VOA慢速英语--Forming Questions, Part 2: Yes or No Questions

 

English can be a complex language to master. It has a lot of rules – and breaks many of them.

No matter your level of English, forming questions can be one of the more vexing¹ parts of mastering the language. The good news is that we are here today to make that process easier.

In a recent Everyday Grammar, we told you about subject questions – questions we ask when we want to learn the who or the which of an action.

Today, we will tell you about yes or no questions.

A yes or no question is a question that expects an answer of “yes” or “no.” For example:

Are you coming to the show?

Has she been to Montreal?

Does this color look good on me?

As you can hear, yes or no questions do not begin with common question words such as “why,” “where,” “what,” “how,” “when,” and “which.”

Using Auxiliaries²

Instead, they often begin with the verbs “do,” “be” or “have.” You already know these three verbs as among the most common in English. But they have a second, separate usage³: as auxiliary⁴ verbs.

We use auxiliary verbs with main verbs to do things like form questions and verb tenses. Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called “helping verbs” because they help main verbs to carry meaning.

We form yes or no questions with an auxiliary verb + subject + main verb. Listen for that structure in the examples:

Are you coming to the show?

Has she been to Montreal? 

Does this color look good on me?

‘Do’ ‘does’ and ‘did’

Notice that the last example begins with “does.”

When we use “do,” “does,” or “did” to begin a yes or no question, it shows there was no auxiliary present in its statement form.

Present simple and past simple statements do not contain auxiliary verbs. For example, the statement form of the question “Does this color look good on me?” is “This color looks good on me” and is present simple.

Let’s hear a few more statements and their question forms. Notice that the statements do not contain an auxiliary verb. And, the questions follow the same structure, auxiliary verb + subject + main verb:

I went to the kitchen.

Did you go to the kitchen?

You speak English well.

Do you speak English well?

He lives in Washington, D.C.

Does he live in Washington, D.C.?

Using Modals

Not all yes or no questions begin with auxiliary verbs. Many begin with modal verbs. We use modal verbs to express possibility, necessity⁵ and permission. Sometimes, modal verbs are called “modal auxiliaries.” But, for today, we will simply call them “modals” or “modal verbs.” “Can,” “could,” “may,” “might,” and “should” are examples of modal verbs.

We form these yes or no questions with a modal verb + subject + main verb. Listen for that structure in these examples:

Can we meet for lunch tomorrow?

Should I take her advice?

May I have your name, please?

Be + subject

Some yes or no questions have neither an auxiliary nor a modal. When we ask yes or no questions where the main verb is “be,” the structure becomes be + subject. Let’s hear how that sounds:

Is she the owner of the company?

Was he ready when you arrived?

Are you a language teacher?

Other verb tenses

At times, there is more than one auxiliary verb in a yes or no question. Or, there is a modal verb plus one or more auxiliary verbs. This happens in yes or no questions with perfect tenses and with passive⁶ questions.

For example, in the question, “Should I have been attending all of the meetings?” the verb tense is present perfect continuous⁷. There is the modal “should” and the auxiliaries “have” and “been.”

But, for today, we’ll stay with basic forms of yes or no questions. The goal is that you gain confidence in forming these questions. And, that comes with practice.

Answering yes or no questions

By now, you might be wondering: How do I answer a yes or no question? You can answer with a simple “yes” or “no.”

But, suppose you wanted to answer with something a little longer. When we answer yes or no questions, we do not usually repeat the full question. Instead, we answer with the auxiliary or modal from the question. The structure is yes or no + subject + auxiliary or modal.

Here’s what it sounds like with auxiliaries:

Did you go to the bathroom?

Yes, I did.

Has she been to Montreal?

Yes, she has.

Are you a language teacher?

Yes, I am.

And, with modals:

Should I take her advice?

No, you shouldn’t.

May I have your name, please?

Yes, you may.

Can we meet for lunch tomorrow?

Yes, we can.

Notice that the auxiliary or modal in each answer matches the auxiliary or modal from each question.

So, do you want to practice yes or no questions now? Check out the exercises on our website and write your responses in the Comments area.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

vexing – adj. irritating⁸ or worrying

confidence – n. a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

practice – n. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

aloud – adj. in a way that can be clearly heard

comfortable – adj. being in a state of physical or mental ease

1 vexing   

adj.使人烦恼的，使人恼火的v.使烦恼( vex的现在分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• It is vexing to have to wait a long time for him. 长时间地等他真使人厌烦。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Lately a vexing problem had grown infuriatingly worse. 最近发生了一个讨厌的问题，而且严重到令人发指的地步。 来自辞典例句

2 auxiliaries   

n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员

参考例句：

• These auxiliaries have made our work much easier. 有了这些辅助人员，我们的工作才顺利多了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In English the future tense is often rendered by means of auxiliaries. 在英语中，将来时常用助动词来表现。 来自辞典例句

3 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。

4 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。

5 necessity   

n.必要性，需要；必需品

参考例句：

• I look upon this as an absolute necessity.我认为这是绝对必要的。
• You must understand the necessity of education.你必须懂得教育的必要性。

6 passive   

adj.被动的；消极的

参考例句：

• He has a passive expression on his face.他脸上有一种漠然的表情。
• It lands the manager in a passive position.它使经理处于被动地位。

7 continuous   

adj.继续的，连续的，持续的，延伸的

参考例句：

• She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后，她终于当选了。
• We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。

8 irritating   

adj.使愤怒的；气人的；恼人的；v.使恼怒

参考例句：

• She found his preoccupation with money irritating.她对他一心只想着钱感到很厌烦。
• He has this irritating mannerism of constantly scratching his nose.他老是挠鼻子，这个习惯真让人不舒服。