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Forming questions that can be answered with yes or no.
Yes/no questions normally ask whether a proposition is true and can usually be answered with yes or no.
They are commonly formed by placing an auxiliary or modal before the subject.
In ordinary yes/no questions, the first auxiliary normally comes before the subject.
For example, Is she ready?, Has he arrived?, and Will they come?
When there is no auxiliary in a present simple question, do or does is used before the subject.
For example, Do you work here? and Does she live nearby?
When there is no auxiliary in a past simple question, did is used before the subject.
For example, Did you see him? and Did they arrive on time?
After do or does in a present simple question, the main verb normally appears in its base form.
For example, Does she work here? not Does she works here?
After did in a past simple question, the main verb normally appears in its base form.
For example, Did she go home? not Did she went home?
Be forms yes/no questions by moving the appropriate form of be before the subject.
For example, Are you ready?, Was she late?, and Were they invited?
Modal verbs form yes/no questions by moving the modal before the subject.
For example, Can you swim?, Should we leave?, and Could she help us?
Present progressive questions are formed by placing the appropriate form of be before the subject.
For example, Are you working? and Is she waiting outside?
Past progressive questions are formed by placing was or were before the subject.
For example, Was he sleeping? and Were they waiting for us?
Present perfect questions are formed by placing have or has before the subject.
For example, Have you finished? and Has she arrived?
Past perfect questions are formed by placing had before the subject.
For example, Had they already left?
Will forms yes/no questions by occurring before the subject.
For example, Will you come tomorrow? and Will they be ready?
Questions with be going to are formed by moving the appropriate form of be before the subject.
For example, Are you going to stay? and Is she going to apply?
When a clause contains multiple auxiliaries, the first auxiliary normally moves before the subject.
For example, Has she been working? and Will they have finished?
The formation of questions with have depends on whether have is an auxiliary or an ordinary lexical verb and can vary across varieties and constructions.
For example, Have you finished? uses auxiliary have, while Do you have a car? commonly uses do-support in modern English.
Questions with used to are commonly formed with did and the base form use in contemporary English.
For example, Did you use to live here?
Question formation with need depends on whether need functions as a lexical verb or a modal-like auxiliary in a particular variety or register.
For example, Do you need any help? is standard and widespread, while Need you say anything? is formal and uncommon.
Dare can behave either as an ordinary verb or, in some varieties and formal constructions, as a modal-like auxiliary.
For example, Do you dare ask him? contrasts with Dare you ask him? in more marked usage.
Short answers normally repeat the relevant auxiliary or modal rather than the entire main verb phrase.
For example, Are you ready? Yes, I am. Did she leave? No, she did not.
Negative short answers normally use the relevant auxiliary or modal followed by not.
For example, No, I am not; No, she does not; and No, they cannot.
Negative yes/no questions commonly use contracted forms such as isnt, arent, dont, doesnt, didnt, and wont in ordinary speech.
For example, Dont you know? and Wont they come?
Full negative forms can make a question sound more formal, emphatic, or deliberate.
For example, Do you not understand? is more formal or marked than Dont you understand?
A yes/no question can be used to confirm something the speaker already expects or suspects.
For example, Are you coming with us? may simply request information, while You are coming with us, arent you? more strongly seeks confirmation.
Yes/no questions can express surprise when the speaker did not expect the proposition to be true.
For example, You won? can function as a short surprise question in conversation, while Did you really win? makes the surprise explicit.
Yes/no questions commonly use rising intonation in speech, especially when genuinely seeking information.
Intonation can distinguish a neutral question from a confirmation request or a questioning echo.
In informal conversation, a declarative word order can sometimes function as a question through intonation.
For example, Youre coming with us? can ask for confirmation without normal auxiliary inversion.
Negative yes/no questions can ask for confirmation, express surprise, suggest that the speaker expected a positive answer, or challenge an assumption.
For example, Didnt you call him? may imply that the speaker expected the listener to have called him.
A question that grammatically permits yes or no may receive a fuller answer when the speaker needs to clarify which part of the proposition is being confirmed or denied.
For example, Did you call John? I called Mary instead.
Formal English may use less contracted forms and more elaborate question structures, especially in written or institutional contexts.
For example, Have you completed the application? is appropriate in formal communication.
Modern English commonly uses do-support with have when have is a lexical possession verb, while auxiliary have forms perfect questions directly.
Compare Do you have a car? with Have you finished the report?
Only the first auxiliary moves before the subject in ordinary yes/no questions, while the remaining auxiliaries stay in their original order.
For example, Will she have been working? moves will but keeps have been working after the subject.
In existential constructions, the auxiliary normally comes before there rather than before the notional noun phrase.
For example, Is there a problem? and Are there any seats available?
Passive yes/no questions invert the first auxiliary while retaining the passive participle structure.
For example, Was the report finished? and Has the package been delivered?
Form yes/no questions by identifying the first auxiliary and placing it before the subject, or by using do-support when no auxiliary is present.
Common mistakes include using do with be or modal verbs, retaining the past form after did, forgetting auxiliary inversion, using the wrong auxiliary in short answers, and moving more than one auxiliary before the subject.