Grammar 1A - Question formation

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1A. Question Formation. (upper-Intermediate)

questions do/use exemple

1
with modal verbs invert the subject Can you drive?
with tenses where and the modal/ Why are you crying?
there is an auxiliary auxiliary verb
verb (be, have, etc.)

2
add do/does or did Where do you live?
with the present and
before the subject Did you go out last night?
past simple

3
negative questions
to show surprise. negative Why didnt you like the film?
when you expect questions Isnt this a beautifull place?
somebody to agree
with you.

What are you talking about?

The preposition
NOT: About what are you talking?
comes at the end
Where is she from?
of the question.
4 NOT: From where is she?
Verb followed by a
preposition Whe often just use A: Im thinking.
the question word B: What about?
and the instead of:
preposition. What are you thinking about?

Who lives in this house?

NOT: Who does live in this house?
5
How many people came to the
When the question
dont use auxiliary party?
word (who / what /
verb (do/does , did) NOT: How many people did come
which, etc.) is the
to the party?
subject
Who wrote this?
NOT: Who did write this?

Direct: Where does she lives?

indirect questions: Indirect: Could you tell me where
she lives?

6 The order is Can you tell me where it is?

Indirect questions: subject + verb: NOT: Can you tell me where is it?
When you want to ask a
question in a more Dont use do / did Could you tell me where she lives?
polite way in the second part NOT: Could you tell me where
of the question does she lives?

You can use Can you tell me if / whether hes at

if / whether home?
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Review: Question Forms (Intermediate)

Make questions: Practice. (link)
To make questions you need the following structure:

a) Whit auxiliary verb:

Question word Auxiliary Subject Verb

Present simple / Past simple Infinitive

How do you get here from

your house?
Who does Sarah work for?
Did you do anything
special last
night?
Present continuous Gerund

Are all your family living in the

same town as you?

What are her children doing at the

moment?
Why are you studying
English?

Present perfect simple Past Participle

How many has Greg been to?

countries
How long have you lived there?
Have you ever chatted to
people online?
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b) Without auxiliary verb: When the question word is the

subject:

Question word Verb Object

(subject)
Who called you this morning?
Who calls you all the time?
What makes her flatmate
happy?

c) Questions ending in preposition: when the question work is

the object of a preposition, the preposition usually goes at the
end.

Question auxiliary subject verb preposition

word
What are you looking at?
What did you do that for?
Who s she taking to?
Who does Sarah work for?
How many has Greg been to?
countries
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Question meaning example

word

who a person Whos that man over there?

where a place Where did you go last week?

when a time When does the lesson start?

why a reason Why are you late?

whose possessive Whose shoes are these?

a thing (from
Which do you like, the red shirt or
which small number
the blue shirt?
o.p.a)

a thing (from
what What do you want to do tonight?
many p.a.)

a number How many people are there in your

How many
(count.) class?

amount
How much Just how much did it cost?
(uncount.)
a periode of
How long How long did you work in Russia?
time

How old age How old is your teacher?