Yes/No questions – Explanations and how to form them

A question is a sentence or expression designed to obtain information or get a response or answer from someone

It can be typically recognized by the presence of interrogative words (like why, when, where, what, who, or how) or by the inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb in a sentence. Questions come in different types, including yes/no questions, open-ended questions, and choice questions, each aimed at gaining different kinds of information.

In this post, we will give examples of yes/no questions and how to form them.

A yes/no question in English is a type of question that is structured to receive a “yes” or “no” answer. These questions typically begin with an auxiliary verb, such as “do,” “does,” “is,” “are,” “can,” “will,” or “have.” For example:

• Is it sunny outside?
• Do you like ice cream?
• Can you play tennis?
• Have you finished your homework?

Yes/No questions are named this way because they typically require answers like “Yes” or “No.” These questions begin with an auxiliary verb

In order to choose the correct auxiliary verb, we need to think about the time of the event (present, past, future) and whether the subject is singular or plural.

If the affirmative sentence includes an auxiliary verb, we can turn it into a yes/no question by inverting the subject and auxiliary verb. 

Note: An affirmative sentence is a statement that expresses a fact or opinion and confirms the truth of a given situation. It typically expresses positive information and is the opposite of a negative sentence. For example, “We are going to the cinema,” or “They have finished cleaning their bedroom”

Auxiliary verbs that are commonly used to form YES/NO questions.

 Common auxiliary verbs that appear in the affirmative sentences are:

1) Verb be: is, are, am, was, were 

The verb BE can be the main verb of sentences. In such cases, we use them to form questions in the same way that we use the verb BE as an auxiliary verb.

2) Modals: will, would, shall, should, could, can, must, might, may

Have a look at the following YES/NO question examples to get a better understanding.

• Affirmative: I am on time. 
• Question: Am I on time? (Answer: Yes, you are. OR No, you aren’t.

• Affirmative: The girls are playing tennis. 
• Question: Are the girls playing tennis? (Answer: Yes, they are. OR No, they aren’t.

• Affirmative: He can sing. 
• Question: Can he swim? (Answer: Yes, she can. OR No, she can’t.

If you want to ask questions in the present simple and past simple tenses, we then use does or do in the present and did in the past. 

Here are some examples.

• Affirmative: I eat a lot for breakfast 
• Question: Do I eat a lot for breakfast?
• Answer: Yes, you do. OR No, you don’t.

• Affirmative: She enjoys driving. 
• Question: Does she enjoy driving?
• Answer: Yes, she does. OR No, she doesn’t.

• Affirmative: He ate late. 
• Question: Did he eat late?
• Answer: Yes, he did. OR No, he didn’t.