Question Formation

How to Form Yes/No Questions, Tag Questions and Information Questions in Five (5) Essential Verb Tenses

Simple future

yes/no question (affirmative)

Is the young woman's fantasy going to come true? (all the other guys)

or Will the young woman's fantasy come true? (will + all the other guys or to be)

yes/no question (negative)

isn't she going tell him what she saw in her daydream? (all the other guys)

Won't she tell him what she saw in her daydream? (will + all the other guys or to be)

tag question (affirmative)

She won't get a haircut anytime soon, will she? (will + all the other guys or to be)

tag question (negative)

Eventually she will feel stronger, won't she? (will + all the other guys or to be)

information question (affirmative)

When will they graduate from high school? (will + all the other guys or to be)

information question (negative)

Why won't she talk with her parents about her feelings for this young man? (will + all the other guys or to be)

Simple present

yes/no question (affirmative)

Are the two characters classmates? (to be)

Does she fantasize a lot? (all the other guys)

Should she tell him what she was thinking? (modals)

yes/no question (negative)

Isn't she too young to want a boyfriend? (to be)

Doesn't he have any idea that the girl has a crush on him? (the other guys)

Shouldn't she talk with someone she trusts? (modals)

tag question (affirmative)

She is too young to have a boyfriend, isn't she? (to be)

She could have her heart broken, couldn't she?

Their parents have no idea where these two are, do they?

tag question (negative)

He knows how she feels, doesn't he? (all the other guys)

information question (affirmative)

Where are they? (to be)

What do her parents think about her friendship with this guy? (all the other guys)

information question (negative)

Why aren't they in school? (to be)

Simple past

yes/no question (affirmative)

Did they attend the same elementary school?

yes/no question (negative)

Didn't they both feel lonely before they got to know each other?

tag question (affirmative)

They both felt lonely before they got to know each other didn't they?

They both were excited about their decision to walk around the lake and talk, weren't they?

tag question (negative)

He didn't know before that day at the lake how much he enjoyed talking with her, did he?

information question (affirmative)

When did they decide to take a walk together? (all the other guys)

information question (negative)

Why didn't she tell him about what she imagined?

Present continuous

yes/no question (affirmative)

Is he thinking the same thing she is thinking? (all the other guys)

yes/no question (negative)

Isn't she being a little foolish? (to be)

Isn't she sitting a little too close to him? (all the other guys)

tag question (affirmative)

They both love spending time with each other, don't they? (all the other guys)

tag question (negative)

They aren't too young to have a romantic relationship, are they? (to be)

information question (affirmative)

Why is she wearing eye glasses, a baggy top and baggy pants? (all the other guys)

information question (negative)

Why isn't he smiling as much as she is? (all the other guys)

Present perfect

yes/no question (affirmative)

Have they been at the lake for more than an hour? (to be)

Have they ever had classes together? (all the other guys)

yes/no question (negative)

Haven't they informed their parents about their friendship?

Haven't they been talking without regard to the time?

tag question (affirmative)

He hasn't had a girlfriend before, has he?

tag question (negative)

They haven't known each other for more than a year, have they?

information question (affirmative)

How much time have they spent at the lake?

information question (negative)

What haven't they talked about yet?

The answer to a yes/no question is "yes" or "no". A tag question is a type of yes/no question that is used when you want your audience to agree with the premise of the question. And an information question is a question that cannot be answered with "yes" or "no". There are 12 verb tenses in English. Of those 12 verb tenses, 5 are essential. We jave just seen sample questions in all of those 5 essential verb tenses.

We do not use negative yes/no questions unless we actually know the answer and are so shocked that we want to double check. Both negative and affirmative tag questions are used when you want your audience to agree with the premise of the question.

Information questions whether affirmative or positive are not manipulative nor are they trying to influence the response of the audience.