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Understanding Yes/No and Wh-Questions

This document discusses two types of questions: yes/no questions and wh- questions. Yes/no questions can be answered with a simple yes or no and relate to the entire sentence. Wh- questions use interrogative words like who, what, where, when, why, or how to ask for specific information on a particular element of the sentence. For who and what questions, the third-person singular form of the verb should be used after the question word when forming the question. Both yes/no and wh- questions are used to obtain information, but wh- questions imply a more detailed answer.

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11 views1 page

Understanding Yes/No and Wh-Questions

This document discusses two types of questions: yes/no questions and wh- questions. Yes/no questions can be answered with a simple yes or no and relate to the entire sentence. Wh- questions use interrogative words like who, what, where, when, why, or how to ask for specific information on a particular element of the sentence. For who and what questions, the third-person singular form of the verb should be used after the question word when forming the question. Both yes/no and wh- questions are used to obtain information, but wh- questions imply a more detailed answer.

Uploaded by

yepurila
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

1.

General or Yes/No Questions


Common questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” are logically called yes/no questions.
As a rule, this kind of question relates to the whole sentence, and not to a separate element of it.
 Do you like this country?
 Does Jane know about your new job?
 Can I call my sister?
 Is it cold outside?
 Are they ready for the trip?
 Are you hungry?
The answer can be a brief “yes” or “no.” Or, a longer answer can be given: “Yes, I do.” “No, I don’t like this
country.” The response to a question depends on the verb used.
Try to remember this formula: answer the question the way it was asked.
If the question begins with a form of the verb “to be” – am, is, are – then answer “Yes, I am/he is/they are,”
or “No, I am not/he isn’t/they aren’t.”
It is similar to auxiliary verbs (do/does, did, will, have/has):
 Did she clean the room? – Yes, she did/No, she didn’t.
 Have you done your homework? – Yes, I have/ No, I haven’t.
 Will you buy that dress? – Yes, I will/ No, I won’t.
2. Special or Wh-Questions
A special question, as you can guess, uses a certain word at the beginning of the sentence to ask a specific
question. The questions words who, what, where, when, why, how, how many, etc., are used to begin the
question:
 Where is he from?
 When did you come here?
 How did you meet her?
Note that questions about a subject (who? what?) have their own special structure; they do not require an
auxiliary verb, we replace the subject with the question word.
 We go to the cinema. – Who goes to the cinema?
 The glass is on the table. – What is on the table?
 Most girls here wear skirts. – Who wears skirts here?
You can see that after the question words who and what, the third-person singular form of the verb should
be used.
We use special questions to get specific information. This implies that the answer will be more detailed.

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