1 Types
of Questions: Open-ended and Closed-ended
Questions are one of the
five types of sentences in English. It is
important to know how to correctly form interrogative sentences or questions.
Once you take a look at how the verb takes lead in Closed-Ended Questions or
how the WH Words are used to form Open Questions, you won’t struggle to form
these questions anymore.
1.1.1.1
Types of Questions
There are mainly two types of questions in the English language.
These two types differ mainly in sentence structure and the
options in their answers.
1.1.1.2
What is an Open-Ended Question?
An Open Ended Question
signifies that the answers to it may vary between several options. These
questions are also referred to as WH Questions since they mostly consist of WH
Question words. There are nine WH Question words in English and they are
- What,
Who, Where, When, Where, Whom, Whose, Why and How. Take a good look at how
all these words start with either “W” or “H” and hence are given the name WH
Words.
1.1.1.3
WH Words and Their Answers
|
Question |
Answer |
|
What |
Object |
|
Who |
Person |
|
Where |
Place |
|
When |
Time |
|
Why |
Reason |
|
Which |
This/That |
|
Whose |
Possessive |
|
Whom |
To a Person |
|
How |
Directions |
1.1.1.4
How to Form WH Questions?
WH Questions are very easy to spot since these WH words flag the
start of these investigative sentences and the interrogation mark sits at the
end. But forming them correctly while sticking to the grammatical rules can
seem a bit tricky.
1.1.1.5
With Auxiliary Verbs
When auxiliary or modal
auxiliary verbs are used to help the main verbs in interrogative
sentences, they follow the formula below -
WH Word + Auxiliary Verb +
Subject + Main Verb + ...?
Or,
WH Word + Modal Verb + Subject
+ Main Verb + ...?
Here, the WH Words are the objects of the sentences that come
before the modal verbs - would, should or could. Respective subjects and main
verbs follow after that.
Example:
Do
| What do you like?
Be
| When are you leaving?
Have | Whom
has the interviewer summoned?
Modal | Why
would she come back?
1.1.1.6
No Auxiliary Verbs
Looking at the simple present tense examples would give an idea
about how the structure works. The normal Subject + Verb + Object sentence structure
is maintained as WH Question words take place of the subject followed by the
main verb and object before ending with an interrogation mark.
WH Word + Verb + Object + ...?
Example:
o What
cured the cough?
o Who
brought juice?
If “Whose” and “Which” act as part of the subject in a sentence,
the structure changes a little.
Whose/Which + Subject + Verb +
Object + ...?
Example:
o Whose
car met with an accident?
o Which
color suits my formal attire?
1.1.1.7
Negative WH Questions
Negative WH Questions are composed
of “Auxiliary Verbs + Not.” The negative word “Not” is attached to the existing
auxiliary or modal verbs. Absence of an existing helping verb (do, does, did,
have, has or had) to attach the “Not” calls for their addition. Contracted
negative verb clusters like - don’t, doesn’t, didn’t, isn’t, aren’t, hasn’t,
haven’t etc. sit after the subject and before the main verb. In the case
of pronouns, the auxiliary verb and
“not” sit on either side of the pronoun.
Example:
o Which
color does not suit my formal attire? (Adding “auxiliary does + not”)
o How
did he not move out? (Pronoun sitting in between the
auxiliary verb and “not”)
o Why
isn’t he sleeping? (Contacted negative verb
cluster)
1.1.1.8
WH Statement Questions
Statement questions are statements or declarative sentences that
can be asked as questions barely with intonations (while speaking) and
interrogation marks (while writing). In the case of WH Questions, adding
necessary WH Words at the end of the statements can turn them into
questions.
Example:
o You’re
doing what?
o She’ll
be here until when?
o Give
it to whom?
There is barely any formal or grammatical basis for these
questions but people usually use statement questions in informal settings when
in a hurry to get additional information.
1.1.1.9
Intonation in WH Questions
WH Questions populate the majority of the total number of
questions in the English language. These questions generally have falling
intonation.
Where did he go?
Why did he like the color blue?
The intonation shifts when people are trying to verify some
information that has already been given. In these situations, people tend to
use rising or fall-rising intonation in general.
Who paid for the car?
What did you just say?
1.1.1.10
What is a Closed-Ended Question?
A Closed-Ended Question means that the answer
to the question has only one answer, either "Yes" or "No".
These are also termed as “Yes/No Questions” since these are the only possible answers. Yes/No Questions
differ greatly from WH Questions in structure and intonation.
1.1.1.11
How to Structure Closed-Ended
questions?
Yes/No Questions can also be constructed with or without the use
of auxiliary verbs.
1.1.1.12
With Auxiliary Verb
Auxiliary or modal auxiliary verbs sit before the “Subject +
Verb + Object” combo to form Yes/No Questions.
Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main
Verb + ...?
Or,
Modal Verb + Subject + Main
Verb + ...?
Example:
Do
| Did it taste any good?
Be
| Were they being attentive?
Have | Have they been to any concert
before?
Modal | Should I hold the door for
you?
Additional do, does or did is added to the question form if
there are no auxiliary or modal verbs to use in the initial statement.
|
Statements (No
Auxiliary Verb) |
Questions Form |
|
You usually work hard. |
Do you usually work hard? |
|
She loves 90’s pop. |
Does she love 90’s pop? |
When the be verb acts as the main verb, it does not require any
auxiliary verb’s assistance.
Example:
o Is she
here?
o Are
you Ryan’s sister?
There is often more than
one auxiliary or modal verb in a single sentence. That makes things a bit
tricky as to which one would act as the auxiliary when forming questions out of
them. One way is to use only the first auxiliary verb before the subject and
send the rest to align after the subject.
Auxiliary + Subject + Auxiliary
+ Main Verb + …?
Example:
o Are you being a jerk again?
o Have the
kids been good while I was
away?
In the case of modal verbs accompanied by several auxiliary verbs,
only the modal verb will come before the subject while the rest follows
it.
Modal + Subject + Auxiliary +
Auxiliary + Main Verb + …?
Example:
o Could this be any better than before?
o Should we have been taking notes?
Attention: Only modal or
auxiliary verbs can sit before the subject, unlike the main verbs.
1.1.1.13
No Auxiliary Verb
The question starts with “be + subject” then the general word
order continues before being ended with an interrogation mark.
Example:
o Is the humidity any
better inside the office?
o Are you okay?
When you are asking a Yes/No Question that starts with a “Have,”
it sounds rather too formal so people sometimes choose to use “Do have” or
“Have got” to neutralize that overly formal overtone.
Example:
o Have you
an identity card? (Formal)
o Do you have an identity card? (Neutral)
o Have you got an identity card? (Informal)
1.1.1.14
Negative Yes/No Questions
People tend to use negative Yes/No Questions to verify something
they think they already know or when they suppose they know what should be
done. The negative word, “Not” is used to ask a negative question.
Example:
o Isn’t
the box yours?
o Wouldn’t
you love to get out?
The contracted
version, -n’t is attached to the
auxiliary verbs for daily use. Using the whole ‘Not’ in questions makes them
sound too formal in nature.
Example:
o Can
we not do that here?
o Won’t you help me out?
People often use negative Yes/No Questions to invite, offer or
insist on something.
Example:
o Won’t
you stick around for dinner?
o Wouldn’t
you like another serving of the custard?
1.1.1.15
Intonation in Yes/No Question
The intonation on the Yes/No questions is either rising or
fall-rising depending on context. When the answer to the question is unknown,
the intonation rises.
Are you warm right now?
When a question is asked but the one asking it thinks s/he knows
what the answer is going to be; asks anyways for confirmation.
Are you still based in Turkey?
In a conversation where questions are asked to and fro, people
tend to ask several questions one after another but carry on with the same
fall-rising intonation through all of the questions.
Q: Are you staying in Dhaka?
A: Yes, I am.
Q: Have you been renting a
house?
A: No, staying as a paying guest.
Q: It is expensive?
A: Not really.