QUESTION
FORMS: BASIC RULES
1. Questions are made by putting an
auxiliary verb before the subject.
-
Have
you received my letter of June 17th?
-
Is
your mother coming tomorrow?
auxiliary
|
subject
|
main verb
|
have
|
you
|
received
|
is
|
your mother
|
coming
|
Note that only the auxiliary is put before the
subject.
The rest of the verb phrase comes after it:
-
Where
are the president and his family staying?
2. When a verb phrase has no auxiliary
its question form is made with do,
followed by the infinitive without to.
-
Do
you like Mozart?
-
What
does ‘periphrastic’ mean?
3. Do is not
used to make questions with modal verbs (can,
must, should, may etc.), or with the verb To Be:
-
Can
you tell me the time?
-
Are
you ready?
4. When who, what or which is the subject of a sentence, it
comes directly before the verb, and do
is not used:
-
Who
left the door open?
If who, what or which is the object of a
sentence, the normal rules are followed:
-
Who
do you want to speak to?
-
What
are you doing?