Question Formation in English: Rules and Examples

Forming questions in English is more challenging than in many other languages. You can’t just add an inflection to the end of a sentence to get your point across. There are a variety of question forms and a complex word order you need to learn.

While question forms may seem intimidating, they all follow a logical pattern. All you have to do is master the basics to navigate conversations with ease and sound more fluent.

Our article walks you through all the different question forms in English. Continue reading to understand their rules, see examples and learn about common mistakes.

A quick refresher on English sentence structure

Most sentences in English have a subject (S), object (O), and verb (V). There are always exceptions but these words tend to follow a strict order.

The mouse (S) eats (V) cheese (O).

We can add adjectives and adverbs to give the sentence more detail. Adjectives (ADJ) usually go before the noun they describe.

The fat (ADJ) mouse eats cheese.

Adverbs (ADV) are more variable. Their position in the sentence depends on their type and what aspect of the sentence you want to emphasise.

The mouse eats cheese quickly (ADV).

The mouse often (ADV) eats cheese.

When we want to express different ideas or tenses, we often add auxiliary verbs (AUX) or modal verbs (MOD) or change word endings.

The mouse doesn’t (AUX) eat cheese.

The mouse is (AUX) eating cheese.

The mouse mustn’t (MOD) eat my cheese.

When we form questions in English, we use the same types of words but different structures. We sometimes add or replace words to make it clear what we’re asking about.

Yes/no questions

These questions are the most basic type in English so they’re probably the first ones you learned. They only require a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

You form yes/no questions by switching the order of the subject and the main auxiliary verb. The structure should look a little like this:

Auxiliary + subject + verb + object

Jon can play guitar. → Can Jon play guitar?

Amy has forgotten her hat. → Has Amy forgotten her hat?

If you can’t see the auxiliary verb, that’s probably because it’s ‘do’. We don’t use this auxiliary in positive structures in English unless we want to emphasise the action.

She goes running every day.

She doesn’t go running every day.

Does she go running every day?

Object questions

As the name suggests, you usually ask these questions when you want to find out the object of a sentence.

You form them in a similar way to yes/no questions except this time you add a question word to the start:

Question word + auxiliary + subject + verb

Sally has swimming lessons. → What does Sally have?

You can also learn more details about the object of a sentence by using the question words:

Why does Sally have swimming lessons?

Where does Sally have swimming lessons?

If the answer involves certain prepositions, you have to include these in the question structure too. They usually go at the end.

Sally has swimming lessons with Zoe. → Who does Sally have swimming lessons with?

Subject questions

You ask subject questions when you want to know who or what performs the action in a sentence. Unlike with object questions, you don’t need to invert the word order or add extra auxiliary verbs.

The structure is simple:

Question word + verb + object

The Romans invented roads. → Who invented roads?

I spilled coffee on my shirt. → What happened to your shirt?

Question tags

We use question tags to confirm information or encourage others to agree with us. Often they’re rhetorical so it’s not necessary to give a response.

Question tags require a few steps so it’s easy to make a mistake. You form them by making a regular sentence, adding the subject and auxiliary to the end, and switching their order.

Sentence clause + auxiliary + subject

But that’s not all. If the sentence is positive, you make the last auxiliary negative and vice versa.

You ate all the cookies, didn’t you?

You didn’t pay the telephone bill, did you?

Indirect questions

These questions are a more polite and formal way to ask for information. They often start with phrases like ‘can you tell me’ or ‘do you know’ then the question.

There’s no need to invert the word order after that. You just need to follow the standard sentence structure, just without the object:

Introductory phrase + subject + verb

The restaurant is next to the bank. → Could you tell me where the restaurant is?

Closing thoughts

Question forms in English may seem tough at first due to their various structures. The trick is to learn the basic rules and practise using them in conversation.

English lessons are a great opportunity to practise the more challenging forms like indirect questions and question tags. The tutor can provide you with helpful feedback and explain any mistakes.

Looking to master question forms in English? Book a lesson with Oxford House.

Glossary for Language Learners

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Get a point across (phr): to explain something or make the idea clear.

Intimidating (v): something which makes you lose confidence or feel threatened.

Invert (v): to change the position, order or direction of something.

Rhetorical (adj): when you ask a question without expecting an answer.

Key

phr = phrase

v = verb

adj = adjective