Detailed insight into interrogative sentences in English

Interrogative sentences in English have many different forms and usages that learners can flexibly apply in various situations. Have you gained a detailed understanding of the different types of English interrogative sentences yet? Let's explore this together in this article!

I. What are interrogative sentences?

Interrogative sentences in English are used to ask a question, typically ending with a question mark. This type is often used to confirm information, gather details, or even express emotion.

Below are some examples of interrogative sentences:

• Could you please tell me how to get to the Hyatt park?
• Which is your bicycle? 
• Can you sing in a lower tone, Hanna? 

You must have understood the definition of an interrogative sentence in English, right?

II. Interrogative sentence types

English interrogative sentences come in many different forms. Let's explore the interrogative sentence structure in more detail together with PREP.VN!

1. Yes – No questions

One of the most commonly encountered types of English interrogative sentences is "Yes-No question, used when a simple yes or no answer is required.

1.1. Affirmative questions

With this "Yes-No question" structure, modal verbs (such as be, have, will, can, must, may, etc.) are typically placed before the subject.

The structure is as follows: 

Auxiliary verb + S + V + O?

For example:

• Is Hanna a student?
• Do you like Korea? 
• Will Martin be here tonight?

For "Yes-No questions" in English, the way to respond depends on whether the question is affirmed or denied:

• Answering "Yes" means the statement is correct/accurate.
• Answering "No" means the statement is incorrect/inaccurate.

For example:

• Are you a dentist?
  • Yes, I am. 
  • No, I am not. I’m a teacher.

1.2. Negative questions

For "yes-no" questions formulated using negation, the word "not" (or contracted as "n't") is typically added after the auxiliary verb.

The structure is as follows:

Auxiliary verb + not + S + V + O?

The negative question is often employed:

For negated "Yes/No questions" in English, the response depends on whether the negative statement is accurate or inaccurate: Answering "No" means the negative statement is correct/accurate. Answering "Yes" means the negative statement is incorrect/inaccurate. For example

• Hasn’t Peter repaired this bicycle yet? 
  • No. He hasn’t had time.
  • Yes, he did it yesterday. 

Note: Sometimes "Yes-No questions", especially those used with modal verbs, serve to suggest, propose, request, invite or ask permission rather than simply elicit factual answers.

For example:

• Could you wait for 15 minutes, please? ➡ Request.
• Can I carry your luggage? ➡ Offer.

2. Wh – questions

"Wh-" questions in English refer to interrogative sentences that begin with interrogative pronouns or adverbs such as who, whom, which, what, why, where, how, and so on.

The structure is as follows:

Wh-question + auxiliary verb + S + V?

For example:

• Where does Hanna come from? 
• Who telephoned you last night? 
• What was that noise?

When using "wh-" questions in English, various common phrases can be employed such as: what time, what sort of, what kind of, how often, how mục, how many…

For example:

• How much money did Martin spend?
• What time is Hanna arriving? 

Note: When seeking factual information, phrases like "Do you know...?" and "Could you tell me...?" are commonly employed. If you start a question with these phrases, the word order in the sentence will be different from a simple question. For example:

• Where has Jenny gone? ➡ Do you know where Jenny has gone? 
• Who is that woman? ➡ Can you tell me who that woman is? 

3. Tag questions

The next type of interrogative sentence in English is called a "tag question". This refers to a short question added at the end of a statement. Tag questions are commonly used to check the accuracy of something stated or to request agreement.

The structure is as follows:

S + V + O, auxiliary verb + not + pronoun?

Note: If the statement preceding the tag is positive/affirmative, the tag itself will be negative. Conversely, if the statement is negative, the tag will be positive. For example:

• Hanna can swim, can’t she? 
• Jenny hasn’t got a car, has she?
• Sara plays the piano, doesn’t she? 

Note: When using tag questions in English, it's important to note the following:

• The tag question of “I am” is “aren’t I?”.For example: I am late, aren’t I? 
• “There” can be the subject in the tag question. For example: There is something wrong, isn’t there?
• The tag of “Let’s…” is “shall we?”. For example: Let’s go to the cinema, shall we?
• The tag of the imperatives like “Do…/ Don’t do…” is always “will you?”. For example: Do not make any noise, will you? 
• Affirmative tag questions are used after sentences with negative pronouns or adverbs "never, nothing, nobody, none, no, scary, hardly, little". For example: Hanna never says what she is thinking, does she?
• The pronoun “it” is used in tag questions instead of “nothing, everything, all”. The pronoun “they” is used instead of “anyone, no one, nobody, someone, somebody, everybody, everyone”. For example:
  • Nothing was said, was it? 
  • Someone had recognized her, hadn’t they?

4. Declarative questions

In writing, we can use English interrogative sentences in declarative questions with a rising intonation at the end of the sentence. This type of sentence is used when the speaker thinks they know or have understood something but wants to ask again to make sure or express surprise.

The way to respond to a declarative question is to answer "Yes" to confirm that the situation described is correct, or to answer "No" to confirm that the situation described is incorrect.

The structure is as follows:

S + V + O?

For example:

• That’s Martin? – Yes, he is.
• Jenny is working late tonight? – Yes, she is. 

5. Reply questions

Another common type among English interrogative sentences is the reply question. We can often reply to a statement with a short question to learn more information or express attention and interest.

The structure is as follows:

Auxiliary verb + pronoun?

or

Question word?

For example: 

• I’m going out. – Who with? 
• Martin is leaving her job. – When?
• Sara had a lovely holiday. – Did she?
• Jenny has got a headache. – Has she? I will get her an aspirin.

6. Rhetorical questions

The last type of English interrogative sentence is the rhetorical question. It is used as a rhetorical device to make a statement more suggestive, implied, and engaging without expecting an actual response.

The structure is as follows:

Auxiliary verb + S + V + O?

Example:

• Do you know what time it is?
• Haven’t I done enough for you? 

III. Exercises on interrogative questions in English

Now that we have learned all the theories about the different types of English interrogative sentences, let's dive into some practical exercises to apply what we've covered!

Exercise: Make interrogative sentences for the underlined words in the following sentences:

• Hanna’s favorite subject is Biology. 
• Yes, he is. (Martin is good at singing).
• Peter goes to the market once a month. 
• Jenny learned Music in primary school. 
• Sara needs a day off to recharge her batteries. 
• It took her 6 hours to travel by bus. 
• Peter headed to the restaurant because he was hungry. 
• The water bottle is 0.6 USD.

Answer keys:

• What is Hanna’s favorite subject?
• Is Martin good at singing?
• How often does Peter go to the market?
• What did Jenny do in primary school?
• Why does Sara need a day off?
• How long did it take her to travel by bus?
• Why did Peter head to the restaurant?
• How much is the water bottle?

You must have known what an interrogative sentence is in English, mustn’t you? This article has helped you summarize all the detailed knowledge about interrogative sentences in English, including concepts, structures, and specific examples. Hopefully, this material will be a useful resource to help you effectively study foreign languages!