Question forms

Do you know how to make questions? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how questions are made.

Is he a teacher?
Does she eat meat?
When did you get here?
How much does a train ticket cost?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1: Question forms: Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

To make questions, we often put the verb before the subject. This is called inversion.

Affirmative	Question
I am late.	Am I late?
I can help.	Can I help?
She is sleeping.	Is she sleeping?
We have met before.	Have we met before?

If there is a question word (why, what, where, how, etc.), it goes before the verb.

Question	Question with question word
Are you late?	Why are you late?
Was she there?	When was she there?
Can I help?	How can I help?
Have we met before?	Where have we met before?

This is true for sentences with be, sentences that have auxiliary verbs (e.g. They are waiting. She has finished.) and sentences with modal verbs (can, will, should, might, etc.).

Questions in the present simple and past simple

For other verbs in the present simple, we use the auxiliary verb do/does in the question.

Affirmative	Question	Question with question word
You work at home.	Do you work* at home?*	Where do you work?
It costs £10.	Does it cost £10?	How much does* it cost?*

We use the auxiliary verb did in the past simple.

Affirmative	Question	Question with question word
She went home.	Did she go home?	Where did* she go?*
They went to the cinema.	Did they go to the cinema?	Where did* they go?*

Subject questions

In some questions, who or what is the subject of the verb. There is no inversion of subject and verb in these questions.

Who broke the window?
Who is knocking on the door?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2: Question forms: Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

A1 - Elementary

A2 - Pre-intermediate

Which sentence is correct among the following two sentences: 1)Mr Sen is an actor and writer. 2)Mr Sen is an actor and a writer.

Hello sribashu30,

Both are correct. When word is repeated like the indefinite article in this sentence you can often omit it.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Very intretesting but I use to give the following structures: WH questions: a)- wh+ aux+ s+ v + (c)? Used with the auxiliaries HAVE - BE and modals. b)- WH+do/does+s+v+(c)? When the verb is in the present tense. C)- WH+DID+S+V+(C)? When the main verb is in the past. YES/NO QUESTIONS: a)- aux+ S + V+ (c)? For the present, past, or future. b)- DO/Does+S+V+(c)? When the verb is in the present. C)- Did+S+V+(c)? When the verb is in the past.

Hello Oumou,

I've had a quick glance and what you wrote looks correct to me and seems to be what is taught on this page. Do you see a discrepancy between your formulas and what is on this page?

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Teams

I'd like to know if there is a problem with these questions: When did you get home? I got home yesterday. Did the children go to the park? Yes, they went there after school.

Hello Allate,

Those questions are perfectly fine.

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

where do you live? Do you have kids? Does she work? How much does it coast? present simple: Do, Does He, she, it - Does I , you, we, they. -Do Past simple --- Did Did you visit Paris?

Thanks indeed

Can you explain to me how to use whom in a question?

Hello EnglishIsChildsPlay,

In modern English whom is very rare and is used mainly when it directly follows a preposition (when who cannot be used). This is also true in question forms:

To whom did you give it? [not ~~To who...~~]

The equivalent question using who would put the preposition at the end:

Who did you give it to?

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Question forms

Grammar explanation

Questions in the present simple and past simple

Subject questions

Language level

Online courses