Language Focus: Present Simple Questions
Introduction
In the previous step you read a text. The text had these four questions:
- Are IP addresses important?
- Do you send people letters?
- How does information on the internet arrive at the correct device?
- How does the information know where to go?
- What does an IP address look like?
These questions are all in the present simple tense.
Questions with the verb to be
Let’s look at the first question, Are IP addresses important?
This question uses the verb to be. Let’s quickly revise this verb:
| Present simple | |
|---|---|
| I | am |
| You | are |
| He/she/it | is |
| We | are |
| You | are |
| They | are |
This question has a subject (noun), a verb and an adjective.
- Subject: IP addresses
- Verb: are
- Adjective: important
Compare the question with the statement. What is the difference?
| Question | Statement |
|---|---|
| Are IP addresses important? | IP addresses are important. |
The order of the subject (IP addresses) and the verb (are) changes. The question has verb + subject. The statement has subject + verb. You can see this in the table below.
Question
| Verb | Subject | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| Are | IP addresses | important? |
Statement
| Subject | Verb | Adjective |
|---|---|---|
| IP addresses | are | important |
Task 1
The verb to be needs to change depending on the subject. Which form of the verb to be is missing here? (The subject is in bold.)
- _____ the internet fast at your house?
- _____ I connected?
- _____ you on YouTube?
You can download the answers here: Task 1 ANSWERS
Questions with other verbs
Questions with other verbs (not the verb to be) look different. For example: Do you send letters?
Task 2
Have a look at this question and statement:
| Question | Statement |
|---|---|
| Do you send letters? | You send letters. |
What is the main verb? What verb has been added to make a question?
You can download the answers here: Task 2 ANSWERS
The verb ‘do’: Form
The main verb is in the infinitive form, so it does not change depending on the subject. The verb do needs to change depending on the subject. Which subject is different?
| Present simple | |
|---|---|
| I | do |
| You | do |
| He/she/it | does |
| We | do |
| You | do |
| They | do |
For he/she/it, you need to use does. For example: Does he send letters?
Form: Do/Does + subject + main verb
Wh- questions
Finally, you can add what, where, who, why and how to ask for particular information.
Compare these two questions and answers. What is the difference between the answers?
| Question 1 | Answer 1 |
|---|---|
| Do you send letters? | Yes. |
| Question 2 | Answer 2 |
|---|---|
| How do you send letters? | I write them by hand, add a stamp, and put them in the letterbox close to my house. |
- The first question has only yes or no as an answer. These are sometimes called ‘yes/no questions’.
- But questions with what, where, who, why and how have information in the answer. These are sometimes called ‘information questions’.
The choice of question word (who, where, when, how, what, why) depends on what you want to find out. Have a look at these examples.
- How does information on the internet arrive at the correct device?
- How does the information know where to go?
- What does an IP address look like?
Which questions are asking about a process? Which one is asking for a description?
The how questions are asking about a process. The what question is asking for a description (of an IP address).
Task 3
Can you match these other question words with their function?
| Question word | Function |
|---|---|
| Where… ? | A reason |
| When… ? | A time |
| Who… ? | A place |
| Why… ? | A person |
You can download the answers here: Task 3 ANSWERS
Discussion
What do you find difficult about asking questions in the present simple in English?
English for STEM: Understanding Technology Vocabulary
English for STEM: Understanding Technology Vocabulary
