In questions we usually put the subject after the first verb:
| subject + verb | | verb + subject |
| Tom will | → | will Tom? |
| You have | → | have you? |
| the house was | → | was the house? |
- Will Tom be here tomorrow?
- Have you been working hard?
- When was the house built?
Remember that the subject comes after the
first verb:
- Is Katherine working today? (not Is working Katherine)
In present simple questions, we use do/does:
| you live | → | do you live? |
| the film starts | → | does the film start? |
- Do you live near here?
- What time does the film start?
In past simple questions, we use did:
| you sold | → | did you sell? |
| the rain stopped | → | did the train stop? |
- Did you sell your car?
- Why did the train stop?
But do not use do/does/did if who/what etc. is the subject of the sentence. Compare:
In these examples,
who/
what etc. is the subject:
- Who wants something to eat? (not Who does want)
- What happened to you last night? (not What did happen)
- How many people came to the meeting? (not did come)
- Which bus goes to the centre? (not does go)
Note the position of prepositions in questions beginning
Who/
What/
Which/
Where ... ?:
- Who do you want to speak to?
- Which job has Tina applied for?
- What was the weather like yesterday?
- Where are you from?
You can use
preposition +
whom in formal style:
- To whom do you wish to speak?
Isn't it ... ? / Didn't you ... ? etc. (negative questions)
We use negative questions especially to show surprise:
- Didn't you hear the doorbell? I rang it three times.
or when we expect the listener to agree with us:
- 'Haven't we met before?' 'Yes, I think we have.'
Note the meaning of
yes and
no in answers to negative questions:
- Don't you want to go?
Yes. (= Yes, I want to go)
No. (= No, I don't want to go)
Note the word order in negative questions beginning
Why .. . ?:
- Why don't we eat out tonight? (not Why we don't eat)
- Why wasn't Emma at work yesterday? (not Why Emma wasn't)
