Writing: Sentence Construction and Variety (A2) - Lesson 3: Forming Simple Questions (Do you...? What is...?)

A2 Lesson 3: Forming Simple Questions (Do you...? What is...?)

You know that a question ends with a question mark (?). Today, we will learn how to build, or form¹, correct questions. In English, the word order for a question is often different from a statement. Let's learn two very common patterns.

Pattern 1: Yes/No Questions with 'Do' and 'Does'

We use this pattern to ask a question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." The structure² is: Do/Does + Subject + Verb...?

• Use Do with: I, you, we, they.
• Use Does with: he, she, it.

Look at the word order:

Do you like coffee?

Does she live in Kampot?

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Important Rule: After 'Does', the verb does NOT have an -s.

Correct ✅: Does he work here?

Incorrect ❌: Does he works here?

Pattern 2: Information Questions with 'be' Verbs

We use this pattern with question words (like What, Where, Who) to ask for specific information. The structure is: Question Word + is/are + Subject...?

Look at the word order change from a statement to a question:

Statement: His name is Dara.

Question: What is his name?

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Statement: The market is over there.

Question: Where is the market?

✍️ Question Writing Checklist

• ✔️ Does my question end with a question mark (?) ?
• ✔️ Does it start with a capital letter?
• ✔️ For a Yes/No question, did I start with Do or Does?
• ✔️ For an information question, did I start with a question word (What, Where, Who)?
• ✔️ Is the word order correct (verb before subject)?

🧠 Practice Quiz: Choose the Correct Word

Choose the correct word to complete the question.

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1. (Do / Does) your parents live in Cambodia?

Answer: Do (because "parents" is plural, like "they").

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2. What (is / are) the problem?

Answer: is (because "problem" is singular, like "it").

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3. Where (do / does) your friend work?

Answer: does (because "your friend" is singular, like "he" or "she").

📝 Homework: Turn Statements into Questions

Get your notebook and pen. Rewrite these statements as questions.

Part 1: Create Yes/No Questions

1. You like spicy food. → __________________?
2. He works at the salt fields. → __________________?

Part 2: Create Information Questions

1. Her name is Srey. (Use "What") → __________________?
2. The bus station is downtown. (Use "Where") → __________________?

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Answers:

Part 1: 1. Do you like spicy food? 2. Does he work at the salt fields?

Part 2: 1. What is her name? 2. Where is the bus station?

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Form (a sentence): (Verb) - បង្កើត - To create or build the structure of something. ↩
2. Structure / Word Order: (Noun) - រចនាសម្ព័ន្ធ / លំដាប់ពាក្យ - The correct way to arrange words in a sentence or question. ↩
3. Yes/No Question: (Noun Phrase) - សំណួរ បាទ/ចាស-ទេ - A question that can be answered with "yes" or "no". ↩
4. Information Question: (Noun Phrase) - សំណួរព័ត៌មាន - A question that asks for specific information using words like What, Where, Who. ↩
5. Base Form (of a verb): (Noun Phrase) - ទម្រង់ដើម (of a verb) - The simple form of a verb, without -s, -ed, or -ing. (e.g., work, live, eat).