A question is a spoken or written sentence or phrase that seeks information, clarification, a response or an explanation. Forming interrogative sentences simply means structuring questions.
Interrogative sentences
An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence that asks a question. There are four types of questions in English, and this article will look mainly at the structure of the most common of these, direct questions and embedded questions. Of direct questions, there are four types of sub-structure.
Direct questions
Direct questions typically start with question words such as who, what, when, where, why, which, whose and how.
Here are some examples of direct questions with question words:
- Where is the library?
- What time does the film start?
- How much does it cost?
- Who will be the next speaker?
- Why did they cancel the meeting?
- Which train are you taking?
- Whose book is this?
- When will the exam be?
However, not all direct questions start with a question word. Any question is a direct question if it is directly requesting information and ends with a question mark. So the following are also direct questions:
- Do you know where the library is?
- Has the film started yet?
- Does this cost much?
- Is the next speaker any good?
- Did they cancel the meeting?
- Are you taking the train?
- Will you read this book?
- Have you prepared for the exam?
There are, in fact, four structures that direct questions in English grammar can take:
- Formation with a question word and an auxiliary verb
- Formation with an auxiliary verb but no question word
- Formation with a question word but no auxiliary verb
- Formation with neither a question word nor an auxiliary verb
Direct questions with question words and an auxiliary verb
A question word is often added to request specific or more detailed information. When a question word is added to a direct question, it appears at the very beginning:
question word – auxiliary verb – subject – main verb – object (if present) – further info (if present)
- Why are you coming home early?
- When did she finish her homework?
- Where can they swim?
Direct questions with an auxiliary verb but no question word
In most direct questions without a question word, the subject and the auxiliary verb are inverted. This means that the auxiliary verb comes before the subject:
auxiliary verb – subject – main verb – object (if present) – further info (if present)
- Are you coming home early?
- Did she finish her homework?
- Can they swim?
Note that in the above examples there is an auxiliary verb (are/did/can), and therefore the subject appears between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. For more on auxiliary verbs, please see this post.
To illustrate the inversion of the subject and the auxiliary verb, rephrased as a declarative sentence (that is a statement) the examples would look as follows:
subject – auxiliary verb – main verb – object (if present) – further info (if present)
- You are coming home.
- She did finish her homework.
- They can swim.
Direct questions with a question word but no auxiliary verb
However, sometimes a direct question does not contain an auxiliary verb:
question word – main verb – object – further info (if present)
- How are you?
- What is the time?
Direct questions with neither an auxiliary verb nor a question word
Finally, direct questions can occasionally be formed with neither an auxiliary verb nor a question word:
main verb – subject – object (if present) – further info (if present)
- Are you well?
- Is that the time?
Embedded questions
Embedded questions are questions that are incorporated or ’embedded’ within a larger sentence and do not start with question words. Note that in all the examples of direct questions, there is a question mark ? at the end of the question to illustrate that a question has been posed.
This is not the case with an embedded question. An embedded question is a question that is asked indirectly. A listener or reader must deduce that a question has been asked. There is no question mark at the end of the sentence.
- I wonder whether she will attend the party tonight.
In this sentence, the embedded question (the question embedded into the sentence) is ‘whether she will attend the party tonight’, which is part of the larger sentence “I wonder whether she will attend the party tonight.”
Here are some further examples of embedded questions:
- I’m not sure where the library is.
- She’s wondering how much it costs.
- I don’t know who the next speaker will be.
- I want to find out why they cancelled the meeting.
In these examples, the embedded questions are part of statements or requests, and they do not use the typical question word order. Because the questions are embedded into a larger sentence they follow the structure of declarative sentences.
Other question structures
Additional types of question structures in English grammar are tag questions, which can be further explored via the link, and choice questions, which are simply any type of question in which the options for the answer are included in the question:
- Do you prefer history or geography?
- Do you like wholenut chocolate or smooth milk?
Conclusion
The four main types of questions in English are direct questions, embedded questions, choice questions and tag questions. This post has discussed the structure of direct questions and embedded questions.
Direct questions can be structured in a variety of ways according to whether they use a question word or an auxiliary verb, but are always direct and end with a question mark.
Embedded questions do not end with a question mark and are embedded into a sentence while being understood as a question that is indirectly asked.
If you have any questions or comments, please do enter them below.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Börjars, Kersti, and others. Introducing English Grammar, 2nd edn (Routledge, 2010)
Burton-Roberts, Noel. Analysing Sentences: An Introduction to English Syntax, 4th edn (Routledge, 2016)
Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, 3rd edn (Cambridge University Press, 2019)
Dreyer, Benjamin. Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style (Penguin Random House, 2020)
Hewings, Martin, and others. Cambridge English Grammar and Vocabulary for Advanced (Cambridge University Press, 2015)
Huddleston, Rodney, and others. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (Cambridge University Press, 2002)
Parrott, Martin. Grammar for English Language Teachers, 2nd edn (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
Quirk, Randolph, and others. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, reprint edn (Pearson, 2011)
New Hart’s Rules: The Handbook of Style for Writers and Editors (Oxford University Press, 2005)