Types
Yes/No Questions
Yes/No Questions are typically the first question type that new English speakers learn. Their structure is similar to that of declarative sentences except that they include subject-auxiliary inversion (which means that the first auxiliary verb should come before the subject) and they end with a question mark.
Y/N Questions are often used to gather basic information. But they can also be used to request or offer favors.
For example:
- “Is purple your favorite color?“
- “Does Aiden need any assistance?“
- “Could you please pass the salt?“
The answers to Y/N Questions should generally be either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, especially if the asker is just seeking information. For requests, a literal ‘yes’ or ‘no’ might not be required in lieu of the listener simply granting the request. (For instance, the desired response to “Could you please pass the salt?” isn’t “Yes, I can”, but instead the action of passing the salt.)
Yes/No Questions can be viewed as the foundation for other Polar Question forms, as well as for Predicate Questions.
Negative Questions
Negative Questions are nearly the same as Y/N Questions except that they include a negator. The speaker can use ‘not‘, ‘never‘, or ‘no longer‘ after the leading auxiliary and the subject, but this is often regarded as formal. It is much more common to use the contracted form of ‘n’t‘ immediately after the leading auxiliary.
Negative Questions tend to assert the asker’s expectations. The asker probably seeks confirmation of their existing understanding, or they may be prodding the other person to respond in the affirmative. Often, negative questions are asked when there is evidence to suggest that reality does not meet expectations.
For example:
- “Isn’t purple your favorite color?” — The speaker believes your favorite color is purple.
- “Doesn’t Aiden need any assistance?” — The speaker expects that Aiden needs assistance. They may be expressing surprise at an implication that Aiden doesn’t need assistance after all.
- “Couldn’t you pass the salt?” — The speaker feels that you could pass the salt, or maybe wonders why the salt isn’t being passed.
The answers to Negative Questions could technically be either ‘yes’ or ‘no’. However, the asker usually expects the answer to be ‘yes’ (making the fact that these questions come in a negative form ironic). Sometimes the asker might also expect a full explanation of the answer more than if they had phrased it as a Y/N Question.
Question Tags
Question Tags are short expressions that we can tag onto the end of a declarative sentence to turn it into a question. The tag can be a single word like “right?” or an abbreviated clause like “isn’t it?”. The mini-clauses feature subject-auxiliary inversion much like the beginnings of Yes/No Questions.
Like Negative Questions, Question Tags typically come with preconceived notions, and the asker might be seeking confirmation for what they already believe to be true. But unlike Negative Questions, the speaker’s beliefs probably aren’t challenged when using a Question Tag.
For example:
- “Purple is your favorite color, isn’t it?” — The speaker believes your favorite color is purple.
- “Aiden doesn’t need any assistance, does he?” — The speaker expects that Aiden doesn’t need assistance.
- “You could pass the salt, right?” — The speaker thinks you should be able to pass the salt.
Again, the answers could technically be either affirmative or negative, but the asker usually expects the answer to align with how the declarative statement would sound if it didn’t include the Question Tag at the end.
Choice Questions
Choice Questions (aka ‘Alternative Questions’) include multiple possible answers within the question. Again, these are structured similarly to Y/N Questions except that they include multiple options separated by ‘or’. Choice questions can have any number of possible options, but those with only two options can be referred to as ‘Either-Or Questions’.
For example:
- “Is purple or blue your favorite color?“
- “Does Aiden need any assistance or not?“
- “Could you pass the salt, or are your hands full?“
Notice that there are multiple ways to insert the alternative. We could use ‘or’ as a coordinating conjunction to form a list (where everything in the list is the same part of speech); we could simply add “or not?” at the end; or we could use ‘or’ to establish two separate clauses, forming a compound sentence.
The answers to Alternative Questions are expected to be one of the choices listed in the question. However, the responder might instead say “both”, “neither”, or something outside-the-box.
| Type | Application | Answer | Inflection |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Yes/No |
seeking information without bias; requesting a favor |
‘yes’ or ‘no’ |
rising |
|
Negative |
seeking confirmation when assumptions are challenged |
‘yes’ or ‘no’ |
rising |
|
Tag |
seeking confirmation; requesting a favor |
‘yes’ or ‘no’ |
rising or falling |
|
Choice |
asking among two or more alternatives |
selection among the alternatives |
falling |
Notes on Structure
The parts of structure that are unique to each question form are explained above. The notes on structure highlighted in this section apply broadly to all polar questions, sometimes in deeper detail than explained above.
Inflection
Inflection is the change in pitch when a sentence is spoken aloud. Question forms have particular patterns of inflection associate with each question type.
- For YES/NO QUESTIONS, the voice should rise toward the end.
- For NEGATIVE QUESTIONS, the voice should rise toward the end.
- For QUESTION TAGS, the voice should rise toward the end if the asker is speaker is uncertain (and asks in earnest), but fall toward the end if they are certain (or pose it as a rhetorical question that doesn’t truly seek an answer).
- For CHOICE QUESTIONS, the voice should fall toward the end.
Subject-Auxiliary Inversion
Subject-auxiliary inversion is when the leading auxiliary is placed before the subject. The leading auxiliary is the first auxiliary in a verb string.
- If there are multiple auxiliaries, the second, third, etc. still come after the subject. Only the first auxiliary applies to inversion.
- If there would otherwise be no auxiliary verbs, use DO to satisfy the inversion.
Subject-auxiliary inversion is used for certain question forms, including all polar questions.
Inversion should be applied when polar questions form the main clause of a sentence. But when they are instead embedded Content Clauses — as can be found in Indirect Questions — inversion should not be applied.
Answers
There are generally three ways that polar questions are answered:
- with a single word — eg: “Yes.”
- as a Short Answer — eg: “Yes, it is.”
- as a full sentence — eg: “Yes, my favorite color is purple.”
Single words and full sentences are pretty straightforward, so let’s take a look at Short Answers, which work for Y/N Questions, Negative Questions, and Question Tags.
Short Answers begin with either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, followed by a comma. Next comes a pronoun that matches the subject of the question. Then comes an auxiliary verb that aligns with the leading auxiliary from the original question. (This usually means those two auxiliaries are the same, but not always. A “you are” typically turns into “I am”, and vice versa). Finally, if the answer is negative, finish with ‘not‘ (alternatively, use ‘never‘ before the auxiliary verb). Close with a period.
Here are the positive and negative negative answers to each of the repeated three questions from the Types section:
- “Yes, it is.” / “No, it’s not.”
- “Yes, he does.” / “No, he doesn’t.”
- “Yes, I could.” / “No, I can not.”
Keep in mind that each Short Answer should have at least three distinct words. This matters when contractions combine two words into one. For instance, the affirmative answer “Yes, I’m,” doesn’t sound right; we’d have to use “Yes, I am,” instead.
Teaching Tips
A Strong Foundation
Make sure that English learners get a strong grasp of Yes/No Questions and Short Answers early on. Yes/No Answers serve as the foundation for other polar questions, along with Predicate Questions. If students struggle with or keep making mistakes with Y/N Questions, chances are they’ll continue to get it wrong as grammar topics get more advanced.
The trickiest part is often the subject-auxiliary inversion.
Rearranging
The key thing that makes polar questions different from declaratives — apart from the question mark at the end — is the order of the words (namely, the inversion).
Have students practice turning declaratives into interrogatives and vice versa simply by rearranging the words (and changing the punctation mark). We recommend writing each word of a sentence on a separate notecard, then asking students to place them in order based on your prompts. This is a good time to practice affirmatives vs. negatives as well.
Advanced Applications
Yes/No Questions can be about as simple as they come. At their baseline, they can be used to ask for simple information. But they can also be used for more, which students may discover at intermediate or even advanced levels.
- Y/N Questions can be used to request favors, for which the expected response is an action rather than information.
- Y/N Questions can be used to offer assistance.
- Y/N Questions can be rhetorical, which means that the speaker says it to prompt listeners to think and to get the speaker’s point across, and no literal answer is expected.
These are more reasons to set a strong foundation for Yes/No Questions when students are at early levels.
Insider Access
Visit our How to Teach Question Forms grammar series on www.insightstoEnglish.com for demonstrational videos, bonus notes, printouts, slideshows for your class, practice activities, and more.
Further Reading
Encyclopedia Pages
Insights Articles
Intermediate Topics
CEFR Levels B1-B2: Pre-Intermediate to Upper Intermediate courses
