Post by moon125 on Nov 3, 2024 22:24:43 GMT -5
How to ask questions in English?
When you are learning a new language – in this case, English – knowing how to ask questions is always one of the first steps to start mastering the language!
These are the basics – any conversation in English will contain questions. So it’s important that, in addition to knowing how to answer them correctly, you know how to formulate them.
Keep reading this article to learn how to ask questions in English. Learn exactly how to structure the most common types of questions in the language!
What are the types of questions in English?
If you want to know how to shopify website design ask questions in English, you must first keep in mind what the different types of questions are in the language.
As in most languages, the formation of different questions in English is done through interrogative pronouns .
These interrogative pronouns in English will guide you in structuring your question, whether it is a qualitative question or a quantitative question , for example.
Qualitative Questions vs Quantitative Questions in English
Qualitative questions in English are those that require qualitative data as an answer – that is, non-numerical data.
For example:
“What is the name of your teacher?” "Maria."
“Where do you live?” “My address is 2900 Orchard Street.” (see How to Write an Address in English ).
Quantitative questions in English ask for numerical data as an answer.
“How many dogs do you have?” “Three.”
Closed vs Open Questions in English
Questions in English can also be closed or open .
For closed questions, the interlocutor has the option of responding only with “yes” or “no”.
Read also: Ways to say yes, no, maybe in English.
For example:
“Are you hungry?” “Yes.”
Open-ended questions in English, on the other hand, ask the interlocutor to elaborate on their answer. In this case, the question itself does not offer specific options to choose from.
For example:
“What do you think of my new dress?” “I like it, it really suits you.”
What are the interrogative pronouns in English?
As noted earlier, asking questions in English is something that almost always relies on the use of interrogative pronouns in English.
These pronouns are words in English that categorize, in advance, the nature of a question. Through them, it is possible to structure all types of questions in English.
Meet them below:
List of interrogative pronouns in English
Interrogative pronoun in English Translation
What What, which
Who Who
Where Where
When When
Why Why
How As
Whose Whose, to whom it belongs
Which Which of these, which of these
How to ask questions in English with interrogative pronouns?
Now that you know the interrogative pronouns in English, see below how to apply them in questions.
How to use What?
The interrogative pronoun what is used to ask questions that ask for qualitative information such as a name, a characteristic, a color, a function, etc.
To structure questions with what in English, in many cases, you use:
What + is/are + object of the question
For example:
What is your hobby?
What is your hobby?
The English formula “what is” can still be contracted to become shorter and more fluid in everyday conversations. The result of this contraction is:
What + is = What's
Following the same example, with the contraction, we have:
What's your hobby?
What is your hobby?
Instead of an object, you can also ask a question about a verb/action. In this case, you use verbs like “do”, “would”, “may”, etc.
For example:
What do you like to read?
What do you like to read?
What would you do if you were robbed?
What would you do if you were mugged?
What may I do for you?
What can I do for you?
How to use Who?
It is possible to use the interrogative pronoun who to form questions in English that ask for information about a person's identity.
See how to formulate questions with who in English, in the simplest cases:
Who + is/are + object of the question
For example:
Who is that man?
Who is that man?
Just like what is , the formula “who is” can be contracted to become shorter. The result is:
Who + is = Who's
Applying the contraction, we obtain:
Who's that man?
Who is that man?
Similarly, we can also formulate a question with the pronoun “who” regarding a verb/action, performed by someone whose identity we want to know.
In this way, then, instead of is , verbs such as “do”, “would”, “may”, etc. are also used.
For example:
Who did you call?
Who did you call?
Who would do that to you?
Who would do this to you?
How to use Where?
We use the interrogative pronoun in English where to ask about a place/space.
See the most common way to use this pronoun:
Where + is/are + object of the question
For example:
Where is your house?
Where is your home?
“Where is” can also be contracted to:
Where + is = Where's
So, we have:
Where's your house?
Where is your home?
To ask about a verb/action, we can also use “where”.
In this situation, instead of is , verbs like “do”, “would”, “may”, etc. are used.
For example:
Where do you study?
Where do you study?
Where would we go?
Where would we go?
Where may I put this?
Where can I put this?