Tips on Interrogatives

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6 TIPS on INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES

• Grammar Rules and Tips for using Interrogative

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What is Interrogative?

• An Interrogative is a type of sentence which
  usually asks a question or requests information
  and ends with a question mark (?).
• An interrogative sentence usually begins with
• a question word such as what, who, where, which
  or how. Example What is your name?
• an auxiliary verb such as do/does, can or would.
  Example Do you speak English?
• Formation of Interrogative Sentences
• From an assertive sentence in the simple present
  tense Do(for I, You and Plurals)/Does
  (Singular) subject present tense form of the
  verb.Meera sings a song. (Assertive)Does Meera
  sing a song? (Interrogative)
• From an affirmative sentence that contains the
  auxiliaries is, am, are, has or have, can, may,
  will, shall etc, the interrogative sentence will
  begin with these words.She is a doctor.
  (Affirmative)Is she a doctor? (Interrogative)
• If the interrogative sentence is in the negative,
  we begin it with do not or does not. Example
  Dont you want to come with us?

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Types of Interrogatives

• Yes/No interrogatives are questions that can be
  answered with a yes or a no response. Example
  Are you ready to go? (Yes I am ready to go) Did
  you go to the game Friday night?
• Alternative interrogatives are questions that
  provide for two or more alternative answers.
  Example Would you prefer chocolate or vanilla
  ice cream? Should I call or email you?
• Wh-interrogative sentences begin with a wh-word
  and call for an open-ended answer.  They begin
  with what, when, where, who, whom,
  which, whose, why and how. The answer can be a
  simple response or complex explanation. Example
  What are you doing? Which songs do you like best?
• Tag questions are questions attached or tagged
  onto the ending of a declarative statement.  They
  transform a declarative sentence into an
  interrogative sentence. Example You live in the
  city, dont you? We need to get going now, dont
  we?

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Tips on using Interrogatives
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Tip 1 Direct Indirect Interrogative
Tip 2 Interrogative with Auxiliary Verb
If the verb is an auxiliary verb, the
interrogative is formed without the
auxiliary do/does/didIs Brinda in his office?
(Brinda is in office) Can I talk to you?  If the
verb is 'normal', the interrogative is
formed with the auxiliary do/does/did. After an
auxiliary verb, the verb is added in the
infinitive without toDo you like that
album? Did she see the movie? In both cases, the
sentence is formed by inverting the first
auxiliary verbShe is writing. -gt Is she
writing? Note The 'normal' verb to do is also
conjugated with the auxiliary do/does/didDid
you do it?

• Direct questions normally use inverted word order
  (verb before subject) and end with a question
  mark.
• Example
• When is she coming for dinner?
• Indirect questions normally do not use inverted
  word order and do not end with a question mark.
• Example
• I wonder when she is coming for dinner.
• An indirect question can form part of an
  interrogative sentence. For example
• Can you tell me what material she likes?
• (Direct-question version What material does she
  like?)

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Tip 4 How
Tip 3 W-H Interrogative
How can be used to form questions in many
different ways.  1.Used by itself to mean "in
what way". How do you start the car? 2. With
adjectives to ask about the degree of an
attribute. How old is your house? 3. With much
and many to ask about quantity. How many people
are coming to the party? (many is used with
countable nouns.) How much flour do I need?
(much is used with uncountable nouns) 4. With
other adverbs to ask about the frequency or
degree of an action. How quickly can you drive
the car?

• Form Wh-questions
•  wh-  an auxiliary verb (be, do or have)
  subject main verb
• When are you leaving?
•  wh-  a modal verb subject main verb
• What has she done now?
• When what, who, which or whose is the subject or
  part of the subject, we do not use the auxiliary.
  We use the word order subject verb
• Who wants an ice cream?
• Who doesnt want an ice cream?

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Tip 5 What, Which
Tip 6 Who, Whom, Whose
Who is used to refer to the subject of a
sentence, i.e., subject pronoun like "he," "she"
and "we" I see you. Who sees you? Whom refers to
the object and object pronoun like "him," "her"
and "us."  I see you. I see whom? or Whom do I
see? Whose is used to refer to possessive
pronoun like "his," "her" and "our. Whose camera
is this? If the interrogative pronoun is a
subject, there is no inversionWho told you
this? (she told me this) If the interrogative
pronoun is an object, there is inversionWho(m)
are you talking to? (..talking to him)

• What, Which are used to ask questions about
  people or objects and in most cases can be
  replaced by each other.
• Which is used to ask about a fixed/limited
  number of things/people or when the options are
  visible or known to the speaker.
• Which flavor of ice cream do you want? (the
  speaker knows about the choices offered or
  available)
• What is used to ask about things/people
  without the limitation or knowledge of the
  choices offered .
• What do you want for dessert? (the speaker
  doesnt know)

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Spot the Errors
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Spot the Error

• Rahul asked whether anybody had seen his laptop?
• Do have you seen my book?
• Did Rajesh called to you?
• Who does want a sandwich for breakfast?
• How many water should I add to the curry?

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Spot the Error

• Rahul asked whether anybody had seen his laptop?
• Rahul asked whether anybody had seen his laptop.
• Do have you seen my book?
• Have you seen my book?
• Did Rajesh called to you?
• Did Rajesh call you?
• Who does want a sandwich for breakfast?
• Who wants a sandwich for breakfast?
• How many water should I add to the curry?
• How much water should I add to the curry?

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Spot the Error

• What hand do you write with?
• Who you fear the most?
• Whom is in the kitchen?
• Who did he blame for the accident?
• Whom cell phone keeps ringing?

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Spot the Error

• What hand do you write with?
• Which hand do you write with?
• Who you fear the most?
• Whom do you fear the most?
• Whom is in the kitchen?
• Who is in the kitchen?
• Who did he blame for the accident?
• Whom did he blame for the accident?
• Whom cell phone keeps ringing?
• Whose cell phone keeps ringing?

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