Forming questions

Word order

1. In questions, the first auxiliary verb comes before the subject.

Have you ever been to Rome?
NOT: You have ever been to Rome?

What are you doing?
NOT: What you are doing?

Can you swim?
NOT: You can swim?

Who will you see tonight?
NOT: Who you will see tonight?

Are you going out?
NOT: You are going out?

2. If there is no auxiliary verb, we use do, does and did.

Do you play golf?
NOT: You play golf?

Where does Tim live?
NOT: Where lives Tim?

Subject and object questions

1. If the question word (WHO, WHAT, WHICH, WHOSE, HOW...) is the subject or part of the subject, we do not use DO, DOES or DID.

Who (subject) saw Bob (object)?
Jim (subject) saw Bob (object)

What (subject) happened?
Nothing (subject) happened

2. If the question word is the object, we need DO, DOES or DID if there is no auxiliary verb.

Who (object) did Jim (subject) see?
Jim (subject) saw Bob (object)

How many cakes (object) did you (subject) eat?
I (subject) ate 10 cakes (object)

Prepositions

If the question word is the object of the preposition, we usually put the preposition at the end.

Who did you eat with? -- FORMAL: With whom did you eat?
I ate with Jim.

Where did you get that hat from? -- FORMAL: From where did you get that hat?
I got it from the shop down the road.

See also: Indirect questions / Tag questions

Teaching Questions

•   Once you have explained how to make questions you can play a kind of question chain. That is, you start asking something like "what's this?" Next person answers "It's a scarf". Again next person makes a question with the word scarf and the other one answers and so on. After several questions you ask them "What's the relationship between the scarf and the last word and they have to remember all questions and answers and tell the story. For example: "This is a scarf which is made of wool that comes from sheep which are farm animals like cows that provide you with milk..."
  Anonymous
  
•   I have the students asking each other questions. I have created two worksheets of information about 4 people, but with lots of games. The students works in pairs to ask questions to fill in the gaps. The information includes date of birth (past simple), job (present tense) and ambitions (future). A useful tool to see the revision necessary. It's also possible to create this type of document to get to know the students."
  Anonymous
  

How do you teach questions?

• Your name
  
  Optional - we will identify you as Anonymous if you don't provide it.
• Your email address
  
  Optional. We won't publish your email address. Privacy policy
• Your ideaPlease enter your idea
  

Please wait...

Top of page