English Interrogative Sentences: Common Interrogative Patterns

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Daily Use Book 2 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

This Book Covers The Following Topics: 

What are “Interrogative Sentences”?

Structure (1) -- Wh-Question Word + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1A). What + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1B). When + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1C). Where + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1D). Which + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1E). Who + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1F). Whom + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1G). Whose + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1H). Why + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(1I). How + Be/Do/Have/Modal

Structure (2) -- Wh-Question Word + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2A). What + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2B). When + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2C). Where + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2D). Which + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2E). Who + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2F). Whom + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2G). Whose + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2H). Why + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

(2I). How + Word/Words + Be/Do/Have/Modal

Structure (3) -- Wh-Question Word + Main Verb (Present or Past)

Structure (4) – Interrogatives Sentences – Be/Do/Have/Modal

(4A). Interrogatives Starting From – Am, Is, Are, Was, Were

(4B). Interrogatives Starting From – Do, Does, Did

(4C). Interrogatives Starting From – Have, Has, Had

(4D). Interrogatives Starting From – Modal Verbs

Structure (5) -- Question Tags

Structure (6) -- What if

Structure (7) – How Long/How Much/How Many

Structure (8) -- Wh-Question Word + To + Verb Word

Structure (9) – “What About” and “How About”

Structure (10) – Alternative Questions

Structure (11) – Indirect Questions

Formation of Interrogatives from Affirmatives

Exercises

Sample This:

What are “Interrogative Sentences”?

Interrogative sentences are used to ask questions. An interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.

The most common interrogative words are as follows:

What, When, Where, Which, Who, Whom, Whose, Why, How

Interrogative words and what they refer:

What – refers ‘specific information’ or confirmation/repetition

When – refers ‘at what time’ or ‘on what occasion’

Where – refers ‘in what place, position or situation’

Which – refers ‘choice or alternative’

Who – refers ‘identity’ of a subject (person/people)

Whom – refers ‘identity’ of an object (person/people)

Whose – refers ‘who something belongs to’

Why – refers ‘reason, explanation or purpose’

How – refers ‘way or manner’, ‘condition or quality’

These words are called 'Wh-question words' because all these words contain the letter ‘w’ and ‘h’. All these words (except ‘how’) even start from ‘Wh’.

NOTE: The following words are also used to ask questions:

Whatever, Whenever, Wherever, Whoever

These forms show ‘surprise, confusion, or emphasis.

Besides ‘Wh-question words’, Auxiliary Verbs ‘Be’, ‘Do’, ‘Have’, and ‘Modal Verbs’ are also used to form interrogative sentences. Following is the list of auxiliary and modal verbs:

Auxiliary Verb-- Be-- Am, Is, Are, Was, Were

Auxiliary Verb-- Do-- Do, Does, Did

Auxiliary Verb-- Have-- Have, Has, Had

Modal Verbs-- May, Might, Can, Could, Will, Would, Shall, Should, Must, Need, Used (To), Ought (To), Dare

You can begin sentences with these verbs to form Yes/No interrogative sentences.

(1A). What + Be/Do/Have/Modal

What is a good pet to give a five-year-old child?

What is a long way away?

What is a reasonable grocery budget?

What is age got to do with it?

What is all that?

What is Australia's national food?

What is behind the nation's food shortages?

What is better for your company: happy staff or short-term profits?

What is Brazil to you?

What is going on in India?

What is going to take place over the next 90 minutes?

What is in the haze we are breathing?

What is it about the first day of the year that gets us so excited?

What is it and does it work?

What is it like to be sectioned?

What is it like to fly an Airbus A380?

What is it like to have won an unlimited supply of something?

What is it like to live in a hut?

Ratings and reviews

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About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.