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Question tags

Closed questions - review

Let's review all the questions we have studied.

Present simple

Are you tall?

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Am I short?

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Do you have blue eyes?

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Does Holly have long blonde hair?

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Do you live in London?

Past simple

Were you thin?

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Did she have a new computer?

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Did Gordon have an interesting book?

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Did you live in Tokyo?

What is the difference?

Present tense questions use the present tense of the verb 'be' or the present tense of the verb 'do'. 

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Past tense questions use the past tense of the verb 'be' or the past tense of the verb 'do'. 

Answer

Future simple

Will you be happy?

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Will they go to the gym?

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Will Paul wear a blue shirt?

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Will you live in Tokyo?

Present continuous

Are you going to the shop?

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Am I eating brunch?

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Is George wearing yellow trousers?

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Are you living in Tokyo?

ALL of these questions can be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no'.

 

A: Are you tall?

B: Yes.

 

A: Did you live in Tokyo?

B: No. 

 

They are closed questions. If you want a 'yes' or 'no' answer then ask a closed question. 

​

Open questions are more common. Let's see the difference. 

Closed:

 

Do you live in Rome?

No.

Open:

 

Where do you live?

I live in Florence.

Open questions

Where examplesthe answer will be a place

Start with the closed question:

​

Are you at the gym?

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Remove the place and words related to the place (preposition and determiner)

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Are you

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Add 'Where' at the beginning. 

​

Where are you?

Let's look at some questions using 'where'.

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Where do you live

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Where are you going

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Where do you want to go tomorrow?

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Where do you like going

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Where do you like to eat at the weekend

​

Where do you like to go drinking?

Where exercises

Closed question

Open question

Did you go to the bank?

Where did you go?

Do you like going to the cinema?

Where do you like going?

Answer

Do you want to go to South Korea?

Where do you want to go?

Answer

Are you going to the library?

Where are you going?

Answer

Will he go the gym on Sunday?

Where will he go on Sunday?

Answer
Conversation

A: Where are you going this weekend? 

B: I'm going to the cinema.

​

A: Do you like going to the gym? 

B: No, I hate going there. 

A: Where do you like going?

B: I love going to a beautiful cafe. 

​

A: Where do you like to read? 

B: I don't mind reading at home. I love reading at the beach. 

When examplesthe answer will be a time

Start with the closed question:

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Do you read in the evening?

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Remove the time - if it's there.

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Do you read

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Add 'When' at the beginning. 

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When do you read?

Let's look at some questions using 'when'.

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When will you go

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When are you going

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When do you want to go tomorrow?

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When do you like eating breakfast

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When do you wear a suit

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When do you wake-up?

When exercises

Closed question

Open question

Did you go to the bank yesterday?

When did you go to the bank?

Did you eat breakfast at 9am?

When did you eat breakfast?

Answer

Do you wake-up early?

When do you wake-up?

Answer

Will you go the supermarket next week?

When will you go to the supermarket?

Answer

Do you want to go to a cafe?

When do you want to go to a cafe?

Answer
Conversation

A: When are you going on holiday? 

B: We're going next Tuesday.

​

A: Are you doing the washing-up? 

B: No. 

A: When will you do the washing-up.

B: I'll do it tonight. 

​

A: When do you like reading? 

B: I like to read at night. 

What examplesthe answer will be a general noun / noun phrase

Start with the closed question:

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Are you doing your homework?

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Remove the noun / noun phrase - if it's there.

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Are you doing

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Add 'What' at the beginning. 

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What are you doing?

Let's look at some questions using 'what'.

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What are you eating

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What will you do tomorrow

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What's that?

​

What did you wear on Tuesday

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What are you reading

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What do you want to drink?

What exercises

Closed question

Open question

Did you have a pizza?

What did you have?

Did you wear jeans yesterday?

What did you wear yesterday?

Answer

Will you read this book next?

What will you read next?

Answer

Are you doing your homework?

What are you doing?

Answer

Are you having cereal for breakfast?

What are you having for breakfast?

Answer

'What' is a very important question word. You can put a noun next to it to make it more specific:

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What time did you wake-up?

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What food did you have?

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What book are you reading?

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What dress will you wear?

Conversation

A: What will you do on holiday? 

B: We'll go to a theme park.

​

A: Are you going to the gym? 

B: No. 

A: What are you doing?

B: I'm reading my book. 

​

A: What's she doing? 

B: She's doing her homework.

Who examples - the answer will be a person

Start with the closed question:

​

Is she wearing a black dress?

​

Remove the subject.

​

is wearing a black dress

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Add 'Who' at the beginning. 

​

Who is wearing a black dress?

Let's look at some questions using 'who'.

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Who is having the fish and chips

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Who did your homework

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Who will go on Tuesday?

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Who is going to the cinema

​

Who went to the cinema last week?

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Who wants to go to the beach?

Who exercises

Closed question

Open question

Did you have a pizza?

Who had a pizza?

Does she like sandwiches?

Who likes sandwiches?

Answer

Do you go to bed late?

Who goes to bed late?

Answer

Does he want to have dinner?

Who wants to have dinner?

Answer

Is Sakura wearing trainers?

Who is wearing trainers?

Answer
Conversation

A: Who will go on holiday? 

B: My family and I.

​

A: Are you going to the gym? 

B: No. 

A: Who's going to the gym?

B: James. 

​

A: Who's doing the washing-up? 

B: Kate is.

Question tag examples - who, what, when, where

A: What are you doing tonight? 

B: I'll go to the pub. 

A: What pub (will you go to)?

B: The Red Lion.

A: Where's that

B: It's on the High Street. 

A: Who will be there? 

B: My colleagues. 

A: What will you do there? 

B: We'll have a drink and dinner.

A: What time will you come back?

B: About 10pm.

We do not repeat the 'will you go to' because we know that's what's being asked.

Popular name of a pub in England.

that = The Red Lion

a drink = alcohol, if in a pub

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