Grammar guide Updated 2026-09-10

Question Forms in English: Yes/No, Wh- Questions and Mistakes

Every English question is built from the same three moves: choose an auxiliary, put it before the subject, and keep the main verb in its base form. Once you can see those three moves, questions stop being something you memorise sentence by sentence and become something you can generate. This guide covers yes/no questions, wh- questions, the subject-question special case, indirect questions and question tags.

Question building blocks

Yes/no questions: put the auxiliary first

English questions are powered by an auxiliary verb that swaps places with the subject. If the sentence already has one — be, a modal (can, will, should, must) or have — swap it: She is at home → Is she at home? You can drive → Can you drive?

If the sentence has only a main verb, English borrows an auxiliary: do, does or did. That borrowed auxiliary takes over the tense and the person, and the main verb goes back to its base form: He works here → Does he work here? They went home → Did they go home?

Short answers repeat the auxiliary only: Do you smoke? — No, I don't. Can she swim? — Yes, she can. Repeating the full verb, as many languages do, sounds wrong in English.

Wh- questions: the question word goes first

Wh- words are who, whom, whose, what, which, when, where, why, how, plus the compounds how much, how many, how long, how often, how far. They come first, then the auxiliary and subject follow exactly as in a yes/no question: Where do you live? Why did she leave early? How often do you train?

When the wh- word is the subject of the sentence, the auxiliary disappears. Who called you? — not who did call you in normal speech. What happened? Which train goes to Oxford? How many students passed? The test is simple: if the wh- word is doing the action, there is no auxiliary before the verb.

Compare the two patterns with the same words: Who did you see? (object question — I saw somebody) and Who saw you? (subject question — somebody saw me). Only the first needs did.

Prepositions and indirect questions

In everyday English the preposition at the end of a question is fine: Who are you waiting for? What are you looking at? Which film are you talking about? In formal writing it moves forward: For whom are you waiting? Both are correct; the second is stiff in conversation.

Indirect questions drop the inversion and keep the normal word order: Where is the station? → Could you tell me where the station is? What does this word mean? → Do you know what this word means? The polite opening replaces the auxiliary: Do you know… Can you tell me… I wonder… Would you mind telling me…

Question tags and negative questions

A tag question adds a short check at the end of a statement. After an affirmative statement, use a negative tag; after a negative statement, use an affirmative tag — and always echo the auxiliary: You are Spanish, aren't you? She doesn't drive, does she? They've arrived, haven't they? You can swim, can't you?

Negative questions express surprise, or ask for confirmation: Don't you like coffee? Isn't she coming? The short answer still follows the fact, not the form: Don't you like coffee? — Yes, I do means you do like it. That asymmetry confuses learners, so answer with a short sentence when you can.

The mistakes learners make most often

Almost every wrong sentence in this area is one of the five below. Read the pair out loud — the wrong version then the right one — and the contrast does the teaching.

• ✘ Does she likes jazz? → ✔ Does she like jazz?

  The auxiliary does carries the third person -s; the main verb stays in its base form.

• ✘ Where you are going? → ✔ Where are you going?

  English inverts the subject and the auxiliary. Without be, a borrowed do / does / did is needed.

• ✘ Who did call you last night? → ✔ Who called you last night?

  Who is the subject here, so no auxiliary is used and the verb keeps its past form.

• ✘ Do you know where is the station? → ✔ Do you know where the station is?

  An indirect question keeps statement word order — no inversion inside the second clause.

• ✘ How many people does live in Tokyo? → ✔ How many people live in Tokyo?

  How many people is the subject of the question, so the verb needs no auxiliary.

How to practise question forms

Questions are produced at speed in real conversation, so they need automatic practice. Say each sentence as a statement first, then turn it into a question — this makes the auxiliary swap visible.

The free question forms drill has thirty questions mixing multiple choice, gap fill and listening dictation, with an explanation of the pattern behind every answer. Then use the questions for real in the pair-work ideas from our speaking activities post, or test the whole set of tenses in today's Quiz of the Day. Teachers can print the drill as a worksheet with or without the answer key.

Take the Question Forms drill (30 questions) → Build a worksheet Quiz of the Day

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a question in English?

Use an auxiliary verb before the subject. If the sentence already has be, a modal or have, move it in front of the subject: Are you ready? Can she swim? Have they arrived? With any other verb, add do, does or did and put the main verb back into its base form: Does he work here?

Why is who did call you wrong?

Because who is the subject of the sentence, so no auxiliary is needed: Who called you? Use the auxiliary only when the wh- word is the object: Who did you call? The same rule applies to what happened, which train goes to Oxford and how many students passed.

How do I form a question tag?

Repeat the auxiliary from the statement, change its polarity, and add the subject pronoun: You're Spanish, aren't you? She doesn't drive, does she? They've arrived, haven't they? If the statement has no auxiliary, use do, does or did in the tag.

How do indirect questions work?

Indirect questions keep statement word order: Could you tell me where the station is? Do you know what this word means? The polite phrase at the start replaces the inversion, and the second clause has subject before verb.

Keep reading

• ESL Speaking Activities: 10 Low-Prep Ideas for Class
• Present Simple vs Present Continuous: The Complete Guide
• Back-to-School Grammar Review: A 4-Week Plan for ESL

Every guide on this blog is paired with a free drill: the same rules, applied question by question, with explanations and a printable worksheet.