It can be difficult to form questions in English.Depending on the type of question you want to ask, you may need to move words around in the sentence.Adding additional words and phrases is possible in some cases.Before you know it, you will be asking a lot of questions in English.
Step 1: A basic sentence is written in English.
Write a sentence in English.A simple sentence that expresses what you want to ask a question can be included in the sentence.If it is not too complicated, the sentence can be anything you want it to be.You can use statements like "It is cold outside" and "You can drive a car" to ask a question.
Step 2: To be is moved to the beginning of the sentence.
If you reverse the order of the first 2 words in the sentence, you can turn a simple sentence into a question.The beginning of the sentence is where the verbs are placed.Add a question mark at the end of the sentence if you are writing it or raise your voice when you speak it.You could ask, for example, "Is it cold outside?" or "Are you happy?"
Step 3: When the verb is not "to be", start the sentence with "do" or "does".
You won't be able to flip the first 2 words if the sentence includes a form of "to be."Add "do" or "does" to form a question in these cases.Use the letters "do" and "does" for singular nouns and pronouns.To ask if Charlie and Pam cook together often, add "Do" to the beginning of the sentence.Did Kyle play soccer yesterday?
Step 4: To ask about things, ask what.
"What" and "which" are the questions you will need to ask about an object, food, or activity.A question about a thing can be started with 1 of these words.You could ask, for example, "What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" or "Which flavor would you like to visit today?"
Step 5: Ask about locations using the word "where".
Asking about places is called where.To find out about a meeting place, a location you are trying to find, or to ask something else to do with the location, start a sentence with "where."You could ask someone, "Where are you from?" as part of a conversation.
Step 6: Ask who to ask about people.
If you want to know who a person is, start the sentence with who.If you need to know who is in charge of a business, you could ask, "Who is the manager?"To find out the name of the person, you could ask, "Who will pick me up to go to the airport tomorrow?"
Step 7: Say when to ask about time.
You might need to know the time, day, or other time-based details for certain situations.When is the right time to ask a time-based question.You could ask, for example, when are we going to the theater.
Step 8: Ask how the process works.
"How" is a word that can help you find out about an order or process, such as following a recipe or driving to someone's house.When you need to know what steps to take to get something done, place "how" at the beginning of the sentence.To get directions, you could ask, "How do you get to the university?"To get instructions for completing a recipe, you could ask, "How do you cook this?"
Step 9: To learn about a quantity, ask how many or how much.
If you want to find out the cost of an item or service, then you should ask how much.
Step 10: To be polite, use an indirect question.
The questions that you ask in English can sound harsh.You may want to say something at the beginning of your question to make it sound more polite.If you need to know the time, asking a stranger, "What time is it?" may sound rude.This would be a good situation to ask an indirect question.It's the same for a question about directions.They might be taken aback by the directness of the question if you just walk up to a stranger and ask, "How do you get to the airport?"This is a good situation to ask an indirect question.
Step 11: Start the question with "Could you please tell me?" or "Do you know?"
The phrases "Could you please tell me..." and "Do you know..." are the main phrases for indirect questions.You could ask, "Could you please tell me how to get to the airport?" or "Do you know the time?"
Step 12: To be should be moved to the end of the sentence.
You can move the question to the end of the sentence if you start it with a form of "to be."If you want to find out the time of the bus stop, you could ask, "Do you know what time it is?"
Step 13: Tag questions can be used to confirm something.
You want to make sure when you encounter situations where you think you know what the answer is.You can ask a tag question in these situations.If you want to confirm when you need to head to the airport, you can use a tag question with a statement that is a stand alone sentence followed by a short question phrase.
Step 14: Pause and say the sentence you want to confirm.
Tag questions are very easy to form because you only need to say the sentence you want to confirm and then add a question phrase at the end.Start by saying the same thing you would normally say, with a short pause at the end.If you want to confirm when dinner will be served, you can say, "Dinner is served at 6:30pm."
Step 15: Do you want to confirm that something is happening?
You can add a tag to a sentence if you want, but it depends on the sentence.If you say that dinner is served at 6:30pm, you would add the tag question, "Aren't it?" to confirm this statement.Another option would be to say that the dining room closes at 9:00pm.
Step 16: Is he/she, or isn't they, should be used to confirm someone's activities.
If you want to confirm something about a person, use the correct form of the word "to be." For example, you might ask, "You are coming to dinner with me, aren't you?"If you are talking about more than one person who is not present, you can ask, "Bill and John are meeting us for drinks later, aren't they?"