Question word order
| Question word | Auxiliary | Subject | Main verb | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (none) | Do | you | speak | English? |
| Where | did | they | go | yesterday? |
| How long | have | you | been | here? |
| What | will | she | do | next? |
The auxiliary comes before the subject. When be is the main verb, simply invert it: "Is he ready?" With other verbs in the present simple or the past simple, add do / does / did and use the base form.
Common mistakes
- ✗Wrong: Where you went yesterday?✓Right: Where did you go yesterday?
- ✗Wrong: Does he works here?✓Right: Does he work here?
Question words
| Word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| who | a person | Who is your instructor? |
| whom | a person (object, formal) | Whom did you call? |
| whose | the owner | Whose helmet is this? |
| which | a choice from a limited group | Which truck is ours? |
| how often | frequency | How often do you go to the gym? (Three times a week.) |
| how long | duration | How long is the flight? (Six hours.) |
| how far | distance | How far is the airport? (About 20 miles.) |
| how much, how many | quantity (uncountable, countable) | How much fuel do we have? · How many people came? |
Subject questions (no do)
When who or what is the subject of the question, there is no do / does / did, and the word order is the same as in a statement.
- Who called you? (Someone called you.)
- What happened at the gate?
- Compare: Who did you call? (You called someone.)
Common mistakes
- ✗Wrong: Who did call you?✓Right: Who called you?
Embedded (indirect) questions
After Do you know…? Can you tell me…? I wonder… I don't know… Could you explain…?, the question becomes part of a sentence. It takes statement word order (subject + verb), with no do / does / did.
| Direct question | Embedded question |
|---|---|
| Where is the office? | Can you tell me where the office is? |
| What time does the bus leave? | Do you know what time the bus leaves? |
| Why did he quit? | I wonder why he quit. |
| Is she married? | I don't know if / whether she is married. |
ECL tipThe question mark depends on how the sentence starts: "Do you know where he is?" but "I wonder where he is."
Common mistakes
- ✗Wrong: Do you know where is the station?✓Right: Do you know where the station is?
Tag questions
A tag question checks information or asks for agreement. A positive sentence takes a negative tag, and a negative sentence takes a positive tag. Use the same auxiliary as the sentence (or do / does / did) and a pronoun.
- You're a pilot, aren't you?
- She doesn't smoke, does she?
- They left early, didn't they?
- He can swim, can't he?
- We haven't met, have we?
| Special case | Tag | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I am | aren't I? | I'm late, aren't I? |
| Let's | shall we? | Let's go, shall we? |
| an imperative | will you? won't you? | Close the door, will you? |
| There is / There are | isn't there? aren't there? | There's a problem, isn't there? |
| negative words (never, nobody, hardly, nothing) | positive tag | He never complains, does he? · Nobody called, did they? |
| everyone, somebody, nobody | they | Everyone is here, aren't they? |
| this, that, nothing | it | That's your car, isn't it? |
So do I, neither do I
| To agree with… | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a positive sentence | so + auxiliary + subject | "I'm tired." "So am I." · "She likes coffee." "So do I." |
| a negative sentence | neither / nor + auxiliary + subject | "I can't swim." "Neither can I." · "He didn't call." "Nor did she." |
| (informal) | me too · me neither | "I'm hungry." "Me too." |
To disagree, use the subject + auxiliary: "I like it." "I don't." · "I didn't go." "I did."
Common mistakes
- ✗Wrong: "I like pizza." "So I do."✓Right: "I like pizza." "So do I."
Quick check
Choose an answer: the explanation appears straight away.
1Can you tell me where ___?
2He hardly ever calls home, ___?
3Who ___ the window?
4I'm on duty tonight, ___?
5"I didn't understand the question." "___."
1,045 grammar questions with explanations, in the trainer.