Yes/No Questions for intermediate learners

'Do you like English?' 'Are you making progress?' 'Have these lessons been helping you?' If you want to learn about how to make yes/no questions, read this.

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"Yes/No Questions" in the English Grammar

What Are Yes/No Questions?

Yes/No questions are questions that we can answer using 'yes' or 'no'.

Structure

Yes/No questions are made of the following auxiliary verbs:

How to Make Yes/No Questions

To make a yes/no question, all you have to do is to use an auxiliary verb at the beginning of the sentence. In this lesson, we will learn them in the present simple form:

To Be

To be verbs in the present form are 'am', 'is', and 'are'. If you see them as the verb of the sentence, you should use them at the beginning to make a yes/no question. Here are examples:

You are here. → Are you here?

She is your mother. → Is she your mother?

Do

The verb 'do' is used as an auxiliary verb when we have a main verb in the sentence. So, we use do or does based on the subject of the sentence. Here are examples:

Do you like to order a pizza?

Does he know you?

Modal verbs are followed by the main verb which is the base form of the verb. Major modal verbs in English are:

If the verb of the sentence is a modal, then you should use it at the beginning of the sentence to make a yes/no question. Here are examples:

Will you marry me?

Can I go out?

Answering a Yes/No Question

The answer to yes/no questions can be:

  1. Short answer
  2. Long answer

Short Answer

The short answer to yes/no questions can be negative or positive. Here are the structures:

  • Yes, subject + auxiliary verb.
  • No, subject + auxiliary verb + not.

Here are a few examples:

A : Are you There?

B : Yes, I am.

B : No. I am not.

A : Can she speak English?

B : Yes, she can.

B : No, she cannot.

Long Answer

The long answer to a yes/no question can be a negative answer or a positive answer. Here is the structure:

  • Positive: subject + verb (auxiliary or main verb) + etc.
  • Negative: subject + auxiliary + not + etc.

Review

Yes/No questions are used to ask questions that their answers are 'yes' or 'no'. They are made of the following auxiliary verbs:

  • To be
  • Do/Does
  • Modal Verbs

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