Questions

A question is anything we write or say which requires a response. In writing, questions are usually followed by a question mark:

A: Where do you live?
B: Near the station, number 41 Station Road, to be exact.
A: Would anyone like to go for lunch now?
B: Yeah, me for sure.
C: Me too.

Typical question clauses are called interrogatives and the normal word order is auxiliary/modal verb (aux/mod) + subject (s) + main verb (v) + x, where x is any other element present (e.g. object/predicative complement):

[AUX] Do [S] you [V] like [X] my new hairstyle?
[MOD] Must [S] you [V] make [X] that noise?

Questions can be affirmative or negative:

Are you ready yet? Aren’t you ready yet?
Why did you leave? Why didn’t you leave?

In speaking, questions usually have a particular type of intonation that tells the listener that they are questions.

Questions that don’t need an answer (rhetorical questions)

In speaking and writing, we sometimes ask questions which do not require a spoken or written response, but they usually require a mental response. The listener or reader thinks about the answer but does not say or write it; the speaker or writer answers the question in their mind. We often use these questions in academic lectures and texts:

Knowing taxation laws is important. Why is that? These laws help us …
Why was Freud so influential? This is an interesting question which this essay will explore in detail.

Questions that don’t need an answer (rhetorical questions)​

Questions that don’t need an answer (rhetorical questions)