Framing Questions:

Yes-No and WH

Framing a question is actually framing an

Interrogative sentence. So, here we are going to
discuss the structures, uses and examples of
Interrogative sentences.

How many types of question are there?

There can be two types of questions: Assertive Sentence Yes-No Question
Subject + auxiliary Auxiliary verb +
verb. subject ...?
• Yes-No Questions and I am. Am I ...?
• WH Questions. We are / You are. Are we / Are you ... ?
She is / He is / it is. Is she / Is he / Is it ... ?
She was / He was / it was she / was he /
was. was it ... ?
We were / You were / Were we / Were you /
they were Were they l ... ?
I shall / We shall. Shall I / Shall we ... ?
You will / He will / Will you / Will he /
She will / They will. Will she / Will they ...
?
I have / We have. Have I / Have we ... ?
He has / She has. Has he / Has she ... ?
I had / We had. Had I / Had we ... ?
I can / You can / He Can I / Can you /
can / She can / They Can he / Can she /
Framing Yes-No Questions can. Can they ... ?

You know that an assertive sentence is formed as -
Subject + auxiliary verb + main verb + object.
E g.- She is playing chess.
While a Yes-no question is formed as -
Auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object +
? • Will you do it for me?
E.g.- Is she playing chess?
Here you can see that the word order is reversed.
See the difference between word orders of an
assertive sentence and a yes no question.
The following image can explain it well –
The questions which can be answered either
with yes or with no.
Questions like
• Do you play football?
• Have you written the letter?
• Can you give me a glass of water?
can be answered either with yes or with no. As —
Q. Do you play football?
A. Yes, I do. Or, No, I don’t play football.
Q. Can you give me a glass of water?
A. Yes, of course.
How to Frame Yes-No Questions? See, no auxiliary verb is there in the assertive
sentence.
Structures:
Then how will you frame a question of this tense?
● An assertive sentence starts with a subject and
then comes an auxiliary (helping) verb - (subject Well,
+ auxiliary verb) You have to put a Do or Does at the beginning.
Like, I am a student. Use Does with a 3rd person singular subject, else
Whereas, in case of Yes-No question the word use Do.
order us altered. It starts with the auxiliary verb As -
and then comes the subject - (auxiliary verb + Assertive Sentence Yes-No Question
subject) Like, Am I a student? I play cricket. Do I play cricket?
She plays cricket. Does she play cricket?
So, the conclusion is that, to form a yes-no
question, simply place the auxiliary verb before
the subject and put a question mark at the end. Remember, when you put a 'Does', you don't
=> Auxiliary verb + subject + verb (base form) + need to add '-s' or '-es' to the main verb any more.
object + ? Structure:
Do/Does + subject + verb (base form) + object +
More Examples: others + ?
Q. Have you seen a tiger? Other examples -
A. Yes I have seen. / No, I have not seen. Do I write a letter?
Do not we need permissions from the authority?
Q. Can you score three goals? Does not it work properly?
A. Yes we can. / No we can not. Does he write a letter?

Use a 'not' after do/does to make a negative yes-

Remember:
no question of this tense.
The auxiliary verb is always used according the
E.g.-
subject's number and person, no matter whichever
Do not I write a letter?
the subject is.
Does not he write a letter?
Do not they abuse us?
Up to here, you know how a yes-no question is
structured. Now you should learn framing them
in different tenses. Right?
Frame Yes-No Questions of Present
Frame Yes-No Questions of Present Continuous Tense:
Indefinite Tense:
Structure:
Assertive Yes-No Question Be verb + subject + (main verb +ing) + object
Sentence +?
Subject + main Auxiliary verb + subject
verb + object. + main verb + object +? E.g.-
I play cricket. ??? Are you reading the news paper?
Am I bothering you?
For negative use a not after the be verb or after Have not you been cheating me for three years?
the subject as-
Be verb + not + subject + (main verb + ing) +
object + ? Frame Yes-No Questions of Past
E.g.- Indefinite Tense:
Is not she reading the news paper?
Aren't you getting my point? Structure:
Is David not fighting with Dean? Did + subject + verb (base form) + object +
others + ?
E.g.-
Did I write a letter?
Frame Yes-No Questions of Present
Did we need permissions from the authority?
Perfect Tense:
Did it work properly?
Structure: Did he scold you?
Has/Have + subject + third form of the main
verb + object + others + ? Use a 'not' after did to make a negative of the
Ex- interrogative.
Has Alexa said the words? E.g.-
Have you seen her before? Did not I inform you about the incident?
Has she opened the window? Did not he write a letter?
Did not they gamble?
Use a not just after the have verb (have/has).
=> Has/Have + not + Subject + third form of
the main verb + object + others + ?
Frame Yes-No Questions of Past
Ex-
Continuous Tense:
Has not Alexa said that words.
Hasn't she submitted the project in time? Structure:
Be verb (Was/Were) + subject + (main verb
+ing) + object + ?
E.g.-
Frame Yes-No Questions of Present Were you reading the news paper?
Perfect Continuous Tense: Was I bothering you?

The have/has is placed at the beginning of the

For negative use a not after the be verb or after
sentence.
the subject as-
E.g.-
Be verb + not + subject + (main verb +ing) +
Has he been living there for three months?
object + ?
Have you been taking tea since last Monday?
Or,
Use a not after Has/Have to make it negative.
Be verb + subject + not + (main verb +ing) +
Ex-
object + ?
Have not you been living there for three months?
E.g.-
Has not John been talking since 5 o’clock?
Was not she reading the news paper?
Weren't you getting my point? Frame Yes-No Questions of Future
Was David not fighting with Dean? Indefinite Tense:

Structure:
Shall/Will + subject + verb (base form) + object +
Frame Yes-No Questions of Past Perfect others + ?
Tense:
In case the subject is I or We, use 'Shall' before it,
Structure: otherwise, use 'Will'.
Had + subject + third form of the main verb + E.g.-
object + others + ? Shall I write a letter?
Shall we need permissions from the authority?
E.g.- Will it work properly?
Had Alexa said these words? Will he inform me about the incident?
Had you seen her before?
Had she opened the window? Use a 'not' after Shall/Will to make a negative of
the interrogative.
Use a not just after the have verb (had). E.g.-
Shall not we visit there?
Had + not + Subject + third form of the main Will not he write a letter?
verb + object + others + ? Will not they gamble?
Ex-
Had not Alexa said that words.
Hadn't she submitted her document yet?
Frame Yes-No Questions of Future
Progressive Tense:
Frame Yes-No Questions of Past Perfect Structure:
Continuous Tense:
Shall/Will + subject + be + (main verb +ing) +
object + ?
The had is placed at the beginning of the sentence.
E.g.-
E.g.-
Had he been living there for three months?
Are you reading the news paper?
Had you been taking tea since last Monday?
Am I bothering you?

Use a not after had to make it negative.

For negative use a not after the be verb or after
the subject as-
Ex-
Be verb + not + subject + (main verb +ing) +
Had not you been living there for three months?
object.
Had not John been talking since 5 o’clock?
E.g.-
Had not you been cheating me for three years?
Will not she reading the news paper?
Will not you getting my point?
Will David not fighting with Dean?
 Remember, the answer of a WH question is a
complete sentence and not a yes or a no.
Frame Yes-No Questions of Future For example,
perfect tense:
If any one asks you - “What is your name?”, you
cannot answer the question with
Structure:
only 'yes' or 'no'. A complete sentence is
Shall/Will + subject + have + third form of the
required to answer it. As —
main verb + object + others + ?
E.g.-
Q. What is your name?
Will you have eaten the food by 8 p.m.?
A. My name is Polash.
Will John have seen her before Sunday?
Will she have finished all her works before the end
of the day? Similarly,
Q. When do you read story-books?
A. I read story books in my leisure time.
Don't be confused seeing every 'have' I used here
even after a third person singular number. Here
Now you need to know the wh words and their
only 'shall' or 'will' determines the tense. So the
uses. As follows -
have verb is used here as its base form 'have'.

Use a not just after the have verb (have/has).

Shall/Will + not + Subject + have + third form
of the main verb + object + others + ?
E.g.-
Has not Alexa said that words.
Hasn't she submitted the project in time?
Wh words may be used as - (a) the subject,
or (b) the object, or (c) an adjective/adverb in a
sentence.
Some WH Words and Their Uses-
Who –
Who is used in a question to ask something about
a person or persons. Who is mainly used as the
subject.

E.g. -
• Who is your English teacher?
Framing WH Questions • Who has broken the glass?
• Who will bell the cat?
What is "WH" in "WH Questions"?

WH refers to some words that start with the

What –
letters W and H, like, what, who, whom, why,
It is used to ask about a thing or things.
how, where etc and their uses.
E.g.-
• What does he do?
What is a WH question? • What is your name?
A question that starts with any of the wh-words, is
a wh question.
Which – How –
It is used in a question to ask about anything out if It is used in a question to know the way of doing
many others. something or to ask about someone's health.

E.g.- E.g.-
• Which is his favourite book? • How did you come to know?
• Which cycle is yours? • How have you solve the problem?
• Which thing delights her the most? • How are you?
• How is your father now?

Whose –
It is used in a question to ask about relationship, How much –
the owner of any object or animal. It is used in a question to quantity of an
uncountable noun.
E.g.-
E.g.-
• Whose book has been lost?
• How much money does a man need to lead a
• Whose cycle is this?
decent life.
• Whose brother is he?
• How much water does this tank contain?
• How much milk should we drink everyday?

When – How much is singular as it symbolises an

It is used in a question to ask about time. uncountable noun.
E.g.-
• When did he come?
• When is your brother visiting the book fair. How many –
• When will you give my money back? It is used in a question to ask about the quantity
of a countable noun.
Where – • How many people are required for this project?
It is used in a question to ask about place.
How many is plural as it symbolises countable
E.g.- nouns.
• Where does he live?
• Where is your uncle going? How to Frame Questions Using WH Words?
• Where are you?
Remember:
Why – The auxiliary verb is always used according the
It is used in a question to know the reason behind subject 's number and person,
anything.

E.g.-
• Why don’t you look at me?
• Why did you laugh?
• Why are you so upset?
Types of WH-question –

Type 2:–
Type 1:– Structure:
Structure: Wh word (used as the subject) + verb + object + ?
Wh word + be verb + subject + ? Or,
Look at the structure above, there is no action verb Wh word (used as the subject) + auxiliary verb +
(main verb). main verb + object + ?
For this type, who, what, which, how can be used E.g.-
as wh words.
• Who did it?
• Who likes mango?
Examples: • What has made you so lazy?
• Who is that girl?
Etc.
• Who were those boys?
In the sentences above, you can see, there is no
• What is your name?
subject. Actually the wh words who and what are
• Which is your book?
used as the subjects.
• Where is my pen?
• How is your mother? If you try to answer the questions in your mind,
In all the questions above, the wh words act as you will find that the extra part that replaces the
the objects and the be verbs show the state of wh word, is the subject of the answer statement.
being as there are no other verbs (main verbs). Let's take an example.
The words after the be verbs are the subjects.
Question = Who likes mangoes?
The be verb is used according to the subject next
to it. Answer 1 = John likes mangoes.
Answer 2 = Peter likes mangoes.
Here are some affirmative and negative examples: Answer 3 = Emma likes mangoes.
Affirmative Negative Examples Answer 4 = I like mangoes.
Examples Answer 5 = We like mangoes.
What is your name? What is not your
Which is your book? name? Look at the answer 1, the wh word who is
Where is my pen? Which is not your replaced with 'John'. It means 'John' is the
How is your mother? camera?
answer of who.
Where is your cycle?
On the other hand, 'John' is also the subject in the
Question-Answer Examples: sentence.

Questions Answers Similarly, in the answer 2, 3, 4, 5, yo can apply

Who is that That girl is my sister the same logic and say that Peter, Emma,
girl?
I and We are the answers of Who.
What is your My name is Jack.
name? Hence, we can conclude that, in the
Who were those Those boys were some
boys? students of that school question, Who is used as the subject.

For this type, who and what are mainly used.

 Structure:
Remember: The verb-forms depend on the Wh + helping verb + subject + main verb + object
number and person of the subjects. But here, as +?
the wh words themselves are the subjects, we
Examples:
cannot identify their number or person.
• What does he think?
Therefore any verb-form will be appropriate. • Whom are you calling?
More examples: In the above examples, can you find an object
Affirmative Negative Examples anywhere?
Examples Well,
Who did it? Who did not do it?
Who is playing Who is not playing You may be a little surprised to know that, in this
guitar? guitar? type, the wh word itself is the object.
Who play guitar? Who do not play
What has made you guitar? What? Objects always come after the verb.
cry? What hasn’t made you
What happened to cry? Yes, it is true that they come after the verbs. But it
you? What didn’t happen to is also true that a Wh question always start with
you?
a wh word, be it the subject, or the object or
anything else.

Question-Answer Examples: Mainly What, and Whom are mostly used as

objects.
Questions Answers
Who did it? Peter did this.
What has made The news of her
you cry? death has made me cry. Affirmative Negative Examples
Who has broken Your daughter has Examples
the glass? broken the glass. What has he eaten? What has not he eaten?
Whom was you Whom was not you
talking to? talking to?
Look at the answers. You will notice that the parts
of the answers (Peter, The news of her death, your
daughter) that replace the wh words are Question-Answer Examples:
all subjects. Questions Answers
What has he eaten? He has eaten four
Exception: bananas.
Whom were you I was talking to Mr.
Questions Answers talking to? Rudd.
What happened to I failed in the exam. [This Whom did no she She did not
you? answer is quite different invite? invite Emma and I.
from others]
What happened to She is shocked at the news
her? of the accident. You can see that all the answers objects.

If the verb is 'happened' with the wh word what,

then the answer is an description of an incident. Type 4:– Wh words used as adverbs:
Structure:
Wh word + helping verb + subject + main verb +
Type 3:– object + ?
Examples:
• Where did you keep the book?
• Why have you taken the jewelleries?
• When did he break the glass?
How much money do you have?
How many people have you invited?
How to Frame WH Questions Tense wise:

Present Indefinite Tense:

Type 5:– Wh words + Noun rule:
Statement – He plays cricket in the afternoon.
Structure:
Question – Who plays cricket in the afternoon?
Wh words + Noun + helping verb + subject +
Question – What does he play in the afternoon?
main verb + object + ?
Question – When does he play cricket?
Examples: Question – What does he do in the afternoon?
Affirmative Negative Examples
Examples
Which book are you Which movie doesn't
reading now? she like at all? Present Continuous Tense:

Statement – He is playing cricket in the

Question-Answer Examples: afternoon.
Questions Answers Question – Who is playing cricket in the
Which book are you I am afternoon?
reading now? reading Dickens' Question – What is he playing in the afternoon?
novel Hard Times.
Which movie doesn't She doesn't Question – When is he playing cricket?
she like at all? like super-hero Question – What is he doing in the afternoon?
movies at all.

The part of the answer that replaces the wh word
+ noun, is the object.
Type 6:– How much & How many:
Structure 1:
How much / How many + helping verb + subject +
main verb + ?
Present Perfect Tense:
Statement – They have taken tea at evening.
Question – Who have taken tea at evening?
Question – What have they taken at evening?
Question – When have they taken tea?
Question – What have they done at evening?

Example:
Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
How much does the book cost?
How many do they need? Statement – I have been reading Geography for
three hours.
Question – Who have been reading for three
Structure 2:
hours?
How much / How many + noun + auxiliary verb +
Question – What have I been reading for three
subject + main verb + ?
hours?
Example: Question – For how much time have I been
reading Geography?
Question – What have I been doing for three
hours?
Past Indefinite Tense:
Statement – They took tea at evening.
Question – Who took tea at evening?
Question – What did they take at evening?
Question – When did they take tea?
Question – What did they do at evening?
Past Continuous Tense:
Statement – He was playing cricket in the
afternoon.
Question – Who was playing cricket in the
afternoon?
Question – What was he playing in the
afternoon?
Question – When was he playing cricket?
Question – What was he doing in the afternoon?
Past Perfect Tense:
Statement – They had taken tea before the
meeting started.
Question – Who had taken tea before the meeting
started?
Question – What had they taken before the
meeting started?
Question – When had they taken tea?
Question – What had they done before the
meeting started?
Past Perfect Progressive:
Statement – I had been reading Geography for
three hours.
Question – Who had been reading for three
hours?
Question – What had I been reading for three
hours?
Question – For how much time had I been
reading Geography?
Question – What had I been doing for three
hours?
Future Indefinite Tense:
Statement – We shall celebrate Independence
Day on 15th August.
Question – Who will celebrate Independence Day
on 15th August?
Question – What shall we celebrate on 15th
August?
Question – On which day shall we celebrate
Independence Day?
Question – What shall we do on 15th August?
Future Continuous Tense:
Statement – He will be playing cricket in the
afternoon.
Question – Who will be playing cricket in the
afternoon?
Question – What will be he playing in the
afternoon?
Question – When will be he playing cricket?
Question – What will be he doing in the
afternoon?