Asking Questions "How do we ask questions in English?"

Asking Questions

PART I:  Questions with yes or no for answers. 

The simplest questions have a yes or no for an answer.

Use a helping verb “to be”, verb “to do”, or verb “to have” to ask yes / no questions.  Yes / no questions do not use the question words (who, what, where, when, why, how). 

The questions begin with the helping verb: 
present tense:

Am I correct?     

Are you tired?
Is he a teacher?
Do you know the answer?

Does she like school?

Do you like papaya salad?
Does he study every day?

past tense:

Was I correct?

Were you tired this morning?

Was he a teacher last year?
Did you know the answer?
Did she like school?
Did you like the papaya salad?

Did he study every day?

future tense:  

Will you come to school tomorrow?
Will he be here?

Will it rain today?
Will the test be difficult?

Exercise:  Try to ask the following questions in English:

Kun ja ma riang rian dan yen mai kap.

kun chorp kow nieow mai kap

mii fon dtok dtonee mai kap

Peuan kong kun chorp muang thai mai kap

Pom poot siang dang mai kap

Peuan kong kun ma jak bpratet angrit mai kap

Kun mi rot mai kap

PART II: TAG questions. 

Making tag questions is a lot like Thai language, isn’t it?

Here are some of the common tags:

Present tense tags:

aren’t I?

aren't you?

isn’t he/she?

Isn’t it?

don’t you?

don’t we/they?

doesn’t he?

Past tense tags:

wasn’t I?

weren’t you?

weren’t we/they?

wasn’t he/she/it?

didn’t I?

didn’t you / we / they?

didn’t he / she / it?

Future tense tags?

Will I not = won’t I?

Will you not = won’t you?

Will we / they not = won’t they?

Will she / he not = won’t she / he?

Will it not = won’t it?

It’s hot today, isn’t it?

It is hot…. is it not hot?  = isn’t it?

The food is delicious, isn’t it?

      The food is delicious…. is it not delicious? = isn’t it?

The people are friendly, aren’t they?

      people are friendly…. are they not (friendly)? ….. are not they? …. aren’t they?

You eat spicy food, don’t you?

You do eat spicy food…

do you not (eat spicy food)?....

You are tired, aren’t you?   

You are tired, are you not?  = You are tired, are you not (tired)= aren’t you?

English is difficult, isn’t it?

      English is difficult, is it not (difficult)? = isn’t it? 

TAG QUESTION EXERCISE:

FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE BEST TAG

It is going to rain today, _______? 

      right

      isn’t it

      aren’t they

He is your teacher, ________ ?

      doesn’t he

      isn’t he

      aren’t he

They are good people, ______ ?

      don’t they

      don’t we’    

      aren’t they

This is English class, ______ ?

      aren’t this

      isn’t this     

      isn’t it

This lesson is easy, _________ ?

     

They know that we are here, ______ ?

This is the correct address, _______ ?

You will be here tomorrow, ______ ?

They will come with us, _____ ?

Our final test will be next month, ______ ?

Part III: Using The Question Words

The QUESTION WORDS: The five W’s and How.

คำคำถามห้า W’s และ How:

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

ใคร? คืออะไร? เมื่อไหร่? ที่ไหน? ทำไม? อย่างไร?  วิธี?

Review:  We can use the verb ‘do’ to help ask questions:

:

Who do…?

Who do you like?

Who does she like?

Who do you want to drive the car?

Who does the laundry?

What do…?

What do you want?

What does she do for work?

What does the dog (it) eat?

What does he like to do?

What do they want?

Where do….?

Where do you want to go?
Where did you eat lunch?
Where do they live?
Where does the dog (it) sleep?

Where does he live?

When do…?

When do you wake up in the morning?
When do you eat breakfast?
When does she get her new job?

When did they arrive?

Why do…?

Why do you meditate?
Why doesn’t he meditate?
Why does he drive so fast?

Why does she work so hard?

Why do they need so much money?

How do….?

How do you meditate?

How do you go to Udon Thani?
How does she clean the rooms?

How do you make ice cream?

How do you fix a computer?

Using the VERB TO BE to help ASK QUESTIONS: 

the ‘verb to be’ is a group of verbs: am, is, are, was, were, and will be.   

First, let’s look at present and past tense questions, because they are easier: 

Question word WHO, present tense, verb to be

Who am I?

Who are you?

Who are they?

Who ___  we?

Who ___ she?

Who is not going?

Question word WHAT:

What am I?

What ___ you?

What are we?

What ___ they?

What is she?

What ___ he?

What ­___ it?

Question word WHEN:

When are you going to Bangkok?

When is the birthday party?

When are they coming?  (They are…(present tense)

When was the parade?   (It was…. (past tense) )

When weren’t lay students at MCU?

Question word WHERE:

Where is the toilet?

Where are the books?

Where are your friends?  (They are…)

Where were your friends this morning?  (They were… past tense)

Where is he?

Where was the football game?

Question word WHY:

Why were you late today?

Why is air travel expensive?  (It is….)

Why am I so hungry?  (I am…)

Why is football so popular

Why aren’t you going too?

Why isn’t it raining today?

Question word HOW:

How are you?

How is your friend?
How are your friends?
How was your breakfast? 

How am I doing teaching English?

How are you doing learning English?

How were the years before television?

Exercise Using The Five W- Words And How.

How ____ you feel today?


What _____ a frog eat?

What ____ you think?

What ____ his name?

When ____ the meeting?

Where _____ you this morning?  I didn’t see you?

Why ____ they not here yet? 

When ____ they come?

I didn’t see them or hear them.