SIMPLE

QUESTION
PATTERN
In changing the structure of the sentence,
remember the following:
1. Reverse the position of the subject and predicate if the verb is a form
to be. This is called a simple reversal. The verb form of to be signals the
questions.
Statement: Legends are interesting stories.
S LV
Question: Are Legend interesting stories?
LV S
Statement: The pangatauhan was a soothsayer.
S LV
Question: Was the pangatauhan a soothsayer?
LV S
2. If the verb in the present tense is other than to be,
begin your question with do or does (present tense) and
continue with the subject and the simple form of the verb.

Statement: Many people live in Zambales.

S IV
Question: Do many people live in Zambales?
S IV
Statement: She lives here.
Question: Does she live here?

3. If the verb other than to be is in the past

tense, begin your question with did and
follow it with the subject and simple form of
the verb.
Statement: The Aetas lived in Zambales.
Question: Did the Aetas live in Zambales?

Note that when the questions begin with did,

the principal verb is in the simple form (no
s, ed, ing added).
Every time you use do, does, and did in
a sentence with an action verb, you
must use the simple form of the action
verb.
4. When the construction contains a helping
verb plus a main verb, the question is
signaled by placing the helping verb before
the subject.

Statement: You can see the lake.

Question: Can you see the lake?
5. A statement may be changed into a question by adding a tag
question to the statement.

Statement: You understand me.

Question: You understand me, don’t you?
Statement: You don’t understand me.
Question: You don’t understand me, do you?
Statement: She was there.
Question: She was there, wasn’t she?
She is there.
She is there, isn’t she?

She is not there.

She is not there, is she?
They were home.
They were home, weren’t they?

They were not home.

They were not home, were they?
6. A statement may also be changed into
question by using the rising intonation.

Statement: The man is here.

Question: The man is here?
Change the statements into simple yes/no
questions.

Example : The epic Lam-ang is long.

Is the epic Lam-ang long?
1. The Aetas lived in dense forests.
2. The Indonesians came in two waves.
3. They were the ancestors of the Ifugaos.
4. They had no system of government.
5. These were the ancestors of the Muslims.
Model: The Aetas live in the Zambales mountains,
don’t they?

1. The pangatauhan is a soothsayer.

2. The Sambals lived in Zambales.
3. Zambales named after the Sambals.
4. The Sambals were gentle people.
5. They were not aggressive.
1. They were the ancestors of the Igorots and the
Tinguians.
2. They settled in the Sulu and Mindanao areas.
3. Another group of Malays came about 1300 B.C.
4. They had no knowledge of writing.
5. The next people to come to the Philippines were
the Indonesians.
1. They didn’t want to fight the Aetas.
2. The Sambals could not find their princess.
3. The Aetas did not win the battle.
4. Mahinhin didn’t want to go with the Aetas.
5. They are aggressive.