QUESTION FORMS:

A sentence that asks questions is known as ‘Interrogative Sentence’. We use interrogative sentence
either to get confirmation or information.

Interrogative sentences can be divided into three different types.

1. ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions
2. ‘Wh’ questions
3. Question tags

While framing above mentioned question types, the basic rule one has to follow is the interchange in the
position of ‘Subject’ and ‘helping verb’. Each type of question has a purpose of its own.

1. ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions:

1. A question framed to get either yes or no as answer is known as yes or no question.
2. While framing such questions:
Simply interchange the position of subject and its helping verb and write the statement.
Maintain the time and tense of the statement.

Example:
Simple Present:
1. She writes a poem. In every main verb ‘do’ form is hidden, bring it out.
She does + write a poem. The do must agree with the subject and time.
Does she write a poem? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

2. I love to play flute. In every main verb ‘do’ form is hidden, bring it out.
I do + love to play flute. The do must agree with the subject and time.
Do I love to play flute? Now interchange the position of S and H.V.

3. She doesn’t write a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Doesn’t she write a poem? ‘Helping verb’ and ‘not’ always go together.

4. I don’t love to play flute. Now interchange the position of S and H.V.
Don’t I love to play flute? ‘Helping verb’ and ‘not’ always go together.

Present Continuous:
1. She is writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Is she writing a poem?

2. I am playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Am I playing flute?

3. She is not writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Isn’t she writing a poem?

4. I am not playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Am not I playing flute?

Present Perfect:
1. She has written a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Has she written a poem?
 2. I have played flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Have I played flute?

3. She has not written a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Hasn’t she written a poem?

4. I have not played flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Haven’t I played flute?

Present Perfect:
1. She has been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Has she been writing a poem?

2. I have been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Have I been playing flute?

3. She has not been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Hasn’t she been writing a poem?

4. I have not been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Haven’t I been playing flute?

Simple Past:
1. She wrote a poem. In every main verb ‘do’ form is hidden, bring it out.
She did + write a poem. The do must agree with the subject and time.
Did she write a poem? Now interchange the position of S and H.V.

2. I loved to play flute. In every main verb ‘do’ form is hidden, bring it out.
I did + love to play flute. The do must agree with the subject and time.
Did I love to play flute? Now interchange the position of S and H.V.

3. She didn’t write a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Didn’t she write a poem? ‘Helping verb’ and ‘not’ always go together.

4. I didn’t love to play flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Didn’t I love to play flute? ‘Helping verb’ and ‘not’ always go together.

Past Continuous:
1. She was writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Was she writing a poem?

2. I was playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Was I playing flute?

3. She was not writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Wasn’t she writing a poem?

4. I was not playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Was not I playing flute?
Past Perfect:
1. She had written a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Had she written a poem?

2. I had played flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Had I played flute?

3. She had not written a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Hadn’t she written a poem?

4. I had not played flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Hadn’t I played flute?

Past Perfect:
1. She had been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Had she been writing a poem?

2. I had been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Had I been playing flute?

3. She had not been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Hadn’t she been writing a poem?

4. I had not been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and H.V.
Hadn’t I been playing flute?

Simple Future: [MA: modal auxiliary]

1. She will write a poem.
Does she write a poem? Interchange the position of S and M.A.

2. I will love to play flute.

Do I love to play flute? Interchange the position of S and M.A.

3. She will not write a poem.

Won’t she write a poem? Interchange the position of S and M.A.

4. I will not love to play flute.

Won’t I love to play flute? Interchange the position of S and M.A.

Future Continuous:
1. She will be writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Will she be writing a poem?

2. I will be playing flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.

Will I be playing flute?

3. She will not be writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Won’t she be writing a poem?
 4. I will not be playing flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Won’t I be playing flute?

Future Perfect:
1. She will have written a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Will she have written a poem?

2. I shall/will have played flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.

Shall/will I have played flute?

3. She will not have written a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Won’t she have written a poem?

4. I shall/will not have played flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Shall not/won’t I have I played flute?

Future Perfect:
1. She will have been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Will she have been writing a poem?

2. I shall/will have been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Shall/will I have been playing flute?

3. She will not have been writing a poem. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Won’t she have been writing a poem?

4. I shall/will not have been playing flute. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Shall not/ won’t I Have been playing flute?

Questions with modal auxiliaries:

1. I can write a novel. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Can I write a novel?

2. It may be writing tomorrow. Interchange the position of S and M.A.

May it be raining tomorrow?

3. You should have saved the squirrel. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Should you have saved the squirrel?

4. They need to paint the bus. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Need not they paint the bus?

5. They might have been studying English. Interchange the position of S and M.A.
Might they have been studying English?
 3. ‘Wh’ questions:
A question framed to get a detailed explanation or information is known as ‘Wh’ question.
While framing we begin such questions with ‘Wh’ words and interchange the position of subject
and its helping verb.
While framing such questions the time of the statement should not be changed.

Example:
1. She writes a poem. Here ‘S’ has is the answer.
Who writes a poem? As there is no H.V. just replace ‘S’ with ‘Wh’ word.

2. I love to play flute. Here ‘O’ is the answer.

I do + love to play flute. So begin the sentence with ‘Wh’ word.
What do I love to play? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

3. She doesn’t write a poem. Here ‘O’ is the answer.

What doesn’t she write? So begin with ‘What’ and interchange ‘S’ and ‘H.V.’

4. I don’t love to play flute. Here ‘S’ itself is the answer.

Who doesn’t love to play flute? So begin the sentence with ‘Who’ and retain the predicate.

5. She is writing a poem on a paper. Here ‘iO’ is the answer, so begin the sentence with ‘Which’
Where was she writing a poem? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

6. I am playing my note on flute. Here adjective of the ‘O’ is the answer so begin with ‘Whose’
Whose note am I playing on flute? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

7. She is not writing English poem. Here adjective of the ‘O’ is the answer so begin with ‘Which’
Which poem isn’t she writing? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

8. I am not playing flute. Here the ‘V’ is the answer so begin with ‘What’
What am not I doing? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

9. She has written a poem on past glory. Here the answer is the ‘S’ of the poem, so begin with ‘On what’
On what subject has she written a poem? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

10. I have played flute for my daughter. Here ‘for my daughter’ is the answer so begin with ‘For whom’
For whom have I played flute? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

11. She has become the P.M. of India? Here the answer is the ‘O’, so begin the question with ‘who
Hasn’t she written a poem? Interchange the place of ‘S’ and ‘HV’

12. I have taught Judo to Raghav. Here ‘iD’ is the answer, so begin the question with ‘whom’
Whom have I taught Judo? Interchange the place of ‘S’ and ‘HV’

13. She has been copying Seema’s notes. Here ‘Seema’s notes’ is the answer, so begin with ‘whose’
Whose notes has she been copying? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

14. Reema has been playing flute. Here the answer is ‘flute’, so begin the question with ‘what’
What has she been playing flute? Interchange the position of S and H.V.
 15. She has not been explaining physics. Here the answer is ‘O’, so begin the question with ‘what’
What hasn’t she been explaining? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

16. Deva has not been going to Delhi. Here the answer is ‘Delhi’, so begin the question with ‘where’
Where hasn’t Deva been going? Interchange the position of S and H.V.

Likewise questions can be framed in other two tenses also.

Wh questions
Who Used for persons Who is God?
Who are you?
Whom Whom do you want?
Whom do you respect?
Whose Whose book are you reading?
Whose painting are you looking for?
What Used for things What is the truth?
What is ‘Plant Pathology’?
What is area 51?
What are googlies?
Which Used for things Which is your hometown?
Which dish do you like?
Which colour do you choose?
Which is the most profitable job?
why Used for reason Why are you late today?
Why do you study?
When Used for time or date of an event When will the college reopen?
When will they return?
When do practice singing?
When did the event take place?
Where Used for place, position, and direction Where are you intending to go?
Where do you find many mango varieties?
Where is the Taj Mahal?
Where can one see God?
How Used for manner of work, activity How did you achieve this height?
How do you study?
How is your father?
How best can you explain this concept?

Tag questions:

A tag question is a tag that you add at the end of an assertive sentence to confirm. The assertive sentence
may be either affirmative or negative. A tag question is famed by using ‘pronoun or pronoun that
represents the subject’, ‘helping verb’ and ‘not’.

While framing tag question’

1. An affirmative sentence always carries ‘negative tag’.
2. A negative sentence always carries ‘positive tag’.
3. Time of the sentence should be maintained.
4. If the statement is affirmative, interchange the position of subject and helping verb.
 5. If the statement is negative, tag ‘not’ to the helping verb and interchange the position of
subject and helping verb.

Example:
1. She sings well. Doesn’t she?
2. We are sitting here. Aren’t we?
3. They have done their work Haven’t they?
4. She has been writing poems. Hasn’t she?
5. Raju performed well. Didn’t he?
6. Tortoise was running fast. Wasn’t it?
7. People had gathered there. Hadn’t they?
8. I had been working in Delhi. Hadn’t I?
9. You can win. Can’t you?
10. I will be singing. Won’t I?
11. She will have done this? Won’t she?
12. He will have been enjoying? Won’t he?

13. She does not sing well. Does she?

14. We are not sitting here. Are we?
15. They have not done their work Have they?
16. She has not been writing poems. Has she?
17. Raju did not perform well. Did he?
18. Tortoise was not running fast. Was it?
19. People had not gathered there. Had they?
20. I had not been working in Delhi. Had I?
21. You cannot win. Can you?
22. I will not be singing. Will I?
23. She will not have done this? Will she?
24. He will not have been enjoying? Will he?

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[Task: Frame ten ‘wh’ questions in both past and future tenses.]