OXFORD GUIDE TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR
26 Question words: more details
26 Question words: more details
3
Who and whom When
who is the object, we can use whom instead. Who/Whom
Whom
speech.
When
did you invite?is formal and rather old-fashioned. Who is more common in everydaywho/whom is the object of a preposition, there are two possible patterns. Who
were you talking to? To whom
were you talking? The pattern with
whom is formal. 4
How a
How can express means or manner. How
do you open this bottle? (You open this bottle somehow.) How
did the children behave? (The children behaved well/badly.) b When it expresses degree,
how can come before an adjective or adverb. How wide
is the river? (20 metres/30 metres wide?) How soon
For question phrases with
c We also use
well-being, enjoyment or progress.
can you let me know? (very soon/quite soon?)how, • 28.how as an adjective or adverb in friendly enquiries about someone's How are you? ~ Fine, thanks.
How
did you like the party?— Oh, it was great. How
How
are you getting on at college? ~ Fine, thanks. I'm enjoying it. NOTE
What... like?
asks about quality. Sometimes it has a very similar meaning to How...? What... like?
How
was the film?/ What was the film like? But
What... like? does not refer to well-being. How's your brother? ~ Oh, he's fine, thanks.
What's your brother
like? ~ Well, he's much quieter than I am. What
does your brother look like? ~ He's taller than me, and he's got dark hair. 5 A special pattern with
why Why (not)
can come before a noun phrase or a verb. Why
the panic? (= What is the reason for the panic?) Look at our prices
- why pay more? (= Why should you pay more?) Why
not stay for a while? (= Why don't you stay for a while?) 6 Modifying a question word
a We can use an adverb to modify a question word or phrase.
When
exactly are you coming back? When
Just
what will tomorrow bring? About
how many people live here? b
Else has the meaning 'other'. What
else should I do? (= What other things ... ?)Who else did you invite? (= What other people ... ?)4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE 32
c We can emphasize the question by using on earth.
What on earth will tomorrow bring?
We can also use ever.
What ever/Whatever can the matter be?
How ever/However did you manage to find us?
Who ever/Whoever invited that awful man?
This means that the speaker has no idea what the answer is. The emphasis often
expresses surprise. The speaker is surprised that someone invited that awful man.
27 Overview: question words
Question Example Word class Positive expression
word
who, whom Who won? pronoun someone
what What happened? pronoun something
What sport(s)? determiner a sport, some sports
which Which is/are best? pronoun one of them,
some of them
Which sport(s)? determiner one of the sports,
some of the sports
whose Whose was the idea? pronoun someone's
Whose idea was it? determiner someone's
where Where shall we go? adverb of place somewhere
when When did it happen? adverb of time some time
why Why are you here? adverb of reason for some reason
how How do you open it? adverb of means somehow
How did they behave? adverb of manner
How wide is it? adverb of degree
How are you? adjective
28 Question phrases
What and how can combine with other words to form phrases.
1 What can come before a noun.
What time is the next train?~ Ten eleven.
What colour shirt was he wearing? ~ Blue, I think.
What kind of/type of/sort of computer have you got? ~ Oh, it's just
a desktop machine.
What make is your car? ~ It's a BMWPAGE 33
29 Answering questions2 We use what about/how about to draw attention to something or to make a
suggestion.
What about/How about
What about/How about
3 How can come before an adjective or an adverb.
some lunch? ~ Good idea.all this rubbish? Who's going to take it away?How old
How far
How often
How long
It can also come before many or much.
can you stay? ~ Not long, I'm afraid.does the machine need servicing? ~ Once a year.did you walk? ~ Miles.is this building? ~ About two hundred years old.How many
How much
NOTE
How come is an informal phrase meaning 'why'. There is no inversion.
How come
29 Answering questions
1 How long is an answer?
Some questions you can answer in a word or phrase, but others need to be
answered in one or more complete sentences. Here are some examples from real
conversations.
Didn't you hear about the bank robbery? ~ No.
I've got a hat. ~ What colour? ~ Brown.
all these papers have been left here?~ I'm in the middle of sorting them out.is the cheap ticket? ~ Fifteen pounds seventy-five.people live in the building? ~ Twelve.Do you like school? ~ Yes, I do. It's OK.
You haven't got central heating? ~ No, we haven't.
How long do you practise? ~ About half an hour.
Why did you sell the car? ~ It was giving me too much trouble. I was spending
How is Lucy? ~ She's a lot better now. In fact I think she'll be back at school
It is usually enough to give the relevant piece of information without repeating all
the words of the question. There is no need to say No, I didn't hear about the bank
robbery, or The hat is brown in answer to these questions.
NOTE
a We can repeat the words of the question to give emphasis, e.g. when we deny something.
Did you break this glass? ~ No, I did not break that glass.
b There is not always a direct grammatical link between a question and answer. The
important thing is that the information is relevant.
What time will you be home? ~ Well, these meetings go on a long time.
Here the questioner would realize that the meeting going on a long time means that 'I will
be home late',
c The hearer may be unable or unwilling to answer.
What's your favourite subject? ~ I haven't really got a favourite subject.
Are you a member of this club?~ Why do you ask?
Where are my keys? ~You ought to know where they are.
4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
2 Yes/no short answers
a We can sometimes answer with a simple yes or no, but English speakers often use a
short answer like Yes, I do or No, we haven't. A short answer relates to the subject
and auxiliary in the question. The patterns are yes + pronoun + auxiliary and no +
pronoun + auxiliary + n't.
Positive Negative
Is
Have
Can
it raining? ~ Yes, it is. No, it isn't.you finished? ~ Yes, I have. No, I haven't.we turn right here? ~ Yes, we can. No, we can't.b In simple tenses we use the auxiliary do.
Do
you play the piano? ~ Yes, I do. (NOT Yes I play.)Did
Roger cut the grass ~ No, he didn't.c In these examples the question has be on its own, as an ordinary verb.
Is
Are
d We very often add relevant information or comment after a simple yes or no or
after the short answer.
Were you late? ~ Yes, I missed the bus.
the chemist's open today? ~ No, it isn't.you warm enough? ~ Yes, I am, thanks.Were you late? ~ Yes, I was, I missed the bus.
Did Carl find his wallet? ~ No, unfortunately.
Did Carl find his wallet? ~ No, he didn't, unfortunately.
In some contexts yes/no or a short answer on its own can sound abrupt and not
very polite.
We can sometimes use another phrase instead of yes or no.
Were you late? ~ I'm afraid I was./Of course I wasn't.
e In a negative short answer the strong form not is formal or emphatic.
Was the scheme a success? ~ No, it was not. It was a complete failure.
f We can also use a short answer to agree or disagree with a statement.
Agreeing: These shirts are nice. ~ Yes, they are.
The weather doesn't look very good. ~ No, it doesn't.
Disagreeing: I posted the letter. ~ No, you didn't. It's still here.
We can't afford a car. ~ Yes, we can, if we buy it on credit.
We often use a tag after the short answer.
These shirts are nice. — Yes, they are, aren't they?
3 Requests, offers, invitations and suggestions
a We cannot usually answer these with just a short answer.
Can I borrow your pen, please? ~ Sure./Of course.
Would you like to come to my party? ~ Yes, I'd love to. Thank you very much.Shall we have some lunch? ~ Good idea./Yes, why not?
PAGE 35
30 Negative questionsb A negative answer to a request or invitation needs some explanation.
Can I borrow your pen ? —
Sorry, I'm using it to fill this form in.Would you like to come to my party on Saturday? —
going to be away this weekend.
I'm sorry. I'd like to, but I'mA short answer (e.g. No,
you can't) would sound very abrupt and impolite.4 Short answers to wh-questions
a When the question word is the subject, we can use a short answer with
a subject + auxiliary.
Who's got a hair drier? ~
Neil has.Who filled this crossword in? ~
I did.Which shoes fit best? ~
These do.b We can leave out the auxiliary.
Who's got a hair drier? ~
Neil.Who filled this crossword in? ~ Me.
• 184(1b)30 Negative questions
MY PHONE IS OUT OF ORDER
Claire:
I'll tell you more when I see you next week.Anna:
Can't you ring me?Claire:
No, unfortunately. My phone's still out of order.Anna:
Haven't they repaired it yet?Claire:
No. It's an awful nuisance. It's over a week now.Anna:
Why don't you refuse to pay your bill?Claire:
That wouldn't make any difference, I don't expect.Anna:
Isn't there a rule? Don't they have to repair it within a certain period?Claire:
I don't know. Anyway, it's not working.1 Use
a A negative yes/no question often expresses surprise.
Ca
n't you ring me? Haven't they repaired your phone?The context suggests that the negative is true (they haven't repaired the phone).
Claire has already explained that it is out of order. But Anna is surprised at this.
She thinks they should have repaired it.
b A negative question can be a complaint.
Ca
n't you be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate.This
A negative
means that you should be quiet.question with why can also express surprise or a complaint.Why have
n't they repaired it? Why can't you be quiet?c We can use
Why don't/doesn't... ? for suggestions and Why didn't... ?to criticize.Why do
Why did
n't we take a break now? I'm tired.n't you tell me this before? You should have told me.4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE 36
We can use
why not + verb instead of Why don't you... in a suggestion.Why not use
your credit card?d Negative questions with
who, what and which usually request information.Who has
What ca
Which of the guests does
n't returned this library book?n't you understand?n't eat meat?e We can use a negative question to ask the hearer to agree that something is true.
Did
n't I see you on television last night?The meaning is similar to a tag question with a rising intonation. • 34(3)
I saw you on television last night,
didn't I?NOTE For a negative question form in exclamations, e.g.
Wasn't that fun! • 20(3).2 Form
a We make a question negative by putting
n't after the auxiliary.Have
Why does
n't you finished yet? NOT Have not you finished yet?n't the government take action?NOTE
The negative of
Why
am I is aren't I.aren't I getting paid for this?b In more formal English
not comes after the subject.Have you
not finished yet? Why does the government not take action?c If the question word is the subject,
n't or not comes after the auxiliary.Who has
n't returned/has not returned this library book?d We can use other negative words.
Are you
never going to finish? Why does the government take no action?NOTE
In informal speech the question can be without inversion.
You have
n't finished yet?3 Yes/no answers
The answer
positive is true.
no agrees that the negative is true. The answer yes means that theHaven't they repaired it yet? ~
~
No, it's an awful nuisance.Yes, they did it yesterday.31 Questions with
or1 A question can contain two or more alternative answers. The word
before the last alternative.
or comesAre you coming back today
Did you speak to a man
or tomorrow? ~ Today.or a woman? ~ It was a woman.PAGE 37
33 Indirect questionsWhen are you coming back, today
Who did you speak to, a man
Were you running
or tomorrow?or a woman?or jogging?The voice rises for the first alternative, and then it falls after
Shall we take a
or.& bus or a ( taxi?NOTE
This question does not contain alternative answers.
Have you got any brothers or sisters? ~ Yes, I've got two sisters.
Here
brothers or sisters is spoken as one phrase.2
Or can link two clauses.Are you coming back today,
or are you staying overnight? ~ I'm coming back today.The second alternative can be the negative of the first.
Are you coming back today
or aren't you/or not? ~ Yes, I am.This emphasizes the need for a yes/no answer and can sound impatient.
32 Questions without inversion
In informal conversation a question can sometimes have the same word order as
in a statement. The question has a rising intonation.
The machine gives change? ~ No, it doesn't.
You're travelling tomorrow?
The car is blue?~ That's right.
The car is
They went
~ Yes.what colour? ~ Blue.which way?~ That way.We use this kind of question only when it follows on from what was said before.
I need a return ticket to Paddington.
~ You're travelling when?~ Tomorrow.NOTE
For echo questions, • 35(1).
I'm travelling tomorrow. ~ You're travelling when?
33 Indirect questions
We can ask a question indirectly by putting it into a sub clause beginning with a
question word or with
more tentative.
if/whether. This makes the question sound less abrupt,We need to know
what the rules are.Can I ask you
how much you're getting paid for the job?Could you tell me
I'm trying to find out
where Queen Street is, please?who owns this building.Do you know
when the train gets in?I was wondering
if/whether you could give me a lift.There is no inversion of the subject and auxiliary in the sub clause.
NOT
We need to know what are the rules.For question word + to-infinitive, • 125.
Could you tell me
how to get there?NOTE If the main clause is a statement
(We need to know), then there is no question mark.4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE 38
34 Question tags
COAL FIRES
Gary:
It's colder today, isn't it?Brian:
Yes, it's not very warm, is it? I shall have to light the fire soon.Gary:
Oh, you have coal fires, do you?Brian:
Yes. We don't have central heating. You have central heating, don't you?Gary:
radiator.
Yes, we do. But coal fires are nice, aren't they? More comforting than aBrian:
keep talking about getting central heating put in.
Yes, but they're a lot more work than just switching on the heating. WeGary:
I suppose coal fires aren't very convenient, are they?Brian:
They certainly aren't.1 Form
a A tag relates to the subject and auxiliary of the main clause. The structure of a
negative tag is auxiliary +
n't+ pronoun, e.g. isn't it.It's
You've
We can
raining, isn't it?finished, haven't you?go now, can't we?b In simple tenses we use the auxiliary verb
do.Louise works
You came
at the hospital, doesn't she?home late, didn't you?c In these examples the main clause has
be on its own, as an ordinary verb.It's
The sausages were
colder today, isn't it?nice, weren't they?d A positive tag is like a negative one, but without
n't.It
You
isn't raining, is it?haven't finished, have you?NOTE
The form of question tagsa We can use the subject
there in a tag.There were lots of people at the carnival, weren't
there?But we do not use
this, that, these or those in the tag. We use it or they instead.That was lucky, wasn't
it? Those are nice, aren't they?b After
I'm late,
I am... the tag is aren't I.aren't I?c After a subject such as
everyone, someone etc, we use they in a tag.Anyone could just walk in here, couldn't
they?d
In more formal English, not can come after the pronoun.Progress is being made, is it
not?e We can use
don't you think when asking someone's opinion.These pictures are good,
don't you think?f In informal English we can use
common in the USA. • 303(4)
yes, no, right and OK as tags. Right and OK are moreThese figures are correct,
yes? You like London, no?I'll be outside the post office,
right? We're going to start now, OK ?But as a general rule learners should not use these tags. Often a tag like
aren't they ordon't you
is better.34 Question tags
2 Overview: patterns with tags
There are three main patterns.
Statement Tag
PATTERN A
PATTERN B
PATTERN C
3 Pattern A: positive statement + negative tag
This kind of tag asks the hearer to agree that the statement in the main clause is
true. It is sometimes obvious that the statement is true. For example, in the
conversation both speakers know that it is colder today. The tag
really a request for information but an invitation to the hearer to continue the
conversation.
(isn't it) is notIt's difficult to find your way around this building,
getting lost in here.
That was fun,
isn't it?~ Yes, I'm alwayswasn't it?~ Yes, I really enjoyed it.When the statement is clearly true, then the speaker uses a falling intonation on
the tag.
It's cold,
\ isn't it?But when the speaker is not sure if the statement is true, then the tag is more like a
real question, a request for information. The speaker's voice rises on the tag.
You have central heating,
We're going the right way,
& don't you? ~ Yes, we do.& aren't we?~ I hope so.NOTE
Sometimes a tag with a rising intonation can express surprise.
They have central heating,
don't they? Everyone has central heating nowadays.The speaker is surprised at the idea that someone might have no central heating. The
meaning is similar to a negative question:
Don't they have central heating? • 304 Pattern B: negative statement + positive tag
The use is mostly the same as for Pattern A. Compare
so warm, is it?
speaker is that the statement is true.
We can also use Pattern B in a tentative question or request.
It's colder, isn't it? and It's notAs in Pattern A, the voice falls or rises depending on how sure theYou haven't heard the exam results,
You couldn't lend me ten pounds,
have you? ~ No, sorry, I haven't.could you? ~ Yes, OK.We can also use Pattern B to express disapproval.
You haven't broken that clock,
You aren't staying in bed all day,
have you? ~ No, of course I haven't.are you?This means 'I hope you aren't staying in bed all day.'
NOTE
A negative statement can have a negative word other than
We've had
not.no information yet, have we?PAGE 39
Positive Negative
Negative Positive
Positive Positive
It's your birthday, isn't it?
It isn't your birthday, is it?
It's your birthday, is it?
4 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS PAGE 40
5 Pattern C: positive statement + positive tag
Pattern C also asks the hearer to agree that the statement is true. It also suggests
that the speaker has just learnt, realized or remembered the information. Look at
this example from the conversation
I shall have to light the fire soon.
Coal fires.~ Oh, you have coal fires, do you?The positive tag means that the information is new to Gary. He has just realized
from Brian's words that Brian has coal fires. The meaning is the same as 'So you
have coal fires'. Here are some more examples.
I can't help you just at the moment.
afraid.
Annabelle is out in her new sports car. ~ Oh, she's bought one,
got it yesterday.
~ You're busy, are you? ~ Very busy, I'mhas she? ~ Yes, sheCompare patterns A and C.
We can't move this cupboard.
~ It's heavy, isn't it?(I already know that it is heavy.)
We can't move this cupboard. ~ It's heavy,
is it?(I have just learnt from your words that it is heavy.)
6 Tags with the imperative and
let'sPass me the salt,
will/would/can/could you? • 19(4)Let's have a rest now,
shall we?35 Echo questions and echo tags
1 Echo questions
We can use an echo question when we do not understand what someone says to
us, or we find it hard to believe.
I often eat bits of wood.
~ What do you eat?/You eat what?My father knew Ronald Reagan. ~
Who did he know?/He knew who?Did you see the naked lady? ~ Did I see the
what?The second speaker is asking the first to repeat the important information.
These questions can usually be with or without inversion. They are spoken with a
rising intonation on the question word.
&
What have they done? They've done & what?NOTE
a The question word
what on its own can be an echo question or an exclamation.I often eat bits of wood. ~
What?/What!b We can use a yes/no question to check that we heard correctly.
I often eat bits of wood. ~ You eat bits of wood?next week.
more money on it than it was worth spending money on.
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