Questions

Yes/No questions (closed questions)

Have you finished installing the software?

Does he like fish?

Is it all right, that coffee?


Negative closed questions:

When we expect or hope for the answer “yes”:

Don’t you remember that holiday we had in Spain?


To express surprise or disbelief:

Can’t you really ride a bicycle?


To persuade someone:

Won’t you help me? (please, help me)


To criticize or express annoyance or sarcasm:

Can’t you shut the door behind you?


Wh… questions (open questions) – with question words: who(m), what, when, which, why, where, whose,
how, how+adjective/adverb

When did you go there?

Whose house did Elaine see?

Why are you going by bus?


When we ask a question that contains a verb which normally goes with a certain preposition or
particle, we normally put that preposition/particle at the end:

Who are you going with?

What are you looking at?

Whose house did Elaine go to?


In very formal English, prepositions can precede question-words:

To whom should I apply for more information?

In which hall will the lecture be given?



Question words are followed by prepositions in short questions:

`We’re off on holiday tomorrow.` `Where to?`

`I want to leave this parcel.` `Who for?`


                When who/what/which/whose/how many is the subject of the question, no auxiliary is
used:

Who wants a piece of cake?( Compare: Who do you want to invite?)

Whose telephone rang?

What caused the damage?

Which comes first, A or B?

How many students understand this? (How many students did you talk to?)



                Indirect/embedded questions – asking questions in a polite way, the second part of
the question behaves as a statement

Closed: Do you (happen to) know whether/if this software is available?

Open: Could you tell me when I will receive the results?


                Question tags –checking information or seeking agreement for an opinion – falling
intonation; genuine question – rising intonation

John was annoyed, wasn’t he?

You don’t like fish, do you?

I’m late, aren’t I?