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There are three main types of questions: Yes/No questions (the expected answer is yes or no ) A: Are you from Greece? B: Yes, I am. Wh- questions (who? whose? where? why? what? which? when? and also how?) Whose books are these? Where does he live? Why did they do that? Alternative questions (which expect the answer to be one of two options) Do you want to go out to eat or stay at home? Which would you rather have, coffee or tea? 2
Form: Yes/No questions: with be, have (got) and modal verbs like may, can, could, would and should the question is formed by inverting the subject and the verb: E.g..: She has got a car. = Has she got a car? Is she having lunch? Should I buy a dictionary? Was she pretty when she was younger? With other verbs use Do/Does/Did + subject + infinitive E.g.: Do you like fish and chips? Does she know Antonio? Did they enjoy the picnic? Negative Yes/No questions These are questions which expect a particular answer. Don t you spend the summer in the States? (expected answer yes ) Aren t you Carmen s sister? (expected answer yes ) Hasn t he told you yet? (expected answer no ) Haven t you got any money? (expected answer no ) 3
Question Tags These questions also expect a particular answer. Form: The tags are formed with the auxiliary of the main verb. The most common question tags are formed like this: * Positive statement+ negative question tag He likes swimming, doesn t he? You re doing the exam in December, aren t you? You d met Max before, hadn t you? * Negative statement + positive question tag You don t know which bus goes to the market, do you? You haven t seen my keys anywhere, have you? You wouldn t like it if I stayed out all night, would you? Notes Question tags can also be added to imperatives (form the tag with will or can) Open the door, will you? Turn on the light, can you? Where let s is used, the tag is formed with shall. Let s go to the beach, shall we? 4
Wh- questions: FORM: Wh- word + auxiliary + subject + main verb Where do they live? Why are they laughing? Why did she say that? * Wh- questions with prepositions The preposition comes at the end of the sentence or the clause expect in very formal writing and speech where whom is used after the preposition. Who did you buy those flowers for? For whom did you buy those flowers? (very formal) Who did you speak to when you phoned before? To whom did you speak when you phoned before? (very formal) * Questions about the subject You do not use the auxiliary or inversion. The word order is the same as it is for statements. Who wants an ice cream? (question about the subject) Who knows the answer to number five? (question about the subject) 5
There are two types of alternative questions. One type is like a Yes/No question; the other is like a wh- question. Shall we go to the cinema tonight or on Friday? What do you want to do this weekend, stay at home or go to the country? The definite article: THE Alternative questions: The article Use the definite article the to talk about the following: Inventions When was the telescope invented? Species of animals The domestic cat has lived alongside humans since the time of the Pharaohs. Oceans and seas My sister says the Pacific is not as blue as the Aegean. Mountain ranges Are the Andes as high as the Dolomites? Island groups The Galapagos Islands are off the coast of Ecuador. 6
Areas There s flooding in the northwest and a terrible drought in the south. Rivers You can take a cruise along the Rhine. Deserts The sand on this beach was imported from the Sahara. Hotels They spent their first night of their honeymoon at the Ritz. Theatres They re putting on a production of Miss Saigon at the Palais. Newspapers You can get The Times, The Guardian, The Independent and several other British newspapers here. National grous The Welsh are famous for their singing. Also use the definite article: with superlatives He s the tallest, the most handsome and the nicest boy in our class. when there is only one thing The sun was shining brightly, but it was still very cold. I sometimes think the world is not a very nice place. 7
to talk about particular nouns when it is clear what we are referring to Where s the dog? I want to take him for a walk. Close the window, will you? It s freezing in here. to talk about previously mentioned things Take one egg, a small onion and a bunch of parsley. Break the egg into a bowl. The indefinite article: A/AN Use the indefinite article a/an with (singular) jobs, etc. She s an engineer. Is your father a football fan, too? with singular countable nouns (mentioned for the first time or when it doesn t matter which one) I d like a small salad and a glass of mineral water. What you need is a decent holiday. with these numbers: 100, 1.000; 1.000.000 There were over a hundred people at the party. He wants a thousand pounds for that old car of his. He had made a million dollars by the time he was sixteen. in exclamations about singular countable nouns What a fantastic view! 8
The zero article Use no article (the zero article) to talk about: continents They re travelling through Asia. countries Have you been to Peru? mountains They have reached the summit of Mount Everest. lakes Are Lake Constance and Lake Como both in Switzerland? villages San Andres is a village just along the coast from here. towns Horsham is a pleasant town near the Sussex coast. cities And now it s over to Jack Russell for the latest news from Washington. streets, roads, etc Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road are very busy shopping streets in London. magazines Do you read Time magazine? illnesses The twins have got measles and I ve got flu. (But: I think I ll go and lie down I ve got a headache.) 10-10-2012 Susana Amante 9
Uncountable, plural and abstract nouns used in their general sense We buy fruit and vegetables at the market, but we get bread from a bakery near our house. I don t like people who try to impress you with how much money they ve got. Love makes the world go round. Also use no article in the following expressions to/at/from school/university/college in/into class to/in/into/from church to/in/into/out of prison/hospital/bed to/at/from work for/at/to breakfast/lunch/dinner by car/bus/bicycle/plane/train/tube/boat on foot 10-10-2012 Susana Amante 10
Order of Adjectives 11
huge old Roman unusual green cotton beautiful tall modern large square black and white tiny brand new Japanese 12