====== Asking questions L4.00 ======

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| [[http://www.e-exercises.com/img/bibliotheque/3292_117ea21dc9212a3acef8f709ee93b6f3.jpg|{{Asking%20questions%28html%20avec%20titres%29_fichiers:image002.jpg?225x160|mere fille femme enfant s}}]]**** | ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **“Do you like video games?”** ** ** **“Yes, we do.”****** |

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**Construction**

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**These are the basic forms for constructing questions:**

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| **‘To be’** | **(Modal) auxiliary verbs** | **Other verbs** |
| ** ** **‘be’ + subject** ** ** **Are you hungry?** ** ** **Was it interesting?** ** ** **Is there any cake?** ** ** | ** ** **auxiliary + subject + main verb** ** ** **Will we finish on time?** ** ** **Have you had lunch?** ** ** **Can you swim?** | ** ** **‘do’ + subject + bare infinitive** ** ** **Did he go to the seminar?** ****   **Do you like skiing?** ** ** **Does he work in Toulouse?** |

 

 

====== Using question words ======

 

**1.     ** **When we ask a question with ‘what’, ‘which’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘who’, ‘whom’, ‘whose’, ‘why’ or ‘how’, the word order in the table above remains the same:**

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**__Why__** **are you hungry?**

**__How fast__** **can you swim?**

**__Where__** **do you like skiing?**

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**2.     ** **However, question words can refer to either an object or a subject. Note the different constructions:******

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| **Object** | ** ** | **Subject** | ** ** |
|   **__Who__** **did you see?  ** ** ** **__What__** **does Tim want?** ** ** **__Which__** **colour does he prefer?** | ** ** **[I saw __John__.]** ** ** **[Tim wants __a beer__.]** ** ** **[He prefers __blue__.]** | ** ** **__Who__** **saw John?** ** ** **__Who__** **wants a beer?** ** ** **__What__** **is his favourite colour?** | ** ** **[__I__ saw John.]** ** ** **[__Tim__ wants a beer.]** ** ** **[__Blue__ is his favourite colour.]** ** ** |

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**Here are some more examples of question words asking about a subject:**

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**What happened this morning?**

**How many people go to work by car?**

**Who arrived first?**

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**Note that** **‘who’ can be used to ask about either an object or subject but ‘whom’ is only**

**used for objects:** ****

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**Who do you want to invite?** [[http://www.clker.com/clipart-23530.html|{{Asking%20questions%28html%20avec%20titres%29_fichiers:image004.png?17x13|Tick Clip Art}}]]****

**Whom do you want to invite?** [[http://www.clker.com/clipart-23530.html|{{Asking%20questions%28html%20avec%20titres%29_fichiers:image004.png?17x13|Tick Clip Art}}]]** [Note that although correct, this is rare.]**

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**Who wants a drink?** [[http://www.clker.com/clipart-23530.html|{{Asking%20questions%28html%20avec%20titres%29_fichiers:image004.png?17x13|Tick Clip Art}}]]****

**Whom wants a drink?** [[http://www.clker.com/clipart-3592.html|{{Asking%20questions%28html%20avec%20titres%29_fichiers:image006.png?16x16|Red X Cross Wrong Not Clip Art}}]]****

 

 

====== Questions with prepositions ======

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**Most of the time, the preposition is placed at the end of the question. It sounds more natural and conversational.**

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**Who did you give the file __to__?**

**Which city does she work __in__?**

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**However, you might occasionally hear a more formal structure:** ****

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**__To__** **whom did you give the file?**

**__In__** **which city does she work?**

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====== Other ways to ask questions ======

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**As well as the forms mentioned above, we also use these:**

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| **Type of question** | **Examples** |
| ** ** **Indirect questions** | ** ** **Do you know what time the train leaves?****** ** ** **Could you tell me if there’s a bank near here?** ** ** |
| ** ** **Negative questions** | ** ** **Don’t you like coffee?** **** ** ** **Isn’t it ready yet? ** **** ** ** |
| ** ** **Echo questions** ** ** | ** ** **“I asked her to marry me?”** **“You did what?!”****** ** ** **“I asked her and she said yes.”** **“She said yes?!”** ** ** |
| ** ** **Questions with tags** ** ** ** ** | ** ** **You like coffee, don’t you?** **** ** ** **It’s ready, isn’t it?** ** ** |

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**For more information, see individual rules.**

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====== Definitions ======

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**These words and expressions are related to questions:**

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| **Expression** | **Explanation** | **Examples** |
| ** ** **Closed question** | ** ** **It requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type answer.** ** ** ** ** | ** ** **“Did you enjoy your trip?”** **“Yes, it was great, thanks.”** ** ** **“Shall we go to the cinema?”** **“No, not tonight.”** ** ** **“Do you like chocolate?”** **“Absolutely!”** ** ** **“Is it raining again?”** **“I’m afraid so.”** ** ** |
| ** ** **Open question** | ** ** **It asks for specific information.** ** ** ** ** | ** ** **How was your trip?** ** ** **Where is the cinema?** ** ** **Why do we have to work late?** ** ** |
| ** ** **Short answers** ** ** | ** ** **Short affirmative or negative responses used in conversation and sometimes followed by further information.** | ** ** **“Do you like chocolate?”** **“Yes, I do.”** ** ** **“Is it raining again?”** **“No it isn’t. It’s sunny today.”** ** ** |

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