Question Forms

Level: Beginner

Look at these questions.

Questions

1. Are you coming to the park?
   
2. Can you sing?
3. What is your name?
4. Where was he born?

Now read the following explanations to learn how questions are formed. 

Forming Questions

In an assertive sentence, the subject is before the verb. In a question, the verb is before the subject.

Now let us see how we can make questions.

1. Change Word Order

To form a question, we change the "subject verb" word order. That is, we put the verb before the subject. We call it "inversion". 

This is true if the sentence has 'be verb', 'modal verb', or 'auxiliary verb'.  If the sentence does not have a 'be verb' or 'auxiliary verb', we do the following things.

3. Past Simple Question

If the verb is in the past simple, we write 'Did' before the subject. The main verb after 'did' is always in its base form.

4. Question Words

If there is a question word, it goes before the verb. This is called "Wh-question". 

Level: Upper Intermediate to Advanced

Yes/No Question

A "yes/no" question, also known as a closed-ended question, is a type of question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." There is no question word in a "yes/no" question.

Examples of "yes/no" questions:

1. Is it raining outside?
2. Did you finish your homework?
3. Are you feeling well today?
4. Have you ever visited Paris?
5. Is your favorite color blue?
6. Did you enjoy the movie last night?

In these examples, the answer options are limited to "yes" or "no," without the need for the respondent to provide additional explanations or details.

Wh-question

Wh-questions are questions which start with a question word like who, whom, whose, which,   what, when, where,  why & how.

Examples of "wh-questions" using different question words:

1. Who is your favorite author?
2. What did you have for breakfast?
3. Where did you go on your last vacation?
4. When is the meeting scheduled?
5. Why did you choose that career path?
6. How do you solve this math problem?

"Wh-questions" are used to gather specific information, seek explanations, or explore a topic in depth. 

Forming Wh-questions

A "wh-question," also known as an open-ended question or information question, is a type of question that typically begins with a question word (also known as a "wh-word") such as who, what, where, when, why, or how. Here are some ways how questions are formed:

1. 'who', 'what', 'which'

When we ask about the subject of the verb, we use the question words 'who', 'what' or 'which' in place of the subject:

When we ask about the object of the verb, we put the question words 'who', 'what' and 'which' in front of a Yes/No question:

We sometimes use 'what' or 'which' with a noun:

2. 'when', 'where' & why

We form wh-questions with these words by putting the question word in front of a Yes/No question:

3. 'how'

We use 'how' for many different questions:

1. How are you?
2. How do you make ice-cream?
3. How long have you lived here?
4. How often do you go to the cinema?
5. How much is this dress?
6. How old are you?
7. How many people came to the meeting?

Questions with verbs and prepositions

When we have a question with a verb and a preposition, the preposition usually comes at the end of the question:

1. Person/Name

1. That is Keya. 
2. I am Mashuk. 
3. I am Riya Islam. 
4. This is Mahbub Alam. 
5. Farzana comes from Kushtia.

2. Professions after verbs

1. He is a teacher. 
2. Riya is a doctor. 
3. Reshma is a garment worker. 
4. Salma was an actress. 
5. My father is a firefighter. 
6. I am a student.

3. Class

1. She is in class three.  
2. Salam is in class four. 
3. Mita reads in class 4. 
4. She reads in class three. 
5. I read in class five.

4. Age

1. Keya is three years old. 
2. Mahbub Alam is 30. 
3. She is 50 years old. 
4. I am eight years old.  
5. Riya is 8. 

5. Place

1. They are going to the cinema.  
2. He is from Khulna. 
3. I read in Rajbari Primary School.  
4. I live near the school.  
5. He was in London. 
6. I invite you to my house.  
7. She reads in Mirpur Primary School. 
8. He works in Narail.  
9. I went to Dhaka last month. 
10. I’m from India.

6. Time

1. He has lunch at 1 o’clock. 
2. Her birthday is on 14th May. 
3. It's very hot in June. 
4. We should go to sleep early. 
5. The crow gets up early in the morning. 
6. She plays it in the afternoon. 
7. He watches T.V every night. 
8. Our school breaks up at 3 o'clock. 
9. He died in 1994. 
10. I go to school at 9 a.m. 

7. Number

1. There are five parts in a letter. 
2. I make three dolls. 
3. December has 31 days. 
4. September has 30 days. 
5. It’s 500 taka. 
6. We are five people in my family.

8. Because

1. Heba's school starts early because it is a very hot country. 
2. I’m happy because it’s my birthday. 
3. He is absent because he is ill.