Exercises for composing interrogative sentences. Exercises on the present simple - asking questions

Mikhailova Oksana Yurievna,
English teacher
GBOU secondary school No. 143
with in-depth study of English
Krasnogvardeisky district of St. Petersburg

Methodical note.

General question

1. General question to be.

Do you like music?

Did he visit his sister?

Will you come tomorrow?

Can I open the window?

Is this your pen?

2. Special question

Andwhether

For example:

Why do you know him?

Where will he go next week?

What did she do yesterday?

3. Question to the subject

Who likes ice cream?

Who travell ed last summer?

Who is there? (But: Who are

4. Alternative question - or - or. or.

5. Dividing question -

You are not tall, are you?

I am changes to aren't

Examples:

Don't eat this cake, will you

Let's dance, shall we? Let's dance, okay?

I'm late, aren't’ tI

isn't it

I.
(where / from?) _____________________
(where/love/now?) __________________
(ever / be / to Poland?) ________________
(Who/ your best friends?) ______________
(How old / they?) ___________________
(sister?)___________________________
(wear glasses?) _____________________
(you/ go/ to the museum with us?) _____________________________________
(you/ go to be a singer?) _______________
(you/ be/ at / the restaurant/ last week?) _____________________________________
(play/ computer games/ yesterday?) _____________________________________
(who/ wants/ to meet/ you?__________________________________________

1.From Fairy Land.

2. In an old house.

3. No, I haven’t.

4. Emma, Lee, Harry, Alvin.

5. They are ten.

6. No, I haven’t.

7. No, I don't.

10. Yes, I was with Emma.

11. No, I didn’t.

12. Alvin wants to meet me.

5. Let’s play outside, ____?

7. I am in the cinema, _____?

III. Make questions with who or what.

1. Knights lived in castles.

2. Something happened.

6. Bob and Ben are firemen.

8. His brother is a pilot.

9. She is Molly.

10. Sam is his cousin.

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. ______________________
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Example:

St. Petersburg, 2014

Educational and methodological manual on the English language

for 4th grade to the educational complex “Starlight” 4

Methodical note.

This methodological manual is intended for English teachers working in primary schools using the educational complex “Starlight 4”. The manual presents grammatical material for studying “Types of interrogative sentences”.

This manual contains a theoretical part, namely a description of the types of questions in English and their formation, and a set of grammatical exercises to practice and consolidate the material. The exercises in the manual contain vocabulary from the Starlight 4 educational complex, which allows students to practice both grammatical and lexical material.

Types of questions in English

Our whole life is communication, which consists of questions, answers, assumptions. How to ask a question correctly in order to be polite, how to accurately express your thoughts in English in order to be understood? It all depends on the construction of the sentence. All interrogative sentences carry a special lexical meaning and have a special syntactic structure. The structure of an interrogative sentence always depends on how you want to ask and what you want to know. In this regard, there are several types of questions in English.

So, in English there are the following types of questions:

General question
Special question
Question to the subject
Alternative question
Disjunctive / Tag quetion

1. General question is a question that is asked in order to get a “yes” or “no” answer, so this type of question is also called Yes/No qeustion. This type of question begins with an auxiliary or modal verb. The type of auxiliary verb will depend on the grammatical tense in which you ask the question. (Do/ Does/ Did/ Will/ Have or modal verbs must/ can/ could/ should). You should pay special attention to such a verb as to be. The fact is that it is with this verb that most errors occur. It must be remembered that this verb does not need auxiliary verbs; to construct a question you just need to put it (namely one of its personal forms) at the beginning of the sentence before the subject. This diagram will help you construct a general question:

Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb + everything else

Do you like music?

Did he visit his sister?

Will you come tomorrow?

Have you done your homework yet?

Can I open the window?

Is this your pen?

2. Special question- this is a question that is asked to some member of the sentence. All such questions begin with a question word or group of question words (when, why, who, where, how, what, how many, etc.). Such questions are also called Wh-questions. How do we construct questions like this:

Question word + Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb + everything else

Andwhether

Question word + general question

For example:

Why do you know him?

How many apples have you got?

Where will he go next week?

What did she do yesterday?

3. Question to the subject- this is a question that is actually a special question, but it has a specific feature. In order for us to construct it, we do not need any auxiliary verb if we ask the question in the present and past tense. We simply keep the same word order in the sentence, and instead of the subject we put who - who? or what- what? those. to which the subject answers. In the future tense, the auxiliary verb will may appear, but it is precisely an indicator of time and, in principle, has nothing to do with the question. It should also be remembered that the verb in the present tense will always be in the 3rd person singular (verb + ending -s/es), and in the past tense the semantic verb will have the 2nd form (irregular verbs) or verb + ed (regular verbs).

Who likes ice cream?

Who travell ed last summer?

Who is there? (But: Who are you? - there is agreement with the pronoun).

4. Alternative question - this is a type of general question that begins the same way as a general question, only the question will always contain a conjunction or - or. This type of question can be asked to each member of the sentence. Such questions imply a choice between two persons, objects, actions or qualities, therefore there is always a union there or. Let's build an alternative question to this sentence: We came home at 3 o'clock. - We came home at 3 o'clock.

Did we come home at 2 or 3 o’clock? - We came home at 2 or 3 o'clock?

Did we come home or play computer games at 2 o’clock? - Did we come home or were we playing computer games at 2 o’clock?

5. Dividing question - This is a question that allows you to unobtrusively ask about things of interest, and in addition to express your opinion, surprise, or confirm what was said. This type of question is also called a “question with a tail” “tag qustion”. A similar question is divided into 2 parts: the sentence itself without changing the word order, the second part is a question consisting only of an auxiliary verb related to the grammatical tense of the sentence and a subject. The second part of such a question is separated from the first by a comma and translated into Russian “isn’t it?”, “Isn’t it true?” If the sentence is affirmative, then the second part - the question will be negative, and if the sentence is negative, then vice versa, the question will not contain a negation.

Your brother is happy, isn't he?

You are not tall, are you?

He goes to bed very late, does not he?

She doesn’t eat meat, does she?

There are some points to pay attention to:

If the sentence begins with Don"t, then it ends with will you.
Interrogative sentences in English with Let's give the tail “shall we”.
I am changes to aren't
The underlying that/this at the end is replaced by it

Examples:

Don't eat this cake, will you? - Don't eat this cake. (Fine?)

Let's dance, shall we? Let's dance, okay?

I'm late, aren't’ tI? - I'm late, aren't I?

That is your aunt over there, isn't it? - That's your aunt there, isn't it?

Exercises to consolidate material on the topic “Types of interrogative sentences.”

I.Ask Mona questions. (Look at her answers before writing the questions.)
1. (where / from?) _____________________
2. (where/love/now?) __________________
3. (ever / be / to Poland?) ________________
4. (Who/ your best friends?) ______________
5. (How old / they?) ___________________
6. (sister?) ___________________________
7. (wear glasses?) _____________________
8. (you/ go/ to the museum with us?) _____________________________________
9. (you/ go to be a singer?) _______________
10. (you/ be/ at / the restaurant/ last week?) _____________________________________
11. (play/ computer games/ yesterday?)
_____________________________________
12. (who/ wants/ to meet/ you?)
____________________________________

1.From Fairy Land.

2. In an old house.

3. No, I haven’t.

4. Emma, Lee, Harry, Alvin.

5. They are ten.

6. No, I haven’t.

7. No, I don't.

9. No, I’m not going to be a singer.

10. Yes, I was with Emma.

11. No, I didn’t.

12. Alvin wants to meet me.

II. Put a question tag on the end of these sentences.

1. My country’s flag is green, white and red, ______?

2. My cousin has got short dark hair, _______?

3. Dan and Mark wash the dishes every day, _____?

4. The didn’t see a sea cow yesterday, _____?

5. Let’s play outside, ____?

6. Don’t open the window, _____?

7. I am in the cinema, _____?

8. That is not your parrot, ____?

9. The cowboy wants his hat to look old, _____?

10. Emma went to the park yesterday, ______?

11. I’ll put on these gloves, ___?

12. They haven’t lived in Italy, ____?

III. Make questions with who or what.

1. Knights lived in castles.

2. Something happened.

3. Her chidren are listening to music now.

4. The books were in the bookcase.

6. Bob and Ben are firemen.

7. Her friends have got many apples.

8. His brother is a pilot.

9. She is Molly.

10. Sam is his cousin.

1. ______________________
2. ______________________
3. ______________________
4. ______________________
5. ______________________
6. ______________________
7. _______________________
8. _______________________
9. ________________________
10. _______________________

Example: She (get up) early/late? — Does she get up late or early? — She gets up early.

1. He (go) to work by bus /by train?

2. Classes (start) in the morning /in the afternoon?

3. His mother (work) at the bank/at the library?

4. Jacky (like) pears/bananas?

5. Dan (watch) TV at 5 /at 6 p.m. yesterday?

6. His friends (watch) television/go out in the evenings tomorrow?

7. You (play) the guitar/the piano now?

1. ____________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________

In the previous message, I already said that special questions are divided into accordingly, there are two models for constructing these two types of questions. First, you need to practice on simple questions without “tricks”, that is, with those that do not cause difficulties, and then we will deal with questions where there are I will write the questions in pairs (that is, questions A and questions B), then it will be easier to understand difference between them. Translate interrogative sentences as you wish, in writing or orally, but do not forget about the markings.

1. Who helps you do your homework?

Who do you help translate texts from Russian into English?

2. Who often comes to you in the evenings?

Where does he usually go after work?

3. What is in the corner of the room?

When your child stands in the corner?

4. Who works in this institution?

Where does this engineer work?

5. Who trusts this person?

Who do you trust in this class?

6. What grows in this garden?

What does he grow in the garden?

7. Who often brings you flowers?

What does he bring to you every day?

8. Who lives in this house?

Where your sister lives?

9. Who wants to know English?

What do you want to know?

10. Who speaks English well?

What do you tell him about your work?

11. Who gives you English books to read?

12. Who always answers your questions?

Who does she often answer questions to?

13. Who always hides in the bushes?

What are you hiding under your pillow?

14. What surprises you?

Who do you often surprise?

15. What scares your son?

Who does he often scare?

I will translate these questions and you can check yourself, or correct errors, if any.

1. Who helps you to do your homework?

Who do you help to translate texts from Russian into English?

2. Who comes to your place in the evening?

Where does he usually come after work?

3. What stands in the corner of the room?

When does your child stand in the corner?

4. Who works in this office?

Where does this engineer work?

5. Who trusts this man?

Who do you trust in this class?

6. What grows in this garden?

What does he grow in the kitchen-garden?

7. Who often brings you flowers?

What does he bring you every day?

8. Who lives in this house?

Where does your sister live?

9. Who wants to know English?

What do you want to know?

10. Who speaks English well?

What do you tell him about your work?

11. Who gives you English books to read?

Who do you give your books to read?

12. Who always answers your questions?

Who does she often answer questions?

13. Who always hides in the bushes?

What do you hide under the pillow?

14. What surprises you?

Who do you often surprise?

15. What frightens your son?

Today we will practice constructing all types of questions in English. Earlier on the site I already posted separate, and.

In the exercises below you will have to deal with all five types of questions in English language. Exercises traditionally proceed in increasing complexity.

5 types of questions exercises.

Exercise 1. Fill in the words to form questions.

did, are, do, have, was, haven"t, is, isn't

What types of books ______ do you like to read?
_____ she reading love story or an adventure story?
______ you saw “Titanic”?
Who _____ watching TV at eight o"clock last night?
It"s an exciting book, ________ it?
_____ you going to watch a romantic film or a musical?
You have seen this film, _______ you.
_____ you go to the cinema last night?

Now group this question by their types.

Yes / No Questions: ______________.

Alternative Questions: ______________.

Special Questions: ______________.

Tag Questions: ______________.

Exercise 2. Form questions.

birthday / is / when / your?
many / How / cards / did / get / you?
do / What / like / you / presents?
mum / What / make / did / cake / your?
at the party / you / did / what / do?
like / you / parties / do / Why?
summer / are / this / where / you / going?
there / going / How / you / are?
take / going / to / what / you / are?
with / are / you / Who / going?
do / going / to / you / there / What / are?
you / stay / going / to / are / Where?
what / playing / dad / sports / your / games / is / of / fond?
roller-skate / when / learn / you / to / did?
of / afraid / are / swimming / you?

Exercise 3. Write questions for the sentences, starting with the word in brackets.

My sister eats sweets every day. (Who)
He won't go to the country this summer (Will)
We were advised to come. (What?)
I haven't seen Peter since Saturday. (Since when?)
They are planning to have a holiday soon. (They)
She made a beautiful dress for herself last week. (What?)
Everybody was waiting at the door to the museum. (Was)
By the end of the year, he had read about twenty books. (How many)
He is followed by his friend everywhere. (By whom?)
He didn't know how he could help his friend. (Why?)

Exercise 4. Write questions to the underlined parts of the text.

John is my cousin (1). He is only 18 , but he is already a student (2). John is very intelligent (3) and he is a good-looking boy too. Many girls (4) admire his dark brown (5) eyes and curly hair. The only problem is that John hasn't got enough money(6). He likes books (7) but he often has no money to buy them.

Exercise 5. Write special and alternative questions to the answers.

He is from England.

What country is he from?

Is he from England or Scotland?

We went to the library.
He is a driver.
We were playing a game.
They came to this place a long time ago.

Exercise 6. Write questions for the answers.

1. ____________________________?

A computer. (The Adams bought a computer.)

2. ____________________________?

They have. They have already met Mr Smith.)

3. ____________________________?

They met Mr Smith when they were in London.

4. ____________________________?

They are. (They are going to there again).

5. ____________________________?

English. She teaches English.

6. ____________________________?

Traveling. (He was interested in traveling.)

7. ____________________________?

They do. (They have to get up early.)

8. ____________________________?

At the airport. (He had to meet them at the airport.)

9. ____________________________?

The baby"s room. (Mary has to clean the baby"s room every morning.)

10. ____________________________?

Boots. (They have to wear boots.)

Exercise 7. Write questions about driving in England. Use the prompts.

petrol expensive in England?
motorists have to wear front seat belts in England?
what is the minimum driving age?
many roads in England?
roads good in England?
what are the national speed limits in England?
how all speed limits given on signs?
how signs indicate speed limits?

Exercise 8. Read the text. Write down the questions for the underlined words to get more information.

Somebody wrote this book. It is about somebody and his friends.
One day he put on something white.
He looked like somebody.
The old Frekken Bokk was cooking something.
Something opened and he appeared somewhere.
She did something in horror.
She phoned somebody.
And at that time somebody and his friend were eating something.

Exercise 9. Complete the tag questions.

The books about animals are real fun, …
You really like reading magazines, …
You can go to the library tomorrow, …
Your mum thinks adventure stories are exciting, …
You haven't seen "Harry Potter" yet, ...

Exercise 10. Read these facts Ask and answer questions about the facts. Use Who? When? What?

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818.
Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio in 1894.
Hubert Booth invented the vacuum cleaner in 1901
King Camp Gillette invented the razor in 1901
Henry Ford produced the first cheap car in 1908.
Peter Chilvers built the first windsurfer in 1958.

Exercise 11. Ask questions with who or what.

Jack is waiting for someone.
Someone is waiting for Jack.
Something is happening.
Someone has got the money.
Carmen wants to see someone.
Someone wants to see Carmen.
Carmen wants to see something.
Steven smiled at someone.
Someone smiled at Steven.
Steven smiled at something.
Something happened.

Exercise 12. Correct the mistakes.

What is Tony writing?
What is writing?
What does Julia want to do?
Who does want a cup of tea?
Who killed President John F. Kennedy?
Who did invented the telephone?
Whose your favorite actor?
Who's is this coat?
What hand do you write with?
Arthur is 21, hasn't he?
You"re a student, isn't it?
They live in Milan, doesn't it?
Does Diana like golf, doesn't she?

I hope you enjoyed working on it types of questions in exercises. English language: types of exercise questions is an important topic, so practicing questions will help you feel more confident in English.

a lawyer or a waiter?

There are five

He will study French
They are football fans. (hockey – hockey)
cards. (candles - candles)
I have made an apple-pie
Ann bought a nice dress yesterday. (a skirt - skirt)
(Germany – Germany)
She visited all the museums

Exercises "Types of interrogative sentences"

1. Ask general questions about the sentences.

For example: Mary grows beautiful flowers in the garden– Does Mary grow flowers in the garden?

The weather is cold today.– Is the weather cold today?

John was tired after work. (John is tired after work.)
We live in a small town. (We live in a small town.)
Summer has started at last. (Summer has finally begun.)
They have already left. (They have already left.)
My parents got married in Paris. (My parents got married in Paris.)
She can lose her temper easily. (She can lose her temper easily.)
The party will start in time. (The party will start on time.)
The dogs are sleeping. (The dogs are sleeping.)
The umbrella was broken. (The umbrella was broken.)
He always gives money to homeless children. (He always gives money to street children.)

2. Ask alternative questions to the sentences using the options given in brackets.

Example: Nick wants to become a lawyer . (a waiter - waiter) – Does Nick want to become a lawyer or a waiter?

There are five eggs in the fridge. (ten – ten) – Are there five or ten eggs in the fridge?

He will study French in Canada. (German - German)
They are football fans. (hockey – hockey)
Her granny can tell fortunes from cards. (candles - candles)
I have made an apple-pie . (a banana cake - banana cake)
Ann bought a nice dress yesterday. (a skirt - skirt)
This car was manufactured in Japan. (Germany – Germany)
They must pay for the taxi. (the lunch - lunch)
The post-office opens at 9. (at 8 - at eight)
Fiona and John paint their house every five years. (their bedroom - their bedroom)
She visited all the museums in Istanbul. (the shops – shops)

W hat (Than you are interested in?)

When When

She isn't sociable, a. mustn't they?
Let's dance, d. do you?
Tom can dive well, e. is she?

3. Ask specific questions to the sentences, starting with question words in brackets.

Example: I am interested in psychology. ( W hat ...?) – What are you interested in?(How you are interested in?)

A strange man came here last night. ( When …?)– When did the strange man come here? ( When did a strange person come here?)

The twins were born in June. (When...?)
We had a great time in Disneyland. (Where...?)
Mr. Black can play chess very well. (How...?)
The salad is not fresh. (Why...?)
My wife prefers juice to tea. (Who...?)
Tom orders Japanese food every Friday. (What...?)
I meet a lot of people at work. (Where...?)
They will have lunch at home. (Where...?)
The film has just started. (What film...?)
I have been to the doctor. (Where...?)

4. Select the correct ending of the separating question from the right column. Translate the questions.

Nr: 1 – e (She’s not sociable, isn’t she?)

She isn't sociable, a. mustn't they?
Mark was satisfied, b. do they?
Your kids never argue with you, c. didn't she?
Let's dance, d. do you?
Tom can dive well, e. is she?
Our partners must keep their word, f. won't it?
Helen has washed up, g. doesn't she?
You don't trust me, h. wasn't he?
Your mum works as an accountant, i. hasn't she?
It will be cloudy tomorrow, j. did they?
Betty found a new job, k. can't he?
They didn't sell their car, l. shall we?

The main types of interrogative sentences in modern English are considered.

Using the example of simple sentences with the verb to be, you can learn how to correctly ask questions with this verb and answer such questions.

In English there are the following types of interrogative sentences:
General questions.
Special questions.
Questions to the subject.
Alternative questions.

Disjunctive questions.

General questions General questions

require an answer “yes” – “yes” or “no” – “no”. When asking a general question, the verb to be is placed before the subject. (See Lecture 2 for the section on interrogative forms of the verb to be.) In English, general questions are pronounced with rising intonation, just as in Russian.

Compare:

Is Anna ill? Is Anna sick?

A general question can be answered with a short affirmative or negative answer consisting only of the words “Yes” or “No”.

– Are you tired? - Are you tired?

– Yes. - Yes.

-Are you hungry? - Are you hungry?

– No. - No.

A more detailed answer can be given to a general question. In this case, the words “yes” or “no” are followed by a pronoun related to the subject of the interrogative sentence, and then the verb to be in the appropriate form.

– Are Anna and Nick students? – Anna and Nick are students?

– Yes, they are. - Yes.

– Are Pete and Alex workers? – Are Pete and Alex workers?

– No, they are not./ No, they aren’t. – No.

The general question can be fully answered.

– Is it cold in the room? - It's cold in the room?

– Is the room dark? – Is the room dark?

– No, it is not dark. / No, it isn’t dark. - No, she’s not dark.

–Are the flowers beautiful? - Beautiful flowers?

– Yes, they are beautiful. - Yes, they are beautiful.

– Are the shoes old? – Are the shoes old?

– No, they are not old. / No, they aren't old. - No, they are not old.

The form of the verb in the answers (short or long) agrees with the form of the verb in the question. In the examples above, the verb to be is used in the present indefinite tense in both questions and answers. If in a question the verb to be is used in the past indefinite tense or in the future indefinite tense, then the answer must use the verb to be either in the past indefinite tense or in the future indefinite tense.

Examples of short answers:

-Are you busy? – Yes, I am. / No, I am not. / No, I"m not.

– Were they angry? – Yes, they were. / No, they weren't. / No, they weren't.

– Was Nick ill last week? – Yes, he was. / No, he was not. / No, he wasn't.

– Will Ann be happy? – Yes, she will. / No, she will not. / No, she won't.

– Will you be at home tomorrow? – Yes, we will. / No, we will not. / No, we won't.

- Yes, we shall. / No, we shall not. / No we shan"t.

Special questions

Special questions begin with question words. Then the word order in special questions is the same as in general questions, i.e. After the question word, the verb to be is placed first in the appropriate form, and then the subject.

Learn the question words that are used in special questions:

What?- What? Which?

Which?- Which?

When?- When?

Where?- Where? Where?

Whom?- To whom? Whom?

Whose?- Whose? Whose? Whose? Whose?

Why?- Why? For what?

Special questions may begin with the word how:

How?- How?

How long?- How long? How much time?

How old?- How many years? (question about age)

How many?- How many? (used with countable nouns).

How much?- How many? (used with uncountable nouns).

You can ask about the price: How much is it? (How much does it cost?)

How far?- How far? (about distance)

Special questions require a complete, logically formulated answer, but in colloquial speech the answer may consist of only a few words, which are an abbreviated answer to the question, for example:

– Where were you yesterday? - Where were you yesterday?

– I was at the cinema. (At the cinema.) - I was at the cinema. (To the cinema.)

If there is a preposition with a question word, it is usually placed at the end of the sentence, for example:

– Where are you from? - Where are you from?

– I am from Russia. - I'm from Russia.

– What is the book about? – What is this book about?

– The book is about animals. – This book is about animals.

Questions to the subject

Questions to the subject, strictly speaking, relate to special issues. They begin with the question word Who? (Who?), if the subject is animate, or What? (What?) if the subject is inanimate.

When asking a question to the subject, you need to pay attention to agreement of the verb to be with the following noun in number.

For example:

Anna is a secretary. Who is a secretary?

Emma and Mary are economists. Who are economists?

But compare the following sentences:

The table is white. What is white?
The shoes are new. What is new?
We were late for classes yesterday. Who was late for classes yesterday?
Nick and Mike are ill today. Who is ill today?
We will be in Paris tomorrow. Who will be in Paris tomorrow?
The vase is on the What is on the table?
The cups are on the What is on the table?

In the examples above (1-7), the verb to be is used in the form 3rd person singular appropriate time. In everyday speech, when asking a question to a subject after a question word, the verb is usually used in the third person singular.

Alternative questions

Alternative questions always include the word or.

The interlocutor is offered an alternative, he must make a choice. Alternative questions are structured like general questions, but contain the word “or.” They begin with the verb to be in the appropriate form, followed by a subject, then a choice. It should be noted that the first part of the question before the conjunction or is pronounced with a rising voice, and after the conjunction - with a lowering of the voice. Alternative questions cannot be answered with “Yes” or “No”; you must make a choice. Alternative questions are usually fully answered. Compare offers:

– Is your father at home or at work? – Is your father at home or at work?

– He is at home now. - He is at home now.

– Were the children at the Zoo or at the cinema yesterday? – The children were at the zoo or

cinema yesterday?

– They were at the Zoo. - They were at the zoo.

– Will it be rainy or sunny tomorrow? – Will it be rainy or sunny tomorrow?

- It will be sunny. - It will be sunny.

Disjunctive questions or tail-questions consist of two parts. The first part of the question is an affirmative or negative sentence, and the second part (the “tail”) is formed as a short general question consisting of a verb in the appropriate form and the appropriate pronoun. It should be remembered that if the first part of the sentence is constructed as an affirmative sentence, then in the “tail” the verb is used in a negative form, and vice versa, if in the first part of the question something is denied, then the “tail” is constructed as a statement. Note that the first part of a partition question is pronounced with falling intonation, and the second part of a partition question is usually pronounced with rising intonation, as in a general question. The second part of the dividing question is translated into Russian words, isn’t it? is not it? Dividing questions are asked in order to obtain confirmation of the statement contained in the first part of the question. Thus, if the verb to be is used in the first part of the question, then the “tail” consists of the verb to be in the appropriate form and the corresponding pronoun. Consider the following examples:

Max is twenty isn't he? Max is twenty years old, isn't he?

Max isn't twenty is he? Max isn't twenty years old, is he?

Anna was at work on Saturday, wasn't she? Anna was at work on Saturday, wasn't she?

Anna wasn't at work on Saturday, was she? Anna wasn't at work on Saturday, was she?

The weather will be rainy tomorrow, won't it? Tomorrow it will be rainy weather

is not it?

The weather won't be rainy tomorrow, will it? Tomorrow there will be no rainy weather,

is not it?

Short affirmative or negative answers are given to dividing questions, but you should pay attention to what the first part of the question was - an affirmative or negative sentence. If the first part of the separating question contains a negative sentence, then the expression of agreement and disagreement (i.e. “yes” and “no”) in English and Russian is not the same.

Thus, when answering a dividing question, you need to focus on the real situation, and not try to translate your answer from Russian into English.

If today is not Monday, then you say:

No, it isn't Monday.

If today is Monday, then you say:

Yes, it is Monday.

In English, you cannot say “Yes” and then give a negative answer. You cannot say “No” and then give an affirmative answer. If you say "No", then further must give a negative answer. If you say "Yes", then further must give an affirmative answer.

Below are examples of posing different types of questions (general, question to the subject, alternative, dividing).

Is Max or Alex ill?

Max is ill, isn't he?

Max isn't ill, is he?

Anna and Emma are lazy.

Are Anna and Emma lazy?

Are Anna and Emma or Nick and Pete lazy?

Anna and Emma are lazy, aren't they?

Anna and Emma are not lazy, are they?

Questions for self-control

What types of questions exist in English?
What two answers can always be given to a common question?
Which word must be present in an alternative question?
How is the “tail” constructed in a dividing question?
Why can we say that a question to the subject is a type of special question?
How does the word order in a general question differ from the word order in a special question?

Exercises

Construct general questions and give short affirmative answers.

Example: Tom is a driver.

Is Tom a driver? – Yes, he is.

The teacher was busy yesterday.
The child is ill today.
It will be hot tomorrow.
Our friends are in France.
The cake will be nice.

Construct general questions and give short negative answers.

Sample: Ann is a teacher.

Is Ann a teacher? - No, she is not. / No, she isn't.

The boy is five.
The girls are lazy.
My friends were right.
The song was sad.
The party will be nice.
The films will be bad.

Ask questions to the following sentences.

The boys are interested in sports. (Ask anyone interested in sports.)
Nick's sisters will be in Paris tomorrow. (Ask if Nick's sisters will be in Paris or London tomorrow.)
Henry's brother is 20. (Ask a question to confirm the information that Henry's brother is 20 years old.)
Anna's favorite color is white. (Ask if Anna's favorite color is white or red.)
Mary was afraid of mice. (Ask what Mary was afraid of.)
His books are on the shelf. (Ask where his books are.)
Kate is twenty years old. (Ask how old Kate is.)

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb to be.

– Where... are you from? – I... from Tomsk.
– Why... are you so happy today? – Because I... at the concert of my favorite pop group tomorrow.
– Where... my favorite music CDs? Can you see them? – One disc...on the table and three discs...on the bookshelf.
– This... your new mobile phone,... it? – Yes, it... . – ... your phone number new or old? – It... old.
– What color... your new coat? – It... green and brown.
– What... are your favorite colors? – My favorite color... grey.
Yesterday it... cold. Today it...warm. Tomorrow it... cold again,... it?

Translate the questions into English and answer them.

1. What is your name? 2. How old are you? 3. Are you married? 4. Are you married or single? 5. Where are you from? 6. What is your address? 7. What is your mobile phone number? 8. You are a student, aren't you? 9. Are you a first or second year student? 10. What are your favorite subjects? 11. What subjects are you good at (to be good at)? 12. You like the English language, don’t you (to be fond of)? 13. What are your hobbies? 14. Do you like sports? 15. Do you like sports played outdoors (outdoor sports) or indoors (indoor sports)? 16. What are your favorite sports? 17. What are your favorite books? 18. Do you like classical or popular music? 19. Who is your favorite singer? 20. Who are your favorite actors? 21. Do you like summer or winter? 22. What is your favorite time of year? 23. Why is summer your favorite time of year? 24. You are not afraid of mice, are you?

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