Grammar: Forming Questions
B1 Lesson 18: A Review of Inversion
The Golden Rule of Questions
Good news! Almost all Yes/No questions in English follow one simple pattern. This pattern is called inversion, which means we swap the position of the subject and the first helping verb (auxiliary verb).
Rule 1: If there IS a helping verb...
Simply swap the subject and the helping verb.
Statement: He is sleeping. (Subject: He, Helping Verb: is)
Question: Is he sleeping?
Rule 2: If there is NO helping verb...
You must ADD a helping verb (do, does, did).
Statement: She works. (No helping verb)
Question: Does she work?
The Grammar Rule 📖
Question Forms Across Tenses
| Tense / Verb Type | Statement | Question (with Inversion) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple ('be') | She is a doctor. | Is she a doctor? |
| Present Simple (Action) | He works here. | Does he work here? |
| Past Simple ('be') | They were late. | Were they late? |
| Past Simple (Action) | You went to the market. | Did you go to the market? |
| Present Continuous | He is sleeping. | Is he sleeping? |
| Future ('will') | They will arrive soon. | Will they arrive soon? |
| Modals ('can', 'should') | You can swim. | Can you swim? |
In Conversation
Notice the different question forms used by two friends planning a weekend trip to Kep.
Lina: I'm excited for our trip! Did you book the hotel?
Piseth: Yes, I did. It's near the beach. Is it going to be sunny this weekend?
Lina: The forecast said yes. Can you drive? My moto is being repaired.
Piseth: Of course. Will you be ready by 8 AM on Saturday?
Lina: Yes, I will!
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
Exercise: Change the Statements to Questions
Use inversion to change these statements into Yes/No questions.
- She works in a hotel in Siem Reap.
→ Does she work in a hotel in Siem Reap? - They visited the temples yesterday.
→ Did they visit the temples yesterday? - He is learning English.
→ Is he learning English? - We will have dinner at 7 PM.
→ Will we have dinner at 7 PM? - You can recommend a good restaurant.
→ Can you recommend a good restaurant?
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
What's the Question?
Practice thinking like a native speaker. Write a logical question for each answer below.
- Answer: No, she doesn't like spicy food.
Question: Does she like spicy food? - Answer: Yes, they were at home last night.
Question: Were they at home last night? - Answer: Yes, I can help you.
Question: Can you help me?
Key Vocabulary
- Inversion Changing the normal position of words, especially swapping the subject and helping verb to form a question.
- Helping Verb A verb (like do, be, will, can) that helps the main verb to form a tense or a question.
- Review An act of studying something again to remember it.