5 common sentences in English. Types of questions: general, special, alternative and others

"I heard about conversation clubs for a long time, but it seemed to me a rather strange activity. I didn't understand what I could chat about with strangers, and even in broken English. However, the first session got me involved from the very first minutes. In such conversations, we need a formative center, bright and perky. Sean, a native speaker, turned out to be just that. In a matter of seconds, he involved all the participants in a single game. Thank you very much to Sean, for the pleasure of communication. Thank you to Irina, for another push from your comfort zone into a pleasant floundering in an unfamiliar environment. I study individually with an Australian teacher, but group experience is important and needed along with other types of practice. I'll be happy to continue. Thanks to the organizers"​

Ekaterina from Moscow, 33 years old

Milana Bogdanova

Mikhail Chukanov

Onlinewell: “Learning to read in English with pleasure”: « Thanks to all the creators of the course for this opportunity!!! What happened is a very significant event for me - I really started reading (and continue to do so with pleasure) in English ke! This is amazing, because I was afraid to get close, not only to books on English, even viewing small information on English-language sites caused significant difficulties for me.”

Natasha Kalinina

Milana Bogdanova

“I have always been convinced that reading books in a language foreign to me is an extremely impossible task for me, but thanks to experienced teachers and my wonderful support group (training participants with whom I was in the group), I discovered a unique the opportunity to read and also get great pleasure from reading.»

Elya Alieva

Online course “ENGLISH THROUGH SELF-DEVELOPMENT”: “I began to use English more for practical tasks. For example, I recently selected an offer for the sale of a guitar on a London classifieds website, corresponded with the sellers myself, and bought a legendary guitar from an English company. musical family in London. We even sat and talked with them “for life.” This is a small victory for me! »

Mikhail Chukanov

Online course “Learning to read in English with pleasure”:“Seriously, if someone had told me a couple of months ago that I would devote every evening to reading in English, I would have been very surprised. Previously, for me it was more torture than pleasure, more a necessity than a choice.”

Olga Pashkevich

There are 5 types of questions in English.

From the article you will learn:

Classification of questions

The following five types can be distinguished:

• Wh- questions or Special questions - questions to the subject;
• General questions - general questions;
• Disjunctive questions or otherwise question tags - dividing questions;
• Alternative questions - alternative questions;
• Questions with prepositions at the end.

Wh- questions or Special questions or special questions

The first type is special questions; in English they sound like Wh-questions or Special questions. Sometimes they are also called questions to the subject. A special question always begins with a question word, e.g. what,who, when, why, where(What? Who? When? Why? Where?).

When did you come home? (When did you come home?)

Why don’t you believe me? (Why don't you believe me?)

All these questions start with W.H., that's why special questions are called Wh-questions. R question words in this type of question also include how, how much, how long(How? How much? How long?).

How much money should we pay? (How much money should we pay?)

If a special question begins with who/what, then the word order in the question is direct, since the question word replaces the subject.

Who is your doctor? (Who's your doctor?)

In this case, who/what is considered as the 3rd person, singular. number.

If the question word in a special question does not replace the subject, then an auxiliary verb is placed after it (do/does, will(shall), did, have/has, etc.).

Compare:

Who is standing there? ( Who there costs?)

Who did you talk with? (With whom you said?)

General questions ( general questions)

They are called general because the answer to such a question can be either “yes” or “no”.

Second name for general questions yes/no question s. A common question begins with an auxiliary verb. After this, the subject or subject of the statement, then the semantic verb. The minor members of the sentence go to the end.

Do you see me? ( You me you see?) – No, I don’t.

Have you bee n there? ( you were there?) – Yes, I have.

Will you be here when I'm gone? (Will you be here when I leave?) – Yes, I will.

So the answer to general question contains "yes" or "no" and sometimes an auxiliary verb.

But! The verb to be in the present and past tense does not require auxiliary verbs.

Is he your friend? (Is he your friend?) - No, he isn’t.

In the article "" I talk in more detail about this type of question.

Dividing ( disjunctive questions)

The second name is question tags (questions with a tail). A tag is a kind of tail that is placed after the entire sentence. These questions are based on the type of denial - affirmation, and vice versa.

The second part of the sentence must correspond to what is included in the predicate.

You are ok, aren’t you? (You're okay, aren't you?)

He knows my real name, doesn’t he? (He knows my real name, doesn't he?)

These people don’t know me, do they? (These people don't know me, do they?)

Tag or tail can be translated in different ways. Basically, possible translations: right? isn't it? right? But in the Russian translation it is possible not to use the tail by inserting the word “after all” in the middle of the sentence.

We are young, aren’t we? (Aren't we young?)

The emphasis in such questions should fall on the second part.

In the article "" I talk in more detail about this type of question.

Alternative questions ( alternative questions)

A distinctive feature of such questions is the presence of the conjunction “or” (or). This question cannot be answered in monosyllables; a choice must be made.

Are you going to go there by plane or by car? (Are you going to get there by plane or by car?) – I’m going to go there by plane.

Is she your wife or not? (Is she your wife or not?) - She is my wife.

In the article "" I talk in more detail about this type of question.

Questions with prepositions at the end

They might not be separated into a separate category, but their composition differs in some features.

Place a preposition at the end if the semantic verb has a special preposition. For example, to look for (look for something), look at (look at), to think of (think about something), to think about (think about someone) and others.

What are you looking at? (What are you looking at?)

What are you looking for? (What are you looking for?)

As can be seen from the examples, the preposition “end” changed the very meaning of the question.

What do you depend on? (Who do you depend on?)

Who are thinking about? (Who are you thinking about)

To give a question a special tone or emphasis separate word in English questions, use intonation.

In such an interrogative sentence, the word order is direct (unchanged), and in the sentence itself everything remains in its place. We just remove the subject and use a suitable question word instead: Who? What? (who - what). Neither present nor past tense does this type of question in English require the use of auxiliary verbs. In the future, auxiliary verbs shall / will may appear, but they are an indicator of time and, in principle, have nothing to do with the question.

There is only one nuance - in the present tense we use the verb in the third person and singular.

Examples: What happened to us? -What happened to us? What makes you feel upset? – What makes you sad? Who invites guests for the party? – Who invites guests to the party?

2. General question.

This interrogative sentence in English implies posing a question to the entire sentence. The answer to this question is the words yes and no. Therefore, this type of question in English is also called yes/no question. IN this issue reverse word order and auxiliary in first place (do, does, is, etc.) or modal verb.

Examples: Does she like knitting? – Does she like to knit? Do you play computer games? – Do you play computer games? Is this his book? – Is this his book? Just remember that the verb to be in the present and simple past tense does not require any auxiliary verbs: Are you at home? - Are you home? Or Was he at the cinema yesterday? – Was he at the theater yesterday?

3. Special question

This type of question in English is different in that it can be asked to any part of the sentence. The word order is also reversed, and a series of question words are used to obtain the necessary information: What? - What?; When? - When?; Where? - Where?; Why? - Why?; Which? - which? and others.

Examples: Where are you going to move? -Where are you going to move?What would you like to read? –What would You wanted read? When did you leave the house? –When You left from Houses?

4. Alternative question

We ask to any member of the sentence, but the peculiarity of this interrogative sentence is the choice between two objects, persons, qualities, actions, etc. In such a question there will necessarily be a conjunction or - or. Examples: They finished writing the article at 5 p.m. –They finished write article V 5 evenings. Did they finish writing the article in the morning or at night? –They finished write article in the morning or In the evening? Did they finish writing or reading the article? –They finished write or read article?

5. Tag-question / disjunctive question.

When posing such an interrogative sentence in English, a person is trying to express doubt, surprise, confirmation of what was said. The analogue of this question in Russian is the turnover isn't it?, isn't it?. Such a question consists of two parts: the first is the entire sentence itself, with the word order unchanged, and without those parts of speech to which the question is actually asked; the second is a short question in which an auxiliary or modal verb appears, present in the predicate of the first part.

There are two ways to form such a question in English: an affirmative sentence, a negative short question; the sentence is negative, the short question is positive.

Examples: My mother prefers meat to fish, doesn’t she? - My mother prefers meat to fish, doesn't she? I am a pessimist, ain’t/aren’t I? - I'm a pessimist, aren't I? You can cook this dish, can’t you? – You can cook this dish, can’t you? She doesn’t go to the church, does she? - She doesn't go to church, does she?

Here are all the question types in English. Having studied the methods of their construction, you can easily formulate any interrogative sentences in English for any statement.

Our topic today is English language issues. Namely: how to ask them correctly, the difference between general and special questions, questions to the subject, and we will also talk about the use of various question words. This topic is relevant for students of any level of language proficiency, because making mistakes is possible even at a higher level when it comes to constructing questions in English. They confuse word order, miss auxiliary verbs, and use incorrect intonation. Our mission is to prevent such errors from occurring. Can we start?

The first thing you need to know about questions in English is that they differ from the structure of affirmative sentences. We usually (but not always!) ask questions in English by changing the word order: we put the auxiliary verb first before the subject. Another (main) verb is placed after the subject.

Continuing to delve deeper into this topic, it is worth mentioning what types of questions there are in the English language. The differences in the construction of those same questions in English depend on this.

5 types of questions in English

Common question in English

We ask this question when we want to know general information. Are you learning English? We can answer it with one word “yes” or “no”.

Special question

We need such questions in order to find out certain, specific information that interests us. When did you start learning English?

Question to the subject

We set it when we want to find out who is performing the action. Who teaches your English courses?

Alternative question

This is a question in which you are given a choice of 2 options. Do you study English with a teacher or on your own?

Dividing question

This question requires confirmation of some information. You continue to learn English in the summer, don’t you?

Now let's look at how each of these questions is constructed in English.

General questions

When forming such questions, reverse word order is used. This means that we put the auxiliary verb in first place, the subject in second place, and the main verb in third place.

Tom likes swimming in the sea. - Does ( auxiliary verb) Tom ( subject) like ( main verb) swimming in the sea?

She goes to work everyday. - Does ( auxiliary verb) she ( subject) go ( main verb) to work everyday?

General questions in English are also constructed with modal verbs. In this case, the modal verb will replace the auxiliary verb, that is, it will be placed in first place.

Could you close the door, please? - Could you close the door, please?

May I come in? - Can I come in?

Should I put on a sweater? - Should I wear this sweater?

We draw your attention to the verb to be. We can safely consider it special - in general questions there is no need to add an auxiliary verb to it.

Is he a teacher? - Is he a teacher?

Was the weather good yesterday? - Was the weather good yesterday?

We form a negative general question. To do this you need to add a particle not. It will come immediately after the subject. However, if we use the short form not - n't, she will stand in front of him. Let's look at an example:

Does she not go to work on Sunday? = Doesn’t she go to work on Sunday? - She doesn't go to work on Sunday?

Have you not watched this movie? = Haven’t you watched this movie? -Have you seen this film?

Special questions

This type of question requires detailed and detailed explanation. A special question can be asked of any member interrogative sentence in English. The word order in such questions is the same as in general, only one of the question words must be placed at the beginning:

• What?- What?
• When?- When?
• Where?- Where?
• Why?- Why?
• Which?- Which?
• Whose?- Whose?
• Whom?- Whom?

In a descriptive format, we will build a special question according to the following scheme:

Question word + auxiliary (or modal) verb + subject + predicate + object + other parts of the sentence.

Easier - with an example:

What (question word) are (auxiliary verb) you (subject) cooking (predicate)? - What are you cooking?

What (question word) do (auxiliary verb k) you (subject) want to eat (predicate)? - What do you want to eat?

When (question word) did (auxiliary verb) you (subject) leave (predicate) the house (addition)? - When did you leave home?

Due to the fact that a special question in English is posed to almost any member of a sentence (addition, circumstance, definition, subject), you can use it to find out any information.

Questions to the subject

This type of question is different from those discussed previous topics, since auxiliary verbs are not used in its construction. You just need to replace the subject with who or what, add a questioning intonation and veil - the question is ready.

The scheme for constructing a question to a subject in English is as follows:

Question word + predicate + minor members offers

Who went to the supermarket? - Who went to the supermarket?

What happened to your friend? - What happened to your friend?

Who did that? - Who did this?

At first glance it is very simple. But you should not confuse questions to the subject and special questions - questions in English to the object. An addition is a member of a sentence that gives some additional information and answers questions in English: “who?”, “what?”, “to whom?”, “what?”, “what?”. And most often the question to the addition begins with the interrogative pronoun who or whom and what. This is where there is a similarity with questions to subjects. Only context will help you understand. Examples for comparison:

The girl saw me yesterday. - The girl saw me yesterday.
Whom (Who) did the girl see yesterday? -Who did the girl see yesterday?

We are waiting for the train. - We're waiting for the train.
What are you waiting for? - What are you waiting for?

Alternative questions

Based on the name, it is clear that these questions presuppose an alternative or the right to choose. By asking them, we give the interlocutor two options.

Will you fly to England or Ireland? - Will you fly to England or Ireland?

In such a question there is always a conjunction “or” - or. The question itself is constructed as a general one, only at the end with the help of the above or We're adding choice.

Scheme for constructing a question:

Auxiliary verb + actor + action performed + ... or ...

Will they go to the park or to the cinema? - Will they go to the park or to the cinema?

Did you buy an apples or pears? - Did you buy apples or pears?

Does he work or study? - Does he work or study?

If in alternative question contains several auxiliary verbs, we place the first one before the subject, and the rest immediately after it.

She has been studying for several years. - She has been studying for several years.
Has she been studying or working for several years? - Is she studying or working for several years?

An alternative question in English can also begin with a question word. Then such a question consists directly of special question and the following two homogeneous members of an interrogative sentence in English, which are connected by means of a conjunction or.

When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech? - When were you interrupted: at the beginning or in the middle of your speech?

Dividing questions

These questions in English can hardly be called questions in full, since their first part is very similar to affirmative sentence. We use them when we are not 100% sure about something and want to verify or clarify information.

Disjunctive questions consist of two parts: the first is an affirmative or negative sentence, the second is short question. The second part is separated from the first comma and is called tag or in the Russian version "tail". That is why dividing questions are also called tag-questions or English tail questions.

Dividing questions are very popular in spoken English. And here's why:

• They do not ask the question directly, but encourage the interlocutor to answer.
• They can express many emotions and states (irony, doubt, politeness, surprise, etc.).
• They use direct word order. A regular sentence is constructed, a “tail” is added to it, and the question is ready.

“Tails” are translated into Russian by the words “truth”, “isn’t it true”, “isn’t it so”, “correctly”, “yes”.

Let's look at examples and see for ourselves:

I am your friend, aren’t I? - I'm your friend, aren't I?

He isn’t your brother, is he? - He's not your brother, right?

They aren't at home now, are they? - They are not at home now, are they?

Your friend worked in IT, didn’t he? - Your friend worked in the IT field, didn’t he?

You used to get up at 5 a.m., didn’t you? - You used to get up at 5 am, right?

Pay attention to the “tails” for the pronoun I (I) - in a negative sentence the auxiliary verb changes.

I am not right, am I? - I'm wrong, right?
I am right, aren’t I? - I'm right, right?

If you have a sentence with a verb have, then several options for “tails” are possible with it.

You have a cat, have you? (British English) - You have a cat, right?
We have a car, don’t we? (American English) - We have a car, right?

Also sometimes there is no negative in the first part of the sentence not before auxiliary verb, and it will still be considered negative. Here's an example: They never went there, ...What will we deliver? Right, did they! And all because the word never(never) has a negative meaning. To words like never, can be attributed rarely(rarely), scarcely(barely) hardly(hardly) Barely(barely) little(few), few(some).

They rarely go out, do they? - They rarely go out, right? ( there is a word with a negative meaning rarely)

It's unbelievable, is it? - It's incredible, right? ( the word unbelievable with negative prefix, so the first part is considered negative)

Nothing is impossible, is it? - Nothing is impossible, right? ( nothing and impossible are words with a negative meaning)

They have nowhere to go, do they? - They have nowhere to go, do they? ( nowhere - a word with a negative meaning)

Conclusion

As you managed to replace, there is nothing difficult in asking a question and finding out the information you are interested in. We hope that this article will help you understand all the subtleties and nuances. Learn English, be curious and ask questions correctly. English questions interlocutors. Cheers!

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