Mastering Questions in English

Every question in English must include one of a group of 20 special verbs -- do you know what those 20 verbs are? I call this group "Green Verbs," and knowing this list can be extremely helpful. Understanding when and how to use each one is a necessary part of asking good questions. Watch and learn! Then, read the attached "Green Verbs Notes" in order to get a written description plus examples.

You've probably learned about the main types of questions in English: Yes/No Questions, Information Questions, and Choice Questions. This will review what you already know, and make sure that you are using correct format, correct question words (which, how, etc.), and correct intonation. Watch the video and then download and read the attached Notes. If you master this material, you will eliminate most of the problems that English learners have with asking questions! Go for it!

Tag questions are often taught only briefly in grammar books, but they account for a significant number of questions that native speakers ask. English learners, on the other hand, rarely use them. Watch the video lesson, read and study the Tag Question Notes, and take the quizzes. If you learn how to form tag questions and use them in your speech, you can sound more like a native speaker!

Do all questions in English look like questions? No! In fact, some questions are simply statements with question intonation. This may sound wonderfully easy, but there are a few tricky things to watch out for, especially how to answer a negative statement.

Embedding questions into other questions is the most common way to make questions polite, and is therefore a very frequent and important form in English. In some languages, direct questions are fine in most situations, but in English this politeness IS important. Knowing how and when to use embedded questions will make a big difference in how your requests are received.