 English Yes/No Questions
In English, there are two basic types of questions:
yes/no questions and wh- questions.
Yes/no questions are asked using be,
have,
do, or a modal verb.
Yes/no questions always begin with one of these verbs and can be answered with a simple yes or no, or with the
question repeated as a statement.
Note: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without one of these
auxiliary verbs.
He want a car? |
Does he want a car? |
You going to eat with us? |
Are you going to eat with us? |
BE
Use the verb be to ask about identity, description,
location, and present or past activities and situations.
Identity / Description
You can use be plus a noun or adjective to ask about the identity or
description of a person, place, or thing.
| Am I your best friend? |
Yes (you are). |
| Is this interesting? |
No (it is not). |
| Are these islands part of Greece? |
Yes (they are). |
| Was his idea good? |
No (it wasn't). |
| Were they happy? |
Yes (they were). |
Location
Be plus a prepositional phrase asks about present or past location.
| Am I near your house? |
No (you aren't). |
| Is he in Panamá? |
Yes (he is). |
| Are we at the border yet? |
No (we're not). |
| Was his apartment above a bakery? |
Yes (it was). |
| Were the demonstrations downtown? |
No (they weren't). |
Current activity / situation
To ask about a current activity or situation, use the present
progressive: present tense of be + present participle (verb+ing).
| Am I going with you and Tom? |
Yes (you are). |
| Is England adopting the euro? |
No (it isn't). |
| Are we seeing a play tonight? |
Yes (we are). |
| Is she working today? |
No (she isn't). |
Past activity / situation
To ask about a past activity or situation, use the past progressive: past
tense of be + present participle.
| Was it raining? |
Yes (it was). |
| Was Anna cooking? |
No (she wasn't). |
| Were the prisoners rebelling? |
Yes (they were). |
| Were they singing? |
No (they weren't). |
Past event
To ask about something that happened to someone or something, use
the passive voice: past tense of be +
past participle (verb + ed or en):
| Was he given a reward? |
Yes (he was). |
| Was I chosen? |
No (you weren't). |
| Were you driven home in a taxi? |
Yes (we were). |
| Were dinosaurs killed by meteors? |
No (they weren't). |
HAVE
Use the verb have to ask if some action has taken place or whether
somebody has done something.
Notice that the auxiliary verb have is
in the present tense* and the main verb is always a
past participle.
| Has your brother left? |
No (he hasn't). |
| Have you flown before? |
Yes (I have). |
| Has the party started? |
Yes (it has). |
| Have the guests eaten? |
No (they haven't). |
*It is possible to ask a yes/no question with had, but this is done in very specific situations and will be
explained in a future lesson.
DO
Use the verb do to obtain facts
about people, places, or things.
Do is always followed by the subject and then a verb in the
infinitive without to.
| Do they smoke? |
No (they don't). |
| Does Bogotá get cold? |
Yes (it does). |
| Did it work? |
No (it didn't). |
| Do flying fish really fly? |
No (they don't). |
| Does running hurt your knees? |
Yes (it does). |
| Did teaching challenge you? |
Yes (it did). |
MODALS
Use modal verbs to obtain more
information about possibilities or uncertainties.
Modals are
always followed by verbs in the infinitive without to.
| Can we stay? |
Yes (we can stay). |
| Could this be true? |
Yes (it could be true). |
| Should they stop? |
No (they shouldn't). |
| May I help you? |
Yes (you may). |
| Will it rain? |
No (it won't rain). |
| Would you go with me? |
Yes (I would). |
Remember: When asking a question with do or a modal verb, the main verb
remains in the infinitive without to.
| Incorrect |
Correct |
Do you to drink coffee? |
Do you drink coffee? |
Does she to work here? |
Does she work here? |
Can I to go with you? |
Can I go with you? |
Should we to email her? |
Should we email her? |
However, if there are two verbs in the infinitive after do, the second
infinitive must use to.
| Incorrect |
Correct |
Do you want drink coffee? |
Do you want to drink coffee? |
Does she like work here? |
Does she like to work here? |
Did you need go home? |
Did you need to go home? |
Remember: It's impossible to ask a yes/no question without an auxiliary
verb.
He know your phone number? |
Does he know your phone number? |
They returning today? |
Are they returning today? |
Note that there are several ways to answer yes/no questions,
especially with contractions.
| Is he busy? |
No. |
| No, he isn't. |
| No, he's not. |
| No, he is not. |
| No, he isn't busy. |
| No, he's not busy. |
| No, he is not busy. |
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