yes, I can. / Yes, I can help you. – No, I can’t. / No, I can’t help you.

Should we call Maria? – Yes. / Yes, we should. – No. / No, we shouldn’t.

May I come in? – Yes, you may. – No, you may not.

In general questions with the verb BE as a main verb or a linking verb, the verb BE is placed before the subject.

Is he in Rome now? – Yes. / Yes, he is in Rome now. – No. / No, he isn’t.

Is Anna a teacher? – Yes, she is. / Yes, Anna is a teacher. – No, she isn’t. / No, Anna is not a teacher.

Were they happy? – Yes, they were. – No, they weren’t.

Word order in negative questions

Didn’t she like the film? – Yes, she did. / Yes, she liked the film. – No, she did not. / No, she didn’t like it.

Aren’t they reading now? – Yes, they are. / Yes, they are reading now. – No, they aren’t. / No, they are not reading now.

Isn’t he a student?

Hasn’t he left already?

Won’t you see him tomorrow?

Can’t you speak more slowly?

Note: Negative questions usually contain some emotion, for example, expecting «yes» for an answer, surprise, annoyance, mockery. Negative questions may sound impolite in some situations, for example, in requests. Read more about negative questions in Word Order in Requests and Requests and Permission in the section Grammar.

Special questions

When the question is put to any part of the sentence, except the subject, the word order after the interrogative word (e.g., how, whom, what, when, where, why) is the same as in general questions: interrogative + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb (+ object + adverbial modifier). The answer is usually given in full, but short responses are also possible. Special questions (information questions) are pronounced with falling intonation.

How did you get there? – I got there by bus. / By bus.

How much did it cost? – It cost ten dollars. / Ten dollars.

How many people did he see? – He saw five people. / Five.

How long have you been here? – I’ve been here for a week. / For a week. / A week.

Who(m) will you ask? – I’ll ask Tom. / Tom.

What is he doing? – He’s sleeping. / Sleeping.

What did she say? – Nothing.

What book is he reading? – The Talisman.

Which coat did she choose? – The red one.

When is he leaving? – He’s leaving at six. / At six.

Where does she live? – She lives on Tenth Street. / On Tenth Street.

Where are you from? – I am from Russia. / From Russia.

Where did he go? – He went home. / Home.

Why are you late? – I missed my bus.

Why didn’t you call me? – I’m sorry. I forgot.

Questions to the subject

When the interrogative word «who» or «what» is the subject in the question (i.e., the question is put to the subject), the question is asked without an auxiliary verb, and the word order is that of a statement: interrogative word (i.e., the subject) + predicate (+ object + adverbial modifier). The same word order is used when the subject of the question is in the form of which / whose / how many + noun.

Who told you about it? – Tom told me. / Tom did. / Tom.

Who called her yesterday? – I called her. / I did.

Who will tell him about it? – I will.

Who hasn’t read this book yet? – I haven’t.

What happened? – I lost my bag.

What made you do it? – I don’t know.

Which coat is yours? – This coat is mine. / This one.

Whose book is this? – It’s mine.

How many people came to work? – Ten people came to work. / Ten.

Note: «who» and «whom»

Nominative case – who; objective case – whom. The interrogative word «whom» is often replaced by «who» in everyday speech and writing, but «who» is an object in this case, not the subject, i.e., it is not a question to the subject. Consequently, an auxiliary verb is required for the formation of special questions in which «who» is used instead of «whom», and the word order in them is that of a question, not of a statement. Compare:

Who saw you? – Tom saw me.

Who / whom did you see? – I saw Anna.

Who asked her to do it? – Ben asked her.

Who / whom did she ask for help? – She asked Mike to help her.

Prepositions at the end of questions

When the interrogatives «what, whom/who» ask a question to the object with a preposition, the preposition is often placed at the end of the question after the predicate (or after the direct object, if any), especially in everyday speech.

What are you talking about? – I’m talking about our plans.

What are you interested in? – I’m interested in psychology.

Who are you looking at? – I’m looking at Sandra.

Who does it depend on? – It depends on my brother.

Who are you playing tennis with on Friday? – I’m playing tennis with Maria.

Who did she make a pie for? – She made a pie for her co-workers.

Note that not all prepositions can be placed at the end of such special questions, and the preposition at the end should not be too far from the interrogative word. In formal speech and writing, placing the preposition before the interrogative word in long constructions is often considered more appropriate. For example: With whom are you playing tennis on Friday? For whom did she make a pie?

Alternative questions

Word order in alternative questions (questions with a choice) is the same as in general questions. The answer is usually given in full because you need to make a choice, but short responses are also possible. Use the rising tone on the first element of the choice (before «or») and the falling tone on the second element of the choice.

Is your house large or small? – My house is small. / It’s small.

Are you a first-year or a third-year student? – I’m a third-year student.

Would you like tea or coffee? – I’d like coffee, please.

Would you like to go to a restaurant or would you rather eat at home? – I’d rather eat at home.

Alternative questions are sometimes asked in the form of special questions:

Where does he live: in Paris or Rome? – He lives in Rome. / In Rome.

Which do you like more: hazelnuts or walnuts? – I like hazelnuts more than walnuts. / Hazelnuts.

Tag questions

A tag question (a disjunctive question) consists of two parts. The first part is a declarative sentence (a statement). The second part is a short general question (the tag). If the statement is affirmative, the tag is negative. If the statement is negative, the tag is affirmative. Use falling intonation in the first part and rising or falling intonation in the second part of the tag question.

With the verb BE:

It’s a nice day, isn’t it?

He is here now, isn’t he?

It was true, wasn’t it?

He wasn’t invited, was he?

With main verbs:

You know him, don’t you?

He went there, didn’t he?

She will agree, won’t she?

He hasn’t seen her, has he?

He’s sleeping, isn’t he?

He didn’t study French, did he?

With modal verbs:

You can swim, can’t you?

He should go, shouldn’t he?

I shouldn’t do it, should I?

Responses to tag questions

Responses to tag questions can be in the form of short «Yes» or «No» answers or in the form of full statements. Despite the fact that tag questions are asked to get confirmation, the answer may be negative.

You live here, don’t you?

Yes, I do. / Yes, I live here. (agreement)

No, I don’t. / No, I don’t live here. (disagreement)

You don’t live here, do you?

No, I don’t. / No, I don’t live here. (agreement)

Yes, I do. / Yes, I live here. (disagreement)

It was difficult, wasn’t it?

Yes, it was. / Yes, it was difficult. (agreement)

No, it wasn’t. / No, it wasn’t difficult. (disagreement)

It wasn’t difficult, was it?

No, it wasn’t. / No, it wasn’t difficult. (agreement)

Yes, it was. / Yes, it was difficult. (disagreement)

(Intonation in different types of questions is described in Falling Intonation and Rising Intonation in the section Phonetics.)

Порядок слов в вопросах

Общие вопросы

В общих вопросах, вспомогательный глагол (do, be, have, will) ставится перед подлежащим, а основной глагол следует за подлежащим, т.е. порядок слов такой: вспомогательный глагол + подлежащее + основной глагол (+ дополнение + обстоятельство). Ответы на общие вопросы могут быть в виде кратких ответов Yes или No или в виде полных повествовательных предложений. (Общие вопросы также называются Yes / No questions или yes-no questions.) Общие вопросы произносятся с интонацией повышения.

Вы живете здесь? – Да, живу. / Да, я живу здесь. – Нет, не живу. / Нет, я не живу здесь.

Белл работает? – Да, она работает. – Нет, она не работает.

Вам понравился фильм? – Да, понравился. – Нет, мне не понравился фильм.

Вы читаете сейчас? – Да. / Да, читаю. / Да, я читаю сейчас. – Нет. / Нет, не читаю. / Нет, я не читаю.

Гости уже ушли? – Да, они ушли. – Нет, они не ушли.

Вы увидите его завтра? – Да, увижу. / Да, я увижу его. – Нет, не увижу.

Общие вопросы с модальными глаголами имеют такое же строение и порядок слов.

Вы можете мне помочь? – Да, могу. / Да, я могу помочь вам. – Нет, не могу. / Нет, я не могу помочь вам.

Следует ли нам позвонить Марии? – Да. / Да, следует. – Нет. / Нет, не следует.

Можно мне войти? – Да, можно. – Нет, нельзя.

В общих вопросах с глаголом BE как основным глаголом или глаголом-связкой, глагол BE ставится перед подлежащим.

Он сейчас в Риме? – Да. / Да, он сейчас в Риме. – Нет.

Анна учитель? – Да. / Да, Анна учитель. – Нет. / Нет, Анна не учитель.

Они были счастливы? – Да, были. – Нет, не были.

Порядок слов в отрицательных вопросах

Разве ей не понравился фильм? – Да, понравился. / Да, ей понравился фильм. – Нет, не понравился. / Нет, ей он не понравился.

Разве они не читают сейчас? – Да, читают. / Да, они читают сейчас. – Нет, не читают. / Нет, они не читают сейчас.

Разве он не студент?

Разве он уже не ушел?

Разве вы не увидите его завтра?

Разве вы не можете говорить помедленнее?

Примечание: Отрицательные вопросы обычно содержат какую-то эмоцию, например, ожидание ответа yes, удивление, раздражение, насмешку. Отрицательные вопросы могут звучать невежливо в некоторых ситуациях, например, в просьбах. Прочитайте еще об отрицательных вопросах в статьях Word Order in Requests и Requests and Permission в разделе Grammar.

Специальные вопросы

Когда вопрос ставится к любому члену предложения, кроме подлежащего, порядок слов после вопросительного слова (например, как, кого, что, когда, где, почему) такой же, как в общих вопросах: вопросительное слово + вспомогательный глагол + подлежащее + основной глагол (+ дополнение + обстоятельство). Ответ обычно дается полностью, но краткие ответы тоже возможны. Специальные вопросы (информационные вопросы) произносятся с интонацией понижения.

Как вы туда добрались? – Я добрался туда автобусом. / Автобусом.

Сколько это стоило? – Это стоило десять долларов. / Десять долларов.

Сколько человек он увидел? – Он увидел пять человек. / Пять.

Сколько вы здесь пробыли? – Я пробыл здесь неделю. / Неделю. / Неделю.

Кого вы спросите? – Я спрошу Тома. / Тома.

Что он делает? – Он спит. / Спит.

Что она сказала? – Ничего.

Какую книгу он читает? – «Талисман».

Которое пальто она выбрала? – Красное.

Когда он уезжает? – Он уезжает в шесть. / В шесть.

Где она живет? – Она живет на Десятой улице. / На Десятой улице.

Откуда вы? – Я из России. / Из России.

Куда он пошел? – Он пошел домой. / Домой.

Почему вы опоздали? – Я пропустил свой автобус.

Почему вы мне не позвонили? – Извините. Я забыл.

Вопросы к подлежащему

Когда вопросительное слово who или what является подлежащим в вопросе (т.е. вопрос ставится к подлежащему), вопрос задается без вспомогательного глагола и порядок слов как в повествовательном предложении: вопросительное слово (т.е. подлежащее) + сказуемое (+ дополнение + обстоятельство). Такой же порядок слов, когда подлежащее в вопросе в виде which / whose / how many + существительное.

Кто вам сказал об этом? – Том сказал мне. / Том.

Кто ей звонил вчера? – Я звонил ей. / Я звонил.

Кто ему скажет об этом? – Я скажу.

Кто еще не прочитал эту книгу? – Я не прочитал.

Что случилось? – Я потерял свою сумку.

Что заставило вас сделать это? – Не знаю.

Которое пальто ваше? – Это пальто мое. / Вот это.

Чья это книга? – Моя.

Сколько человек пришли на работу? – Десять человек пришли на работу. / Десять.

Примечание: who и whom

Именительный падеж – who; косвенный падеж – whom. Вопросительное слово whom часто заменяется словом who в разговорной устной и письменной речи, но who в этом случае дополнение, а не подлежащее, т.е. это не вопрос к подлежащему. Следовательно, требуется вспомогательный глагол для образования специальных вопросов, в которых вопросительное слово who употреблено вместо whom, и порядок слов в них как в вопросе, а не как в повествовательном предложении. Сравните:

Кто видел вас? – Том видел меня.

Кого вы видели? – Я видел Анну.

Кто попросил ее сделать это? – Бен попросил ее.

Кого она попросила о помощи? – Она попросила Майка помочь ей.

Предлоги в конце вопросов

Когда вопросительные слова what, whom/who задают вопрос к дополнению с предлогом, предлог часто ставится в конец вопроса после сказуемого (или после прямого дополнения, если оно есть), особенно в разговорной речи.

О чем вы говорите? – Я говорю о наших планах.

Чем вы интересуетесь? – Я интересуюсь психологией.

На кого вы смотрите? – Я смотрю на Сандру.

От кого это зависит? – Это зависит от моего брата.

С кем вы играете в теннис в пятницу? – Я играю в теннис с Марией.

Для кого она сделала пирог? – Она сделала пирог для своих сотрудников.

Отметьте, что не все предлоги можно поместить в конец таких специальных вопросов, и предлог в конце предложения не должен быть слишком далеко от вопросительного слова. В официальной устной и письменной речи, помещение предлога перед вопросительным словом в длинных конструкциях часто считается более подходящим. Например: With whom are you playing tennis on Friday? For whom did she make a pie?

Альтернативные вопросы

Порядок слов в альтернативных вопросах (вопросах с выбором) такой же, как в общих вопросах. Ответ обычно дается полностью, потому что нужно сделать выбор, но краткие ответы тоже возможны. Употребите тон повышения на первом элементе выбора (перед or) и тон понижения на втором элементе выбора.

Ваш дом большой или маленький? – Мой дом маленький. / Маленький.

Вы студент первого или третьего курса? – Я студент третьего курса.

Вы хотели бы чай или кофе? – Я хотел бы кофе, пожалуйста.

Вы хотели бы пойти в ресторан или предпочли бы поесть дома? – Я предпочел бы поесть дома.

Альтернативные вопросы иногда задаются в форме специальных вопросов:

Где он живет: в Париже или Риме? – Он живет в Риме. / В Риме.

Что вы больше любите: фундук или грецкие орехи? – Я люблю фундук больше, чем грецкие орехи. / Фундук.

Разъединенные вопросы

Разъединенный вопрос (разделительный вопрос, расчлененный вопрос) состоит из двух частей. Первая часть – повествовательное предложение (утверждение). Вторая часть – краткий общий вопрос. Если повествовательное предложение утвердительное, краткий вопрос отрицательный. Если предложение отрицательное, краткий вопрос утвердительный. Употребите интонацию понижения в первой части и интонацию повышения или понижения во второй части разъединенного вопроса.

С глаголом BE:

Приятный день, не так ли?

Он здесь сейчас, не так ли?

Это была правда, не так ли?

Его не пригласили, не так ли?

С основными глаголами:

Вы знаете его, не так ли?

Он пошел туда, не так ли?

Она согласится, не так ли?

Он не видел ее, не так ли?

Он спит, не так ли?

Он не изучал французский язык, не так ли?

С модальными глаголами:

Вы можете плавать, не так ли?

Ему следует идти, не так ли?

Мне не следует этого делать, не так ли?

Ответы на разделительные вопросы

Ответы на разделительные вопросы могут быть в виде кратких ответов Yes или No или в виде полных повествовательных предложений. Несмотря на то, что разъединенные вопросы задаются для получения подтверждения, ответ может быть отрицательным.

Вы живете здесь, не так ли?

Да, живу. / Да, я живу здесь. (согласие)

Нет, не живу. / Нет, я не живу здесь. (несогласие)

Вы не живете здесь, не так ли?

Нет, не живу. / Нет, я не живу здесь. (согласие)

Нет, живу. / Нет, я живу здесь. (несогласие)

Это было трудно, не так ли?

Да, трудно. / Да, это было трудно. (согласие)

Нет, не трудно. / Нет, это было не трудно. (несогласие)

Это было не трудно, не так ли?

Нет, не трудно. / Нет, это было не трудно. (согласие)

Нет, трудно. / Нет, это было трудно. (несогласие)

(Интонация в различных типах вопросов описывается в статьях Falling Intonation и Rising Intonation в разделе Phonetics.)

In some languages, you can ask a question by changing only the intonation in the voice. This is not enough in English. In English, there is special word order in interrogative sentences.

Therefore, in English, when we see the interrogative word order, we already understand that this is a question and not a statement!

What is the interrogative word order? This is the order in which we put the auxiliary verb first in the sentence.

Take a look at these two examples:

Statement: I know you.
Question: Do I know you?

As you can see, this interrogative order still contains the main verb after the subject. That is, the subject and predicate remain in their usual order. But in the question, the predicate has an additional part: an auxiliary verb. And this auxiliary comes first.

The auxiliary verb in an interrogative sentence plays a huge role. The auxiliary verb depends on who we ask the question, who is the subject in our question.

Does she like you?

Did you throw your ring?

Have they been there before?

Will he work here someday?

Another important function of the auxiliary verb in the question is that the auxiliary verb indicates the tense. By changing the auxiliary verb, we change the meaning of the question.

Thus, if we want to know what a person is currently doing, we ask:

Do you live here?

If we are interested in the past of this person, we ask:

Did you live here?

Or we can ask about future plans:

Will you live here?

Word Order in Interrogative Sentence With the Verb To Be

We ask a question with the verb to be using the same scheme where we put an auxiliary verb at the beginning of the question.

But the main difference between to be and other verbs is that to be has no auxiliary verbs. The verb to be acts as an auxiliary verb for itself.

So to ask a question with to be we just put to be first before the subject. Compare:

I am going to spoil the plan!

Am I going to spoil the plan?

The only exception to this rule is when we form a question with the to be verb in the future.

The verb to be in the future has the form: Will be.

To ask a question with Will be, we put only Will in the first place, and be remains in its place.

Correct: Will you be there next time?
Incorrect: Will be you there next time?

Remember that we do not use auxiliary verbs with to be. Many English learners make the mistake of using auxiliary verbs to form a question with to be.

Correct: Is she here?
Incorrect: Does she here?
Incorrect: Does she is here?

Correct: Were they in your school?
Incorrect: Did they in your school?
Incorrect: Did they were in your school?

Correct: Are we friends?
Incorrect: Do we friends?
Incorrect: Do we are friends?

The verb to be in questions plays the same role as auxiliary verbs with ordinary verbs. The verb to be also changes depending on who is the subject in the sentence:

Is she your girlfriend?

Were they in your old team?

Will you be working as always?

Are we the people you are looking for?

Also, the verb to be indicates the tense we are asking about:

Past: Was she your friend?

Present: Is she your friend?

Future: Will she be your friend?

Look at all forms of the verb to be not to be mistaken when you use it:

Present:

• I am
• He is
• She is
• It is
• We are
• They are
• You are

Past:

• I was
• He was
• She was
• It was
• We were
• They were
• You were

Future:

• I will be
• He will be
• She will be
• It will be
• We will be
• They will be
• You will be

Word Order in Subject Question

A subject question has exactly the same word order as an affirmative sentence. But at the beginning, we use the question word who or what.

Who broke the vase?

Who told you the truth?

What fell to the roof?

Thus, it is the word who or what that plays the role of the subject in the sentence. But we do not know who exactly is the subject, who is this person, thing, or being. Therefore, we ask a question.

Compare the usual question in which we know who the subject is and the question to the subject.

Who did she ask about it? (The subject is she)
Who asked you about it? (The subject is who)

What did he throw from the roof? (The subject is he)
Who threw something from the roof? (The subject is who)

Who will you take with you to the dance? (The subject is you)
Who will take you to the dance? ((The subject is who)

This is your car? (The subject is you)
Whose car is this? (Subject is Whose)

Most often, we use a singular verb after the word who or what. Because by asking a question to the subject, we mean that who or what is one person or thing.

Who works here?

We can use the main verb as we do it for the plural if we and our interlocutor understand exactly that who or what in the question means several people or objects:

Who were the people you are talking about?

Word Order in Short Answer and Full Answer

A short answer to a question in English also has its own specific order.

In English, it is not customary to answer questions shortly: Yes or No.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes.

This answer may be considered rude.

So, in English, it is customary to form an answer in this order:

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject.
3. Auxiliary verb.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I do.

The word order in the answer above is considered correct and polite.

A full answer is even simpler. In a full answer, we keep the order of an affirmative or negative sentence. At the beginning of the sentence, we add the affirmative or negative words Yes or No.

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject
3. Predicate.
4. Object.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I like the movie. (Yes, I like / Yes, I like it)

If the answer is no, then we add an auxiliary verb with a negative particle not. In a full negative answer, the order looks like this:

1. Affirmative or negative word.
2. Subject
3. Auxiliary verb + not.
4. Predicate.
5. Object.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: No, I don’t like the movie. (No, I don’t like / No, I don’t like it)

In some cases, we can add an auxiliary verb even in an affirmative full answer if we want to emphasize the main verb.

Question: Do you like the movie?
Answer: Yes, I do like the movie.

In this example, the verb do underlines the main verb like. Such an answer seems to mean:

Yes, I really like the movie.