Unit 49. Questions 1.
Unit 49; Part A

subject + verb | verb + subject | ||
| • Will Tom be here tomorrow? • Have you been working hard? • When was the house built? |
Remember that the subject comes after the first verb:
• Is Catherine working today? (not Is working Catherine)
Unit 49; Part B

| • Do you live near here? • What time does the film begin? | |
In past simple questions, we use did: | ||
| • Did you sell your car? • Why did the train stop? | |
But do not use do/does/did if who/what etc. is the subject of the sentence. Compare: ![]() | ||
In these examples, who / what etc. is the subject: • Who wants something to eat? (not Who does want) • What happened to you last night? (not What did happen) • How many people came to the meeting? (not did come) • Which bus goes to the centre? (not does go) |
Unit 49; Part C

• Who do you want to speak to?
• Which job has Ann applied for?
• Where are you from?
• What was the weather like yesterday?
You can use preposition + whom in formal style:
• To whom do you wish to speak?
Unit 49; Part D

We use negative questions especially to show surprise:
• Didn't you hear the doorbell? I rang it three times.
or when we expect the listener to agree with us:
• 'Haven't we met somewhere before?' 'Yes, I think we have.'
Note the meaning of yes and no in answers to negative questions:
• Don't you want to go to the party? | Yes. (= Yes, I want to go) No. (= No, I don't want to go) |
Note the word order in negative questions beginning Why ... ?:
• Why don't we go out for a meal tonight? (not Why we don't go)
• Why wasn't Mary at work yesterday? (not Why Mary wasn't)
Exercises
![]() | Unit 48 Unit 49 Unit 50 | ![]() |