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Questions
Many time
conversations start and are continued with questions.
Asking questions is a natural way to get information
from people and are used all the time. Think about it-
people don't usually just start rattling off, talking
about something, unless someone else asks them
something.
Questions
usually begin with certain words, so right from the
beginning a listener knows a question is being asked.
The most common questions words are:
The Wh question words: who, what, where, when, why, how
The Yes/No question words: is, are, can, do, does, will,
would.
Only a single word (Yes or No) is required to answer a
Yes/No question, although a complete
thought
can be used as well.
Look at
these questions.
Who
is the star of the movie?
What is the name of
the theater?
When does the movie
start?
Where is the theater
located?
Why do you want to
see such a bad movie?
How will we get
there?
Is it a comedy?
Are there many people in the ticket line?
Am I late?
Do you like comedies?
Does your brother have to go with us?
Will you buy me a ticket?
Would you like some pop corn?
Can
your father play the clarinet?
Can questions can either be about ability or
permission.
Examples Can you ice skate?
No, I can't.
Can I have an apple?
Yes you can.
Sometimes we may be surprised by someones ability or
something that is said that may be a little
unbelievable. There are expressions that we can use in
these situations. Look at the examples.
|
Statement |
|
Expression |
|
I can hold my breath under water for 5
minutes. |
|
I don't believe it. |
|
I can speak 12 languages |
|
Are you kidding me? |
|
My uncle is able to swim with his
hands tied
behind his back. |
|
Are you pulling my leg? |
|
My sister can throw a football 85
yards in the air. |
|
You must be joking. |
|
The sun rose in the west this morning. |
|
Get serious. |
|
The president has been assassinated. |
|
Oh my God! |
|
I just won a ten million dollar lottery. |
|
That's unbelievable. |
|
Two people got married last night on TV. |
|
That’s outrageous. |
|
My father won the Nobel price in chemistry
last year. |
|
Really, that's incredible. |
We all know
that at times we get questions that we don't know the
answer to or can not remember the answer to. There are
several expressions that can be used in these situation.
look at these examples.
|
Expression |
|
Response |
|
Do you remember
(
...
what date we were
married)? |
|
|
|
Do you happen to know
(
...
who won the
last World Series)?
|
|
Wait...it's on the tip of my tongue.
|
|
As I recall,
(
...
I
asked you to buy some
bread at the bakery)? |
|
Oops, sorry. It skipped my mind.
|
What's the
( ... capital of
Minnesota)?
|
|
Sorry, I don't recall (remember). It
has
escaped me for the moment. |
|
Are there
(... any apples in the refrigerator)?
|
|
Beats me. |
| |
|
|
If you can
master the questions, you will be well on your way to
effective communication.
Grammar note
Remember
the usage of the to be verbs (is am, and are) and
do/does differs, depending on the subject of the
sentence.
Always use
am with I
Example Am I a man or a mouse?
Always use
is with singular subjects and the pronouns he, she
it.
Example Is your job interesting?
Is he a professor?
Always use
are with plural subjects and the pronouns you, we,
they.
Example Are there many questions
on the test?
Are you going to study?
Always use
do with plural subjects.
Example Do dogs always bury
bones?
Always use
does with singular subjects.
Example Does that dog bite?
Also remember
about the subject-agreement rule in both questions and
answers
when
using the simple present
tense. Verbs
may
require an -s at the end, depending on the
subject of the
sentence.
Use an –s ending with verbs that have he,
she, it, or singular nouns as
subjects of
the sentence.
Mary takes a walk after class every
day.
Use no -s ending on verbs that have I, we, they,
you, or plural nouns as subjects.
I always take a walk after class.
Dialogue 1
Students should work together in pairs and read the
following dialogue, one student reading one part, the
other student reading the other. Note the expressions
used
in
the dialogue and the
progression of the conversation. The dialogue can be used as a
model to have in similar conversations.
Teacher:
What is a gnu?
Student:
It's an
antelope like animal in
Africa.
Teacher:
Where are the Hawaiian Islands?
Student:
They are in the Pacific Ocean.
Teacher:
When is Christmas?
Student: Christmas is on December 25th.
Teacher:
Who is Leonardo DeCaprio?
Student:
He is
a famous actor.
Teacher:
Why is he famous?
Student:
He is famous because he has
made
many movies and he is an
American
heart
throb.
Teacher:
How do you spell veterinarian?
Student:
V-E-T-E-R-I-N-A-R-I-A-N
Teacher:
Is it cold in Australia in December?
Student:
No, it isn't.
Teacher:
Are there many alligators in a desert?
Student:
No, there aren't.
Teacher:
Am I a good teacher?
Students:
No comment.
Teacher:
Can cows swim?
Student:
Yes.
Teacher:
Do whale lay eggs?
Student:
No.
Teacher: Does a vampire really exist?
Student:
No, but in the movies they do.
Teacher:
Will it snow tomorrow.
Student:
Maybe.
Teacher:
Would you like to have a test tomorrow?
Student:
No, never!
Dialogue 2
Interviewer:
May I ask you a few questions. I’m conducting a survey
of student
skills.
Subject:
Sure, ask away.
Interviewer:
Great. First, can you drive a car?
Subject:
Yes, I can, I’ve had my license for about three years.
Interviewer:
Can you use a computer?
Subject:
Of course, can’t everybody?
Interviewer:
Can you pat your head and rub your stomach at the same
time?
Subject:
I don’t know; I’ve never tried it.
Interviewer:
Can you bake cookies from scratch?
Subject:
No I can’t. I’m a terrible cook.
Interviewer:
One final question, can you lend me $5.00? I need money
for a taxi.
Subject:
Sorry, I can’t. I’m broke
1. Pair work- discussion
Work
with a partner and
ask each other the WH questions below. For additional practice
change the
words in parenthesis to make a new
sentence. When answering the question be sure to use complete
sentences, not just one word answers. This will
give you added
practice is using the language.
1. What kind of (books) do you
(read)?
2. When do you usually (go to
bed)?
3. When do you like to (eat ice cream)?
4. What do you usually (eat for breakfast)?
5. How often do you (go to the movies)?
6. Who do you
(dislike)?
7. What do you do usually (do at night)?
8. What is your favorite
(meal)?
9. How long have you been (studying English)?
10. What classes (do you take in
school)?
11. What color (shirt/blouse) are you wearing?
12. Who is your (best friend)?
More WH questions
Ask your partner more WH questions using
these words or think of your own.
When:
study, get up, sleep, watch TV, go to movies, work
What:
father’s/mother’s job, major, hobby, capital of your
country
Where:
from, live, library, place to fish, place to meet
people, home town
How
often:
swim, drink milk, go to concerts, travel abroad
Why:
exercise, study hard, watch TV news, take vacation
Who:
favorite actor, president of your country, famous sports
figure, inventor
of airplane
2. Pair work- discussion
Think
of 'can' or 'do' questions
about the activities
below and
ask your
partner, about
them
or
their family and friends.
|
Play the guitar |
Cook pizza |
Swim |
Dunk a basketball |
|
Read music |
Play chess |
Snorkel |
Shoot a rifle |
|
Bungee jump |
Read palms |
Change a flat tire |
Sew your own
clothes |
|
Whistle with crackers
in your mouth |
Balance a pencil
on
your nose |
Understand Einstein's
theory of relativity |
Repel down a
mountain |
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