What is question word order

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.)

What is word order in questions?

Word Order in Questions In questions, the word order subject-verbs-object is the same as in affirmative sentences. The only thing that’s different is that you usually have to put the auxiliary verb (or the main verb “be”) before the subject. Interrogatives are put at the beginning of the sentences: interrogative.

What are the words used in asking questions?

An interrogative word or question word is a function word used to ask a question, such as what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether and how. They are sometimes called wh-words, because in English most of them start with wh- (compare Five Ws).

How do you structure a question?

Question Structure in English

1. Yes/No Question Structure: Auxiliary + subject + main verb ( + extra information/details/adverbs, etc…) …
2. Information Question Structure: Question word + auxiliary + subject + main verb ( + extra information….) …
3. HOW vs WHAT Questions. …
4. UPCOMING LESSONS:

What are the 4 types of questions?

In English, there are four types of questions: general or yes/no questions, special questions using wh-words, choice questions, and disjunctive or tag/tail questions. Each of these different types of questions is used commonly in English, and to give the correct answer to each you’ll need to be able to be prepared.

What are the 5 types of questions?

Let’s start with everyday types of questions people ask, and the answers they’re likely to elicit.

• Closed questions (aka the ‘Polar’ question) …
• Open questions. …
• Probing questions. …
• Leading questions. …
• Loaded questions. …
• Funnel questions. …
• Recall and process questions. …
• Rhetorical questions.

What are the 2 types of questions?

These are two types of questions you can use that are very different in character and usage….Open questions

• They ask the respondent to think and reflect.
• They will give you opinions and feelings.
• They hand control of the conversation to the respondent.

What are the five basic questions?

According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word:

• Who is it about?
• What happened?
• When did it take place?
• Where did it take place?
• Why did it happen?

How do you classify a sentence?

Sentence Types

1. Simple Sentence. A simple sentence consists of just one independent clause: …
2. Compound Sentence. A compound sentence consists of two independent clauses. …
3. Complex Sentence. A complex sentence consists of one independent clause and any number of dependent clauses: …
4. Compound-Complex Sentence.

What is a sentence and its types?

The 4 English Sentence Types

	form	function
1	declarative	statement: It tells us something
2	interrogative	question: It asks us something
3	imperative	command: It tells us to do something
4	exclamative	exclamation: It expresses surprise

What is sentence and give 5 examples?

A simple sentence has the most basic elements that make it a sentence: a subject, a verb, and a completed thought. Examples of simple sentences include the following: Joe waited for the train. The train was late.

What are the 5 types of sentences?

What Are the Four Types of Sentences?

• Declarative sentence.
• Imperative sentence.
• Interrogative sentence.
• Exclamatory sentence.

How many types of grammar are there?

Not to mention case grammar, cognitive grammar, construction grammar, lexical functional grammar, lexicogrammar, head-driven phrase structure grammar and many more. Nordquist, Richard. «10 Types of Grammar (and Counting).» ThoughtCo, Aug.

What are the 2 types of grammar?

Main types of grammar: Descriptive grammar : Refers to the structure of a language as it’s actually used by speakers and writers. Prescriptive grammar: Refers to the structure of a language as certain people think it should be used. Both kinds of grammar are concerned with rules—but in different ways.

What are the 3 types of grammar?

Kinds of grammar.

• prescriptive.
• descriptive.
• transformational-generative.

Who is father of grammar?

Lindley Murray

Who is the father of Old English?

Geoffrey Chaucer

Who is the father of India?

Mahatma Gandhiji

Who is father of Sanskrit grammar?

Pāṇini

Who is the mother of Sanskrit?

mātár

What is the father of all languages?

Say Father in Many Languages

Afrikaans	:	vader
Italian	:	babbo
Japanese	:	otosan, papa
Judeo-Spanish	:	padre ; baba ; babu
Kikuyu	:	baba

Who invented Sanskrit?

Brahma

Is Sanskrit older than Latin?

It is currently the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and the official language of the Vatican City. Like Sanskrit, it is a classical language. Latin comes in the romance branch of the Indo-European language family. … World’s oldest language is Sanskrit.

Why Sanskrit is not spoken?

One of the reasons for Sanskrit being limited to a small circle of people was the narrow outlook of pandits. They never allowed the language to reach the common people. So, India today does not have Sanskrit as its first language, like French in Francophone countries and Arabic in West Asia.

Is Sanskrit a Hindu language?

Sanskrit is the primary sacred language of Hinduism, and has been used as a philosophical language in the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Sanskrit is a standardized dialect of Old Indo-Aryan, originating as Vedic Sanskrit as early as 1700-1200 BCE.

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.

1. Questions without question words and be

Subject and verb change their position in statement and question.

• Sentence: You are from Germany.
• Question: Are you from Germany?

We always use the short answer, not only Yes or No. That’s why questions without question words are also called YES/NO-questions.

2. Questions with question words and be

Question word	Verb	Subject	Rest	Answer
Where	are	you	from?	I am from Stuttgart. I‘m from Stuttgart.
What	is	your name?		My name is Peter.
How	are	Pat and Sue?		They are fine. They‘re fine.

Questions with question words are also called WH-questions.

3. Questions without question words and have

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Have	you	got	a cat?	Yes,	I	have.
Have	you	got	a new car?	No,	we	haven’t.
Has	your brother	got	a bike?	Yes,	he	has.
Do	you	have	a cat?	Yes,	I	do.
Do	you	have	a new car?	No,	we	don’t.
Does	your brother	have	a bike?	Yes,	he	does.

4. Questions with question words and have

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Where	have	you	got	your ruler?	I‘ve got it in my pencil case.
Where	do	you	have	your ruler?	I have it in my pencil case.

5. Questions without question words in the Simple Present

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Do	you	read	books?	Yes, No,	I I	do. don’t.
Does	Peter	play	football?	Yes,	he	does.

6. Questions with question words in the Simple Present

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	do	you	play	on your computer?	I play games on my computer.
When	does	your mother	go	to work?	She goes to work at 6 o’clock.

7. Questions without question words in the Simple Past

Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Did	Max	play	football?	Yes, No,	he he	did. didn’t.

BUT:

to be	Subject	Rest	Yes/No	Subject	Auxiliary (+ n’t)
Were	you	in Leipzig last week?	Yes, No,	I I	was. wasn’t.

8. Questions with question words in the Simple Past

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	did	you	play	yesterday evening?	I played computer games.

BUT:

Question word	to be	Subject	Rest	Answer
Where	were	you	yesterday?	I was at the cinema.

9. Subject question

Question word	Verb	Rest	Subject	Verb	Rest
Who	runs	to the shop?	Peter	runs	to the shop.

10. Object question

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Who	did	Mandy	phone	last Monday?	Mandy phoned her uncle.

NOTE!

Subject question	Object question
Who phoned John?	Who did John phone?

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Порядок слов в вопросах

General questions

Общие вопросы

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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