Yes-No Questions

Explanations, Examples, Exercises

Yes / No Questions

Watch the video and learn how to use these correctly.

There are many types of questions in English. The easiest are questions that can be answered “yes” or “no.”

Q: Are you from around here?A: Yes, I am.
Q: Do you come here often?A: Yes, I do.
Q: Can I buy you a drink?A: No, thanks.
Q: Are you married?A: Yes, I am.

To form a question from a statement, first count the number of verbs.

John is a doctor.One verb: is (be)
Jane drives a sports car.One verb: drives
Joan played basketball last night.One verb: played
Jan is eating her dinner.Two verbs: is eating
June has rented an apartment.Two verbs: has rented
Jen has been living there since 1969.Three verbs: has been living

If there is one verb in the statement and the verb is a form of be, simply switch the
positions of the subject and verb.

StatementQuestion
John is a doctor.Is John a doctor?
The Jensens are here.Are the Jensens here?

If there are two verbs, simply switch the positions of the subject and first verb.

StatementQuestion
Jan is eating dinner.Jan is eating dinner.
June has rented an apartment.June has rented an apartment.
Jen has been living here since 1969.Jen has been living here since 1969.

If there is one verb, and the verb is not a form of be, the process is more complex.

Watch the video below for more information.

Advertisement

Learn English with our premium 1-on-1 classes. Click to know more!
Scroll to Top