Questions in English

Questions or Interrogative

What is a question?

A statement is a sentence that gives information. A question is a sentence that asks for information. Questions are also called "interrogative".

Statement:	I like EnglishClub.com.
Question:	Do you like EnglishClub.com?

A written question in English always ends with a question mark: ?

In this lesson we look at basic questions in English, followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

• Basic Question Structure
• Basic Question Types
• Questions Quiz

Basic Question Structure

The basic structure of a question in English is very simple:

auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

auxiliary verb	subject	main verb
Do	you	like	Mary?
Are	they	playing	football?
Will	Anthony	go	to Tokyo?
Have	you	seen	ET?

Exception!

For the verb be in simple present and simple past, we do not use an auxiliary verb. We simply reverse the positions of be and subject:

Statement:	He	is	German.
Question:	Is	he	German?

Basic Question Types

There are 3 basic types of question:

1. Yes/No Questions (the answer to the question is "Yes" or "No")
2. Question Word Questions (the answer to the question is "Information")
3. Choice Questions (the answer to the question is "in the question")

1. Yes/No Questions

auxiliary verb	subject	main verb		Answer Yes or No
Do	you	want	dinner?	Yes, I do.
Can	you	drive?		No, I can't.
Has	she	finished	her work?	Yes, she has.
Did	they	go	home?	No, they didn't.
Exception! verb be simple present and simple past
	Is	Anne	French?	Yes, she is.
	Was	Ram	at home?	No, he wasn't.

2. Question Word Questions

question word	auxiliary verb	subject	main verb		Answer Information
Where	do	you	live?		In Paris.
When	will	we	have	lunch?	At 1pm.
Who	did	she	meet?		She met Ram.
Why	hasn't	Tara	done	it?	Because she can't.
Exception! verb be simple present and simple past
Where		is	Bombay?		In India.
How		was	she?		Very well.

3. Choice Questions

auxiliary verb	subject	main verb		OR		Answer In the question
Do	you	want	tea	or	coffee?	Coffee, please.
Will	we	meet	John	or	James?	John.
Did	she	go	to London	or	New York?	She went to London.
Exception! verb be simple present and simple past
	Is	your car	white	or	black?	It's black.
	Were	they	$15	or	$50?	$15.

Adapted from englishclub.com

Exercise on Questions I

Arrange the words below to make questions.

1. she / to collect / stickers -
2. they / to play / a game -
3. the cat / to sleep / in the cat's bed -
4. she / often / to dream -
5. he / to play / streetball -
6. you / to be / from Paris -
7. the pupils / to wear / school uniforms -
8. you / to go / to the cinema -
9. she / to have / friends -
10. he / to read / books -

Simple Present

Exercise on Questions with Interrogatives

Ask for the bold part of the sentence.

1. Julia likes pop-music. -

Maria comes from Spain. -

1. They play in the garden. -
2. Rick rides his bike. -
3. I go to the cinema on Saturdays. -
4. We go to Mallorca because it is warm there.. -
5. Joe repairs his bike. -
6. Robin drives his car carefully. -
7. Peter runs with his dog every day. -
8. Eric goes to Italy for a holiday. -

LInking Words Scrambled Sentences

The following sentences go together to form the text of a travel brochure, but they are in the wrong order. Pay attention to the words in bold and put them in the right order:

Send your answers and be the first to win this wonderful cruise!!

a) For these lucky ones, it's the beginning of an unforgettable air-sea holiday with the world's leading cruiser company: the Royal Seafaring Line.

b) What's more, our chefs will prepare food for you that is as varied as it is delicious: you will find it difficult to choose from the range of Caribbean and international specialities.

c) So don't delay - see your travel agent today!

d)Whether you choose relaxation on board or stimulation on land, you will have the holiday of a lifetime.

e)So you can relax on the vast sundeck, bide your time with a cocktail, or dance till dawn in the nightclub or in the discotheque.

f) For many of the passengers, it's just a normal scheduled flight, but for some it's the start of something very special.

g) In Kingston, Jamaica's capital, RSL's own cruiser is waiting to introduce them to the unique world of the Caribbean.

h) While you can thus spend a perfect holiday without leaving the ship, there is also the added attraction of fascinating shore visits at each of our ports of call.

i) And it's all included in the price --just 1,995 $ for 21 days.

j) Every Tuesday a British Airways flight leaves Heathrow for Jamaica.

k) Like all our ships, this cruiser has been specially designed to give you maximum comfort, luxury and enjoyment.

From Writing Skills, CUP.

Punctuation Marks!

Practice yourself in little things, and thence proceed to greater. - Epictetus




Brackets ( ) [ ] { } < >
Brackets are used in pairs. They separate meaningful elements in texts and sentences.
We usually distinguish four types of brackets:
1. Round Brackets ( )

Synonyms: brackets, oval brackets, curved brackets, parentheses, fingernails.

2. Square Brackets [ ]
Synonym: box brackets.

3. Curly Brackets { }
Synonym: braces.

4. Angle Brackets < >
Synonym: chevrons.


Dashes - – — ~
Four types:
1. Hyphen -
Hyphens join words and parts of words.

2. En dash (half the width of the em dash ) –
En dashes join words and parts of words.

3. Em dash —
Em dashes separate parts of sentences.

4. Swung dash ~
Swung dashes separate inexact or inaccurate quantities, approximates, and alternatives.


Ellipsis ...
Ellipses indicate pauses, omission of words and unfinished thoughts.


Semicolon ;
Semicolons separate similar sentences and groups of words.


Slash /
Slashes separate similar words and phrases; extensively used in computing and mathematics.
Synonyms: stroke, virgule, scratch comma, forward slash, slant bar, slant, oblique dash, diagonal.

Question Mark ?
Synonyms: question point, interrogation point, note of interrogation, query, eroteme.


Exclamation Mark !
Exclamation marks express strong emotions.


Full Stop .
Synonyms: stop, period, full point, decimal point and dot.


Colon :
Colons are used between numbers and after words that give examples or explanations.


Comma ,
Commas separate ideas; they are also used in many other cases.


Quotation Marks ‘ ’, “ ”
Quotation marks are basically used to begin and to end quotations.


Apostrophe ’
Apostrophe indicates possessive case, omission of letters, the plurals of numbers, and abbreviations; it also separates letters from words.

Bulats Computer specifications

Here is the link to check your computer before doing the test.

Have a nice week!

http://www.bulats.org/Bulats/Technical-Support.html

Compound Adjectives Dominoes

Compound Adjectives

Here are some of the combinations we found last week. Can you think of some others?

empty-handed

bringing back or taking away nothing

well-dressed

wearing fashionable/expensive clothes

broken-hearted

completely miserable

open-minded

willing to consider new ideas

home-made

made at home

broad-minded

a person with wide knowledge

long-winded

talking or writing at a length that makes you fed up

right-handed

person using the right hand more than the left one

cold-hearted

without sympathy or kindness (...boss)

absent-minded

forgetful, not concentrating

faint-hearted

not brave, timid (...knight)

well-fed

having good meals regularly (...cat)

warm-hearted

kind, friendly and sympathetic (... mother)

self-made

having become successful, rich etc. by one's own efforts (...man)

bloody-minded

refusing to be helpful in a deliberately unreasonable way; (... colleague)

time-consuming

an activity that demands a long time to complete

Jokes About Lawyers The Bronze Rat

A man goes into an antique store. After looking at most of the articles for sale he spots a beautiful bronze sculpture of a rat. The man is enthralled by the rat and takes it up to the owner to buy it. "How much for the rat?" he asks the proprietor. "Ten bucks for the rat and a thousand bucks for the story" says the owner. "Keep the story, I'll just take the rat" says the guy, who then pays the owner and walks outside with the rat under his arm. Almost immediately a handful of rats fall in line behind the man and his purchase. The further the man walks, the more rats that congregate behind him. Eventually there are so many rats that the man becomes afraid and runs down to the river that cuts through the town. At the edge of the river, with all the rats in town squealing and milling around him, he throws the bronze rat as far out into the river as he can. Without hesitation all the rats in town jump into the river to follow the bronze rat as it sinks to the bottom -- and all of the rats drown. After recovering from the ordeal, the man makes his way back to the antique store. "Aha!" says the store owner. "You came back for the story about the rat." "Nope," says the man. "I was just wondering if you had a bronze lawyer"

I’m Fine Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company (responsible for the accident) to court. In court, the trucking company's fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. "Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine'?" said the lawyer. Farmer Joe responded, "Well, I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the......." "I didn't ask for any details," the lawyer interrupted, "just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'" Farmer Joe said, "Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road..." The lawyer interrupted again and said, "Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Highway Patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question." By this time the Judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe's answer and said to the lawyer, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie." Joe thanked the Judge and proceeded, "Well, as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn't want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans. Shortly after the accident a Highway Patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes. Then the Patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, "Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her - how are you feeling?"

A Weaker Argument

So there was this engineer who was tragically hit by a bus and killed instantly. He had lead a good life, but for some reason he found himself, rather than at the pearly gates, in the Other Place. Not one to complain, he shrugged and submitted himself to the tortures and other indignities common in Hell. Soon after he arrived, there was a problem with one of the many furnaces. The engineer was happy to help out (he volunteered as wanted a challenge) and before long it was up and running again. This brought him to the attention of one of the senior demons that then had him working all over Hell fixing the torture devices, working out the kinks in the plumbing system, installing digital controls to the flame throwers . . . you name it. Pretty soon word reached Satan that Hell had a great new addition to the team. The engineer then got taken under the Boss' wing (so to speak) as he planned and oversaw the creation of a giant new computer network. Pretty soon, word of all these improvements reached Heaven. God was pretty upset about all this, and he had St. Peter look into the details (it had been a computer error, the engineer had been destined for one of the mid levels of Heaven). So God called Satan up and told him he wanted the engineer back. "Nothing doing," said Satan, "You sent him down here, and we're keeping him!" "What?" sputtered God, "You get him up here right now! That's a direct Order!" "Listen pal, I don't take orders from you any more. Remember that 'rule in hell' agreement?" God was beside himself. "If you don't send that engineer up here right now, I'll . . . I'll sue you!" "Oh, sure!" Satan shot back gleefully. "Where are you going to get a lawyer?"

A Rich Lawyer

A very rich lawyer is approached by the United Way, an American charitable foundation. The man from the United Way is concerned that the lawyer made over a million dollars last year but didn't donate even a cent to a charity. "First of all", says the lawyer, "my mother is sick and dying in hospital, and it's not covered by healthcare. Second, I had five kids through three divorced marriages. Third, my sister's husband suddenly died and she has no one to support her four children..." "I'm terribly sorry", says the United Way man, "I feel bad about asking for money." The Lawyer responds, "Yeah, well if I'm not giving them any money, why should I give you any?"

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Two doctors boarded a flight out of Seattle. One sat in the window seat, the other sat in the middle seat. Just before takeoff, an attorney got on and took the aisle seat next to the two physicians. The attorney kicked off his shoes, wiggled his toes and was settling in when the doctor in the window seat said," I think I'll get up and get a coke." "No problem," said the attorney, "I'll get it for you." While he was gone, one of the doctors picked up the attorney's shoe and spat in it. When he returned with the coke, the other doctor said, "That looks good, I think I'll have one too." Again, the attorney obligingly went to fetch it and while he was gone, the other doctor picked up the other shoe and spat in it. The attorney returned and they all sat back and enjoyed the flight. As the plane was landing, the attorney slipped his feet into his shoes and knew immediately what had happened. "How long must this go on?" he asked. "This fighting between our professions? This hatred? This animosity? This spitting in shoes and pissing in cokes?"

The Blonde and the Lawyer

A blonde and a lawyer are seated next to each other on a flight from LA to NY. The lawyer asks if she would like to play a fun game? The blonde, tired, just wants to take a nap, politely declines and rolls over to the window to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists and explains that the game is easy and a lot of fun. He explains, "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me $5.00, and vise versa." Again, she declines and tries to get some sleep. The lawyer, now agitated, says, "Okay, if you don't know the answer you pay me $5.00, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500.00." This catches the blonde's attention and, figuring there will be no end to this torment unless she plays, agrees to the game. The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches into her purse, pulls out a $5.00 bill and hands it to the lawyer. Okay says the lawyer, your turn. She asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four legs?" The lawyer, puzzled, takes out his laptop computer and searches all his references, no answer. He taps into the air phone with his modem and searches the net and the library of congress, no answer. Frustrated, he sends e-mails to all his friends and coworkers, to no avail. After an hour, he wakes the blonde, and hands her $500. The blonde says,"Thank you", and turns back to get some more sleep. The lawyer, who is more than a little miffed, wakes the blonde and asks, "Well, what's the answer?" Without a word, the blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5.00, and goes back to sleep. And you thought blondes were dumb.

The Smartest Hunting Dog

A doctor, an engineer, and a lawyer go out hunting in the woods one day. Each of them brings along his hunting dog, and they spend most of the morning arguing about which of the dogs is the smartest. Early in the afternoon, they discover a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing is a large pile of animal bones. Seeing the bones, the doctor turns to the others and says, "I'm going to prove to you two that my dog is the smartest. Watch this!" He then calls his dog over and says, "Bones! See the bones? Go get 'em!" The dog rushes over to the pile, rummages around for a bit, and then proceeds to build a replica of the human skeleton, perfect down to the last detail. The doctor grins smugly; after all, his dog has just built a human skeleton from animal bones. The engineer, however, is totally unimpressed. "That's nothing," he says. "Watch this." He calls his dog over, and points out the pile. "Bones! Get the bones!" The dog rushes over, tears down the skeleton, and in its place builds a perfect replica of the Eiffel Tower. It even has a little French flag waving at the top. The doctor is forced to agree that the engineer's dog is, in fact, smarter than his own. The lawyer, however, is still not impressed. "My dog is smarter," he says. "Watch." He then calls his dog over, points to the pile, and says simply, "Bones." The dog rushes over to the pile, tears down the tower, eats half the bones, buries the other half, and takes the rest of the afternoon off.

An Old Man's Dying Request

An elderly man, 82, just returned from the doctors only to find he didn't have long to live. So he summoned the three most important people in his life to tell them of his fate. 1. His Doctor 2. His Priest 3. His Lawyer Well, today I found out I don't have long to live. So I have summoned you three here, because you are the most important people in my life, and I need to ask a favor. Today, I am going to give each of you and envelope with $50,000 dollars inside. When I die, I would ask that all three of you throw the money into my grave. After the man passed on, the 3 people happened to run into each other. The doctor said, "I have to admit I kept $10,000 dollars of his money, he owed me on lots of medical bills. But, I threw the other $40,000 in like he requested." The Priest said, "I have to admit also, I kept $25,000 dollars for the church. Its all going to a good cause. I did, however, throw the other $25,000 in the grave." Well the Lawyer just couldn't believe what he was hearing! "I am surprised at you two taking advantage of him like that." "I wrote a check for the full amount and threw it all in ! ! !"

Drowning Lawyer

How do you save a drowning lawyer? Take your foot off his head.

Definition of "Lawyer"

LAWYER: A cat who settles a dispute between 2 mice.

New Client

A new client had just come in to see a famous lawyer. "Can you tell me how much you charge?" asked the client. "Of course", the lawyer replied, "I charge $400 to answer three questions!" "Well that’s a bit steep, isn’t it?" "Yes it is," said the lawyer, "And what’s your third question?"

A Lawyer in Heaven

A lawyer died and arrived at the pearly gates. To his dismay, there were hundreds of people ahead of him in line to see St. Peter. To his surprise, Peter left his desk at the gate and came down the long line to where the lawyer was, and greeted him warmly. Then St. Peter and one of his assistants took the lawyer by the hands and guided him up to the front of the line, and into a comfortable chair by his desk. The lawyer said, "I don’t mind all this attention, but what makes me so special?" St. Peter replied, "Well, I’ve added up all the hours for which you billed your clients, and by my calculation you must be about 174 years old!"

Compound adjectives

Plenty of practice,

http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/compound%20adjectives%20match.htm