2. Class 1: Yes-No Questions
in the Simple Present and Past
Study A:
Questions (Statements)
?
Am I early?
Is the concert at 8?
Are Mary’s parents here?
Were they at the museum?
Was it interesting?
I am early.
The concert is at 8.
Mary’s parents are here.
They were at the library.
It was interesting.
Study the sentence structure of the questions in group A.
a) In what way are these questions similar?
b) How do they differ from the corresponding statements?
c) Write your observations in your notebook .
3. Class 1: Yes-No Questions
Study B:
Questions (Statements)
Does Lily play the piano?
Do you enjoy her poems?
Did Bea meet her?
Lily plays the piano.
I enjoy her poems.
Bea met her.
Study the sentence structure of the questions in group B.
a) In what way are these questions similar?
b) How do they differ from the corresponding statements?
c) Write your observations in your notebook .
?
4. Class 1: Yes-No Questions
Study C
A
Am I early?
Is the concert at 8?
Are Mary’s parents here?
Were they at the museum?
Was it interesting?
B
Does he know the manager?
Do you enjoy her poems?
Does Mrs. Massiah play the piano?
Did Bea meet her?
Did Bobby and Otway meet her too?
Now study the sentence structure of the questions in groups A and B.
a) What rule do you think governs the structure of these Yes-No
Questions?
b) Why is * “Knows he the manager?” unacceptable?
c) Write your observations in your notebook .
?
5. Answers to Study A
Questions (Statements)
Am I early?
Is the concert at 8?
Are Mary’s parents here?
Were they at the museum?
Was it interesting?
I am early.
The concert is at 8.
Mary’s parents are here.
They were at the library.
It was interesting.
!
a) In what way are these questions in group A similar?
1. They all begin with a form of the verb be: am, is, are, were, was.
2. The verb is followed by the subject , and the subject, by a complement.
b) How do they differ from the corresponding statements?
They differ in word order: Questions: verb be + Subject + X
Statements: Subject + verb be + X
*Check the answers in your notebook.
6. Answers to Study B
Questions (Statements)
Does Lily play the piano?
Do you enjoy her poems?
Did Bea meet her?
Lily plays the piano.
I enjoy her poems.
Bea met her.
a) In what way are these yes-no questions in group B similar?
• They all begin with a form of the auxiliary verb do: does and do( in the present), and did
(in the past).
• The auxiliary verb is followed by the subject , and the subject, by the main verb in the
base form.
b) How do these questions differ from the corresponding statements?
The normal word order of statements in English is first, the Subject; then the verb… These yes-no
questions, however, begin with an auxiliary verb: A form of the aux. do has been added
before the subject, and the verb appears in the base form.
Statements: Subject + verb + X
: Questions: Aux. do + Subject + main verb (base form) + X
*Check the answers in your notebook.
7. Answers to Study C
Am I early?
Is the concert at 8?
Are Mary’s parents here?
Were they at the museum?
Was it interesting?
Does Lily play the piano?
Do you enjoy her poems?
Did Bea meet her?
a) What rule do you think governs the structure of these Yes-No Questions?
To express Yes-No Questions with the verb be (in the Simple Present and Simple Past) , we
begin the sentence with a form of the verb be, followed by the subject… With all other verbs , we
add a form of the auxiliary verb do at the beginning of the question, followed by the subject, then
by the verb in the base form.
b) Why is * “Knows he the manager?” unacceptable?
Because Verb + Subject is the word order to follow when the verb you’d like to express is be. When
the verb is any other (all verbs, except be) you must begin with a form of the auxiliary do,
followed by the subject, then by the verb in the base form…
Does he know the manager? Would be the appropriate form.
8. b) Why is * “Knows he the manager?” unacceptable?
Because Verb + Subject is the word order to follow when the verb you’d like to express is be.
When the verb is any other (all verbs, except be) you must begin with a form of the auxiliary do,
followed by the subject, then by the verb in the base form…
Does he know the manager? Would be the appropriate way to pose the question.
c) Check the observations in your notebook.
…
9. Web sites
• http://www.myenglishpages.com
• http://www.learnenglish-online.
com/grammar/yesnoquestions.htm
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes–no_question
• http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/yes_no_questions01.ht
ml
• http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/learn-english/
grammar/questions-yes-no/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43jTh1HiIcI
• http://ielts-yasi.englishlab.net/YES_NO_QUESTIONS.html
