Everyday grammar – do you want to ask a question?

For those wishing to ‘brush up’ on their English basics, here’s a simple guide to forming questions in English in all of the main tenses and when using auxiliary verbs;

Forming Questions In English

Yes/No questions follow ASM (Auxiliary verb – Subject – Main verb)

• Do you like bananas? (Present Simple)
• Did you enjoy the movie? (Past Simple)
• Are you studying English? (Present Progressive)
• Were you sleeping when I called you last night? (Past Progressive)
• Have you finished your homework? (Present Perfect Simple)
• Will you call me when you get home? (Future ‘will’)
• Are you going to accept the job offer? (Future ‘to go’)
• Should we take the early morning flight? (Modal verbs)

 

Questions where the main verb is “be” also don’t follow the pattern:

• Are you thirsty?
• Is she a teacher?
• Were your parents angry when you failed the test?
• Was her ex-boyfriend a basketball player?

 

 Asking ‘Wh..’ and ‘How…’ questions

A simple formula that works for asking questions in almost ALL the verb tenses!

This formula is called QUASM:

QU estion word
A uxiliary verb
S ubject
M ain verb

Look how QUASM works for forming questions in the following verb tenses:

Simple Present Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
Where	do	you	work?
What	does	Martha	think	about the project?
How	do	you	like	your new apartment?
How many kids	does	Bob	have?

 

Simple Past Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
How	did	they	learn	English so fast?
When	did	you	get home	from work yesterday?
What	did	the manager	think	about your idea?
Where	did	you	buy	that T-shirt?

 

Present Continuous Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
What	are	you	doing	at the moment?
Why	is	he	ignoring	me?
What time	are	we	meeting up	for dinner?
Who	is	she	dating	now?

 

Past Continuous Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
Who	were	you	talking	to on the phone?
What	was	Jim	doing	when you called?
Why	were	the children	eating	candy before dinner?
How	was	he	feeling	after the surgery?

 

Present Perfect Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
How much money	have	you	spent	on clothes this month?
How long	has	your teacher	worked	at this school?
What	have	they	been doing	all day?
How long	has	the client	been waiting	for their order?

 

Future Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
Who	will	you	invite	to the party?
What	will	your parents	think	about your plan?
When	are	you	going	to clean your room?
Why	is	she	going	to quit her job?

 

Modal Questions:

QUESTION WORD	AUXILIARY VERB	SUBJECT	MAIN VERB
What	would	you	do	if you had a million dollars?
How	could	we	improve	our English?
Where	should	I	go	on my next vacation?