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Questions: basic rules

These rules apply to most ordinary spoken and written questions. For declarative questions (e.g. This is your car?), (see here). For rhetorical questions (e.g. What’s the use of asking her?), (see here). For echo questions (e.g. She’s invited how many?), (see here). For reply questions (e.g. Did you, dear?), (see here) For question tags, (see here).

Auxiliary verb before subject: Have you …?​

In a question, an auxiliary verb normally comes before the subject.

  • When is Oliver leaving? (not When Oliver is leaving?)
  • Have you received my email of June 17? (not You have received …?)
  • Why are you laughing? (not Why you are laughing?)
  • What are all those people looking at? (not What all those people are looking at?)
  • How much does the room cost? (not How much the room costs?)

do: Do you like …?​

If there is no other auxiliary verb, we use do, does or did to form a question.

  • Do you like Mozart? (not Like you Mozart?)
  • What does ‘periphrastic’ mean? (not What means ‘periphrastic’?)
  • Did you wash the car today?

do not used with other auxiliaries​

Do is not used together with other auxiliary verbs or with be.

  • Can you tell me the time? (not Do you can tell me the time?)
  • Have you seen Jack? (not Do you have seen Jack?)
  • Are you ready?

Infinitive after do: What does he want?​

After do, we use the infinitive (without to).

  • What does the boss want? (not What does the boss wants?)
  • Did you go climbing last weekend? (not Did you went …?) or Did you to go …?

Only auxiliary verb before subject​

Only the auxiliary verb goes before the subject, not the whole of the verb phrase.

  • Is your mother coming tomorrow? (not Is coming your mother tomorrow?)
  • Is your daughter having a lesson today? (not Is having your daughter …?)
  • When was your reservation made? (not When was made your reservation?)

This happens even if the subject is very long.

  • Where are the President and his family staying? (not Where are staying the President …?)

Who phoned? / Who did you phone?​

When who, which, what or whose is the subject (or part of the subject), do is not normally used. Compare:

  • Who phoned? (Who is the subject.)
    Who did you phone? (Who is the object.)
  • What happened? (What is the subject.)
    What did she say? (What is the object.)

More examples:

  • Which costs more – the blue one or the grey one? (not Which does cost more …?)
  • Which type of battery lasts longest? (not Which type of battery does last longest?)
  • How many people work in your office? (not How many people do work …?)

But do can be used after a subject question word for emphasis, to insist on an answer.

  • Well, tell us – what did happen when your father found you?
  • So who did marry the Princess in the end?
note

For questions like Who do you wish that you’d married?, (see here).

Indirect questions: Tell me when you are leaving.​

In an indirect question, we do not put an auxiliary before the subject, and we do not use a question mark. For details, (see here).

  • Tell me what you want. (not Tell me what do you want?)

Prepositions: What are you talking about?​

Prepositions often come at the end of wh-questions, separated from their objects. (For details, (see here).)

  • What are you talking about? (not About what are you talking?)
  • Who did you buy the ticket from?
  • What did you clean the floor with?
note

For negative questions, (see here).

For ellipsis in questions (e.g. Seen Jack? Coming tonight?), (see here).