Forming questions

Now that we know how to form simple present tense and negative sentences, forming questions will be very simple.

To form questions in the simple present tense, you generally use auxiliary verbs ("do" or "does") for most verbs, and invert the subject and verb "to be" for sentences that use "am," "is," or "are." Here's a step-by-step guide:

Forming questions with regular verbs

• Use "do" for "I", "you", and plural subjects, such as "we", "they."
• Use "does" for third person and singular subjects (he, she, it).
• Place "do" or "does" at the beginning of the sentence.
• Follow with the subject.
• Use the base form of the main verb (without "s" or "es").
• Finish with the rest of the sentence.

Let's take a look at our examples. See highlighted keywords and how they change between regular sentence, negative sentence, and question:

• They like ice cream.

  • Negative: They do not like ice cream.
  • Question: Do they like ice cream?

• He likes ice cream.

  • Negative: He does not like ice cream.
  • Question: Does he like ice cream?

  Notice how the verb "like" is followed by "s" in normal sentence, but become its base form in negative sentence and question.

• She has a dog

  • Negative: She does not have a dog.
  • Question: Does she have a dog? For

Forming Questions with the Verb "To Be"

• Place the form of "to be" at the beginning of the sentence.
• Follow with the subject.
• Finish with the rest of the sentence.

Examples

• He is a doctor.

  • Negative: He is not a doctor.
  • Question: Is he a doctor?

• They are my siblings.

  • Negative: They are not my siblings.
  • Question: Are they your siblings?

Negative questions

Negative questions in English are questions that contain a negation, typically formed with "not." They are used to confirm information, express surprise, ask for clarification, or suggest that the speaker expects a certain answer. Negative questions often convey an expectation that the answer will be "yes" and can be more polite or softer than direct questions.

To form negative questions, we can add "not" after the main "Do/does" or "Is/Am/Are", or add "not" after the subject. Let's see some examples.

• Do they like ice cream?
  • Don't they like ice cream?
  • Do they not like ice cream?
• Does he like ice cream?
  • Doesn't he like ice cream?
  • Does he not like ice cream?
• Is he a doctor?
  • Isn't he a doctor?
  • Is he not a doctor?
• Are they your siblings?
  • Aren't they your siblings?
  • Are they not your siblings?

Practice questions