Questions

• "Are you awake?" ("You" is the subject.)

Let's take a look at how to form questions in the tenses we've covered in Basics so far.

Present simple:
• "Do you know Helen?"
• "Does Helen work here?"
• "What does she do?"

Present continuous:
• "Is he waiting for you?"
• "Are you wearing that?"
• "Where are you going?"

Past continuous:
• "Were you waiting for me?"
• "Was she still working when you left?"
• "Why was she shouting?"

Past simple:
• "Did you go to Paris last weekend?"
• "How long did you stay there?"

Present perfect:
• "Have you seen The Adventures of Tintin yet?"
• "Has your husband seen the film yet?"
• "How many times has he seen it?"

When who, what, which, how many etc. is the subject of the sentence, we don't need the helping verbs do, does or did. The question word — who / what / which / how many — comes first in the sentence. In the sentences below the subjects are bold.

• "Who wants to speak to Robert?
— "Natalie wants to speak to Robert."

• "Who went to Paris?"
— "Sarah went to Paris."

• "What caught your eye?"
— "A beautiful necklace caught my eye."

Now try the exercises on the next page.

Dagmar Taylor