Word order in English language subject to clear diagram (pictured). Substitute the words instead of the squares and get the correct word order. The scheme is simple and you can figure it out in just 15 minutes. For a better understanding, there are examples of English sentences with translation into Russian.

Word order in an English sentence, construction scheme.

The standard English sentence is built on such a scheme:

The sentence shown in the figure is called narrative or, which is the same, affirmative. An affirmative sentence is when someone has done something and we are talking about it.

At the first place The subject of a sentence is the one who performs the action. In the diagram and in the examples, the subject is highlighted in red. The subject can be a noun (mother, cat, apple, work, etc.) or a pronoun (I, you, he, etc.). The subject can also contain several adjectives used as a definition (fast cat, red apple, etc.).

In second place always worth the predicate. The predicate is the action itself. In the diagram and in the examples, the predicate is highlighted in blue. It is expressed by a verb (go, look, think, etc.)

After the predicate one or more additions. An object is again a noun or a pronoun.

And at the end of the sentence are circumstances of place and time. They show where and when the action took place. As a rule, first come the words that answer the question “Where?”, And then the words that answer the question “When?”.

Examples of affirmative sentences:

What if there is no subject?

In Russian, statements are quite common in which either the subject or the predicate is omitted, or both. For example:

In English, the predicate is obligatory. And in such cases, the verb to be is used as a predicate. For example:

They are students.
They are students.

That is, the English instead of "They are students" say "They are students", instead of "This is a tree" they say "This is a tree." Here "are" and "is" are forms of the verb to be. This verb, unlike most other English verbs, changes by person. You can see all forms of the verb to be.

If both the subject and the predicate are missing in the Russian sentence, then when translating into English, “It is” is put at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

Cold.
It is cold.

The order of adjectives.

It happens that the addition contains a large number of adjectives. For example:

I bought a large beautiful and very comfortable sofa.

Here is the standard word order for adjectives in an English sentence:

1) adjectives that describe your impression of the subject (good, beautiful, excellent ...)

2) size (big, small…)

3) age (new, old…)

5) origin (Italian, German…)

6) the material from which it is made (metal, leather ...)

7) what it is intended for (office, computer ...)

For example:

Words that have a special place in a sentence.

If the sentence contains the words:

Showing the frequency of the action (often, never, sometimes, always…)

Then these words must be placed before the semantic verb or after the verb to be or, in the case of a compound verb, after the first verb. For example:

He often goes to the gym.
He often goes to the gym.

He is often tired after work.
He is often tired after work(be tired - to be tired)

You must never do it again.
You will never do this again.

Word order in negative and interrogative English sentences.

I talked about affirmative sentences. Everything is simple with them. But in order to somehow speak English, you need to be able to build negative statements and ask questions. In a negative English sentence, the word order is almost the same, but the questions are built according to a slightly different pattern.

Here is a picture showing all three types of sentences:

An important part of learning a foreign language is the ability to ask questions. In English, as in any other language, there are different types interrogative sentences that have their own rules of formation. Articles about temporary forms in English describe general rules formation of interrogative sentences, but this topic is not fully disclosed.

This article discusses in detail all types of interrogative sentences, how they are formed, how they differ and how to apply them in practice. If you have questions about this topic or any additions, you can leave your message on our forum.

Types of interrogative sentences

All question questions can be divided into the following types:

• General issues- Answers to such interrogative sentences can be "Yes" or "No".
• Special questions- interrogative sentences starting with the so-called Wh-questions.
• Alternative questions- interrogative sentences are set in order to make a choice to the interlocutor between any objects or events.
• Separation questions- interrogative sentences end with "isn't it?" to get one or another confirmation from the interlocutor.
• Questions with denial- these are questions that contain the denial of any action, state of something or someone.

Below you can find out how each type of interrogative sentence is formed and used.

General questions in English

General issues- These are questions that can only be answered with "Yes" or "No", but can be answered more extensively in a positive or negative context. You should know that when forming general questions in English, in the first place in the sentence, you must use auxiliary (do/be/have or modal verbs) of one form or another. For example:

• Do do you go to school every day? - Do you go to school every day?- This sentence is formed in the present simple tense, where " Do"- is an auxiliary verb.
• Did you make a home work yesterday? - Did you do your homework yesterday?- This sentence is formed in the past simple tense, where the auxiliary verb "Did" - it is he who indicates the past tense.
• Were you at home yesterday? - Were you at home yesterday?- This sentence uses the verb "to be" in the past simple plural form.
• Am I a good teacher - Am I a good teacher?- This sentence also uses the verb "to be" in the form of the simple present tense for the 1st person singular.

In the articles devoted to one or another tense form, auxiliary verbs in interrogative sentences are described in detail, their correct use and examples.

Special questions in English

Special questions- these are questions that require a full answer for a particular circumstance. To ask a special question, you need to use the so-called Wh-questions, which are placed in the first place in the interrogative sentence, after which one or another auxiliary verb should be used, which corresponds to any tense form, depending on the context of the interrogative sentence. For example:

• Why do do you go to school every day? - Why do you go to school every day?
• When did you make your home work? - When did you do your homework?
• When was he at London - When was he in London?

Alternative questions in English

Alternative questions- these are interrogative sentences that involve making a choice between two or more objects or events. An example of using an alternative question:

• Does he study at the University or at school? Does he go to university or school?
• Are they doctors or lawers? Are they doctors or lawyers?
• Will we go to Paris or London?- Are we going to Paris or London?
• Does she studies or work?- Is she studying or working?

This type of interrogative sentences is formed in the same way as general questions, i.e. an auxiliary verb in one or another tense form (to be / to do / to have / or a modal verb) is put in first place in the sentence, then the subject + main verb, then put " or " (or) + the second verb, or you can use an object or circumstance as a choice, examples are given above.

It should be borne in mind that alternative questions can be formed in a simplified version, for example:

• Do you want to go to the park or not? - Do you want to go to the park or not?
• Do do you want to drink some tea? green or black ? - Do you want to drink tea? Black or green?

Separating questions in English

Separating questions are questions that require one or another confirmation from the interlocutor. Sentences with a dividing question consist of two parts: the main part and the so-called "tail", which is essentially a question. The main part is formed by general rule affirmative or negative sentences, and the "tail" is formed from the auxiliary verb used in the main sentence (with a slight nuance). For example:

• We are going to the cinema, aren't we?- We're going to the cinema, aren't we?
• You know how to make it don't you?- You know how to do it, don't you?
• I will not go to london, will you?- You're not going to London, are you?
• She is not working now, is she?- She's not working now, is she?

Thus, when forming dividing questions, attention should be paid to the following:

• In what tense form the main sentence is formed, since it depends on which auxiliary verb to use when translating the interrogative particle "isn't it?".
• What type of sentence is used in the main sentence (affirmative or negative), since it depends on how the translation of the interrogative particle "isn't it?" will be formed. If the main sentence is affirmative, then we use the auxiliary verb of this sentence and put it in negative form. If the main sentence has a negative form, then the auxiliary verb in the "tail" will be in the affirmative form. Examples of these rules are given above.

Exceptions: You need to know the exceptions that the above rules for the formation of disjunctive questions:

• The main sentence in disjunctive questions starting with "I am" form a question in the "tail" - "aren" t I"? For example: I am a smart man, aren't I? - I clever man, is not it?
• All sentences beginning with "Let" s" in the tail form "shall we?". For example: Let's go to the cinema, shall we? Let's go to the cinema, shall we?
• All sentences starting with "Let us" (let us) in the tail form "will you?". For example: let us go to the cinema, will you? - Let us go to the cinema, huh?
• In sentences with adjectives such as: everyone, someone, anyone, no one; question in "tail" uses "they". For example: Someone should go to London, shouldn't they? - Someone has to go to London, right?
• In sentences that use adverbs such as: never (never), rarely (rarely), seldom (rarely), hardly (barely), barely (barely) and with such negative pronouns as: nothing (nothing), nowhere (nowhere), none (no one, nothing), nobody (no one), the tail question will always be positive. For example: They could hardly solve this problem, could they? - They can hardly solve this problem, can they? / She saw nobody, did she? She didn't see anyone, did she?

Questions with denial

Negative questions are those questions that contain one or another negation and at the same time require confirmation or refutation of this negation. For example:

• Don't you mind if I do it?- Do you mind if I do this?
• Isn"t he a good man?- Isn't he a good person?
• Didn't he do it?- He didn't (Didn't he?)
• Why won't are we going to Paris this year? Why don't we go to Paris this year?

When forming questions with negation, it is necessary to use an auxiliary verb (do, be, have or modal verbs) of one or another tense form with negation and, as in any questions, put it in first place in the sentence, or immediately after the interrogative word.

Exercises on the topic of interrogative sentences in English

Conclusion

When compiling interrogative sentences, one should pay attention to the tense form, since it contains an auxiliary verb used in interrogative sentences.

Any questions when using or forming one or another type of interrogative sentence? Ask and participate in the discussion in our specially created forum topic dedicated to learning English.

Other articles about English grammar

Hi all. You are in an English grammar lesson. And since you are already here, by the end of the article you will definitely be able to deal with today's topic. And the topic of the lesson is interrogative sentences in English. In this article, we will tell you what types of questions are, how they are built, and how to answer them.

Types of interrogative sentences

This topic is relevant for students of any level of language proficiency, because mistakes are possible even on more high level when it comes to building questions in English. They confuse word order, skip auxiliary verbs, use wrong intonation. Our mission is to prevent such errors from occurring. Can we start?

The first thing to know about questions in English is that they are different from the structure of affirmative sentences. We usually (but not always!) ask questions in English by changing the word order: we put the auxiliary verb first before the subject. Another (main) verb is placed after the subject. In the picture, the word order in the English question looks like this:

Interrogative sentences are divided into four types:

1. General question (general question). We ask this question when we want to know general information. We can answer it with one word "yes" or "no".
2. Separating question (tag question). Here the statement is already embedded in the question, and the answerer can only answer whether this is so. Usually ends with wording like “isn’t it?” ("is not it?").
3. Alternative question (alternative question). You are asked to choose one of the several options offered.
4. Special question (special question). We need such questions in order to find out certain, specific information that interests us. The questioner has no assumptions about the answer, and the question cannot be answered with yes or no.
5. Question to the subject (question to subject). We know the predicate, and we ask the question to find out who performs the action.

To make it clearer, let's look at the interrogative sentences in the table with examples.

*V - verb, predicate
*Subject - subject

This is the general picture. Now let's take a closer look at each of the types of interrogative sentences.

general question

The easiest way to construct a general question is a simple inversion. We take a statement and, according to the rules for constructing a question, change the places of the subject and the predicate.

Kim is a doctor. Is Kim a doctor?
Julie will study German. Will Julie learn German?
Ducks can fly. - Can ducks fly?

In the examples above, nothing had to be added to the verbs. But sometimes you need to add an auxiliary verb. For example:

I like oranges. - Do you like oranges?- Do you like oranges?
He tried to enter Oxford University. Did he try to enter Oxford University?- Did he try to go to Oxford?
Tom likes swimming in the sea. - Does Tom like swimming in the sea? Does Tom like to swim in the sea?
She goes to work everyday. - Does she go to work everyday? Does she go to work every day?

Otherwise, there shouldn't be any problems. The main thing is to know the basic rules of grammar. So let's move on to the next type.

Tag question

It's even easier here. You don't even need to change anything. We just take a statement and add "isn't it?" at the end. Just like in Russian. The interrogative part depends on the affirmative part. If is was used at the beginning, then isn't will be used at the end, and so on. For example:

Kim is a doctor, isn't he? Kim is a doctor, right?
Julie will study German, won't she? Julie will be learning German, won't she?
Ducks can fly, can't they?- Ducks can fly, right?
I am your friend, aren't I?- I'm your friend, right?
He isn't your brother, is he?- He's not your brother, is he?
They aren't at home now, are they? They're not at home right now, are they?
Your friend worked in IT, didn't he?- Your friend worked in IT, didn't he?
You used to get up at 5 a.m., didn't you?- You got up early at 5 am, right?

That is, we are, as it were, almost sure of our statement, but we want to make sure. "Ducks fly, don't they?"

alternative question

It is built almost according to the same rules as the general question. The only difference is that at the end, instead of one option, several are offered.

Is Kim a doctor or a teacher? Kim - doctor or teacher?
Will Julie study German of French? Will Julie study German or French?
Will they go to the park or to the cinema?- Will they go to the park or to the cinema?
Did you buy apples or pears?- Did you buy apples or pears?
Does he work or study?- Does he work or study?

Accordingly, in the answer it is no longer possible to simply say “yes” or “no”, but you need to choose one of the options.

You may have noticed that our favorite duck example has been dropped. Because not always several options will form an alternative question. For example: "Can ducks fly or not?". There are two options here, but this is a general question because you can answer yes or no. Or “Can ducks fly or swim?” This is also not an alternative question, since it is not necessary to choose one option (they can be able to do both, and we do not suggest choosing, but only combining two questions into one).

special question

In a special question, interrogative words are used. These are what (what), where (where), when, whose (whose), (when), how (how), why (why), and so on. The interrogative word is placed at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the verb (or auxiliary verb), the subject - and then the rest of the sentence. For example:

What is Kim's profession?- What is Kim's job?
When will Julie study German?- When will Julie learn German?
Why do ducks fly?- Why do ducks fly?
What are you cooking?- What are you cooking?
What do you want to eat?- What do you want to eat?
When did you leave the house?- When did you leave home?

Question to subject

Everything is the same as with a special question, but now the question does not refer to the predicate, but to the subject.

Who is Kim?- Who is Kim?
Who will study German?- Who will learn German?
Who can fly?- Who can fly?
Who went to the supermarket?- Who went to the supermarket?
Who are you?- Who are you?
What happened to your friend?- What happened to your friend?
Who did that?- Who did it?

We answer in the same way as for a special question, but we already name the subject. Who did it? - He did it!

Conclusion

As you managed to replace, there is nothing complicated in asking a question and finding out the information of interest. We hope that this article will help you deal with all the subtleties and nuances. Learn English, be inquisitive and ask the correct English questions to your interlocutors. Because not knowing is not a shame. It's a shame not to want to know!

EnglishDom #we inspire to learn

Word order in an English question is very easy to remember. Almost all questions have the same structure. All you have to do is always remember one simple question that you can use like a formula:

How do you do?

It shows that in the first place is question word (if it exists), on the second - auxiliary or modal verb , then goes subject , main verb and the rest of the sentence (if any). However, there are a few more nuances that we will consider in this article.

Question word - question word

Question words may not be present in a sentence, for example in Yes/No questions("yes/no" questions). However, if they are needed by meaning, then they come first.

Where do you live?(Where do you live?)
How old are you?(How old are you?)
When are you going to arrive in London?(When will you arrive in London?)
What will you do on Monday?(What are you going to do on Monday?)
Why am I so stupid?(Why am I so dumb?)
Which job does Lena look for?(What job is Lena looking for?)

Auxiliary or modal verb in questions

In interrogative (interrogative) sentences, as in negative ones, the English predicate always consists of at least two elements: an auxiliary and a main verb. In questions, there is only one exception to this rule, and it concerns the verb to be(to be). It does not require an additional auxiliary verb
Examples:

In other cases, even if in an affirmative sentence the predicate is expressed by one verb (for example, in and), then an auxiliary verb is added to the question do, does or did. Examples of interrogative sentences for different tenses of the verb:

Word order in an English question to the subject (subject question)

This is a special case where we don't add auxiliary verbs do, does, did. Let's take the following sentence as an example:

Somebody paid the bill.(Someone paid the bill)

You can ask a question to supplement the bill — What did somebody pay?(What did someone pay for?), here you need to add an auxiliary verb.

If we want to know who paid the bill, then this will be a question for the subject, and it will be formed as follows: Who paid the bill?(Who paid the bill?) - without an auxiliary verb.

Examples of questions to the subject:

What happened?(What happened?)
Who lives in the flat?(Who lives in the apartment?)
What fell on the floor?(What fell on the floor?)
Who cooked that cake?(Who made that cake?)

Word order in an English question with a preposition

Very often in questions starting with Who, What, Which, Where, there is a preposition, it also has a special place in the question, namely, it is placed at the end of the sentence:

What are you thinking about?(What are you thinking about?)
Where are your parents from?(Where are your parents from?)
Who do you want to speak to?(Who do you want to talk to?)
Which hotel did she stay at?(Which hotel is she staying at?)
What speed are you going at?(How fast are you going?)

In English, there are also questions with a "tail" - disjunctive questions, such as: It's nice weather today, isn't it?(Good weather today, isn't it?).
Read more about separation issues in the article.