The Classification of Simple Sentences

THE SENTENC E

 

Types of Sentences

sentence	[ˈsentəns]	предложение
simple	[ˈsɪmpl]	простое (предложение)
compound	[ˈkɒmpaʊnd]	сложносочиненное
complex	[ˈkɒmpleks]	сложноподчиненное

clause	[klɔːz]	часть сложного предложения
principal clause Syn. main clause	[ˈprɪnsəpl]	главное предложение
subordinate clause	[səˈbɔːdɪnət]	придаточное предложение

 

auxiliary (verb)	[ɔːɡˈzɪliəri]	вспомогательный глагол
notional verb	[ˈnəʊʃənl]	смысловой глагол
inversion	[ɪnˈvɜːʃn]	инверсия

 

A simple sentence consists of only one clause:

e.g. He lives in London.

Note: A clause is part of a sentence which has a subject and a predicate.

 

A compound sentence is a sentence which consists of two or more clauses coordinated with each.

The clauses may be joined:

a) by coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but):

e.g. Mary read and Tom slept.

b) asyndetically (without a conjunction):

e.g. The rain fell slowly, the house was quiet.

 

A complex sentence consists of a principal clause (главное предложение) and one or more subordinate clauses (придаточное предложение).

The clauses may be joined:

a) by conjunctions (when, after, before, if, how, what, that, which, who, why, where, whether, as, since, etc.):

e.g. I’ll talk to him when he comes.

b) asyndetically (without a conjunction):

e.g. I thinkyou are right.

Tasks

1. Characterize the following sentences (simple, compound or complex) and point out the conjunctions (if any):

1) Buckingham Palace is a major tourist attraction.

2) We will tell you when we are ready.

3) Yesterday’s music festival was great.

4) It is already April but the weather is still very cold and rainy.

5) I don’t know what you are talking about.

6) The weather was fine yesterday and we went yachting.

7) You can stay at home or you can go with me.

8) I am late as I have missed my bus.

9) You have the book I’m looking for.

10) I want you to help me.

11) Although I know his character, he often surprises me.

12) We won’t be able to help you unless you tell what happened.

 

2. Revision task:

1) Characterize the following sentences (simple, compound or complex).

2) Write the parts of the sentence (below) and parts of speech (above) in the sentence:

Borders between the countries are open and passports are not required.

 

 

The Classification of Simple Sentences

A sentence is a unit of speech whose grammatical structure conforms to the laws of the language and which serves as the chief means of conveying a thought. A sentence is not only a means of communicating something about reality but also a means of showing the speaker’s attitude to it.

 

The classification of simple sentences is based on two principles:

I.       according to the purpose of the utterance (по цели высказывания);

II. according to the structure (по структуре).

 

I. According to the purpose of the utterance we distinguish four kinds of sentences: the declarative sentence, the interrogative sentence, the imperative sentence, the exclamatory sentence.

 

declarative	[dɪˈklærətɪv]	повествовательное
interrogative	[ˌɪntəˈrɒɡətɪv]	вопросительное
imperative	[ɪmˈperətɪv]	побудительное
exclamatory	[ɪkˈsklæmətri]	восклицательное

 

1.2.1. THE DECLARATIVE SENTENCE

It states a fact in the affirmative or negative form.

Sentence Structure: The subject precedes the predicate.

to precede [prɪˈsiːd] предшествовать; стоять перед

Intonation: It is generally pronounced with a falling intonation.

 

affirmative	[əˈfɜːmətɪv]	утвердительный
negative	[ˈneɡətɪv]	отрицательный

 

e.g. He lives in Ivanovo.

e.g. She doesn’t speak Spanish.

 

Note: There is a great difference between English and Russian negative sentences: in English the predicate of a sentence can have only one negation but in Russian it can have more than one.

e.g. Nobody wants to eat anything. – Никто ничего не хочет есть.

e.g. He is never late for classes. – Он никогда не опаздывает на занятия.

 

Task

Translate the sentences:

1) Он никогда не выполняет обещания.

2) Я ничего не понимаю в машинах.

3) В зале не было ни одного человека.

4) Никто не знает, что случилось с ней.

 

1.2.2. THE INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE

An interrogative sentence asks a question.

It is formed by means of inversion, i.e. by placing the predicate (or part of it) before the subject.

 

There are five kinds of questions:

1) A general question requires the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Sentence Structure: It is formed by placing part of the predicate, i.e. the auxiliary or modal verb before the subject of the sentences.

Intonation: It is spoken with a rising intonation.

e.g. Do you like it?

e.g. Can you help me?

 

Note 1: If the predicate is expressed by the verb ‘ to be ’, the question is formed by placing the predicate before the subject.

e.g. Is he a student?

e.g. Are you from Russia?

e.g. Was he happy?

e.g. Were they glad to see you?

 

Note 2: Sometimes such questions have a negative form and express astonishment or doubt.

e.g. Don ’ t you believe me? – Неужели (разве) ты мне не веришь?

e.g. Haven ’ t you heard about it? – Разве ты не слышал об этом?

 

Note 3: Responses to general questions:

e.g. Ты говорил с ним вчера? – Да, говорил. / Нет, не говорил.

Did you speak to him yesterday? – Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

             

e.g. Разве ты не говорил с ним вчера? – Нет, говорил. / Нет, не говорил.

Didn’t you speak to him yesterday? – Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

 

Tasks

I. Ask a general question:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Ann has an elder sister. (Present Simple, does)

2) Alice brought her boyfriend to the party. (Past Simple, did)

3) He ’ll go abroad next year. (Future Simple, will)

4) I have been to Paris. (Present Perfect, have)

5) His friends can rely on him. (модальный глагол “can”)

6) The children are staying with their grandparents.

7) She's a great beauty.

8) Doctors often work very long hours.

9) He travels abroad a lot.

10) Jake has passed his exams.

11) She will join us for lunch.

 

II. Ask general questions to the following sentences:

England has a long history. The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland. It meant ‘land of the Angles’. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes. They settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. The earliest reference to the Angles occurs in the first century work by Tacitus, Germania.

 

2) An alternative question indicates choice.

Sentence Structure: Its structure is like that of a general question and the choice is given.

Intonation: It is spoken with a rising intonation in the first part and a falling intonation in the second part.

e.g. Do you live in town or in the country?

e.g. Is she a model or a PR agent?

e.g. Did he write an essay or a report?

e.g. Were they anxious or relaxed?

Task

Ask alternative questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Alice is into photography.

2) My elder brother has been to Egypt.

3) My colleagues often discuss political news.

4) There are ten students in the group.

 

II. Ask alternative questions to the following sentences:

England is a part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west. England is separated from continental Europe by the English Channel. The country includes over 100 smaller islands.

 

3) A special question begins with an interrogative word.

  Sentence Structure: The order of words is the same as in a general question, but the interrogative word precedes the auxiliary verb.

Intonation: It is spoken with a falling intonation.

Схема: вопросительное слово + вспомогательный глагол + подлежащее + сказуемое

 

e.g. What books do you like?

e.g. Where did you go?

e.g. When was Ivanovo founded?

e.g. How many points can you get?

Note: the preposition is usually placed at the end:

e.g. What are you laughing at?

e.g. What is he fond of?

 

More examples of special questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Lanny is keen on photography. (Present Simple, is)

What is Lanny keen on?

2) We go to the cinema every weekend. (Present Simple, do)

Where do we go every weekend?

How often do we go to the cinema?

3) He has ten French books. (Present Simple, does)

What does he have?

What books does he have?

 How many French books does he have?

Task

I. Ask special questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Jane is waiting for her friend.

2) He looked at his watch.

3) I borrowed my sister’s umbrella.

4) He was interested in politics.

5) Mike can speak three foreign languages.

6) The UK consists of four parts.

7) You’ll have to pay $1200 for it.

 

II. Ask special questions to the following sentences:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland includes the island of Great Britain, the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II has reigned since 1952. She became Queen after her father’s death. Her father was King George VI. He was deeply respected by the nation because during the WWII he shared the hardships of the common people.

 

4) A subject question (who? – кто?, what? – что?)

When the interrogative word is the subject of the interrogative sentence or an attribute to the subject, the word order is direct, i.e. no inversion is used.

e.g. Who cooks in your family? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. Who is reading? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. What is there on the table? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. How many people live in Moscow?

 

More examples of subject questions:

Present Simple

I like music.

Who likes music?

Boys play football.

Who plays football?

We live in Ivanovo.

Who lives in Ivanovo?

Past Simple

I went to the cinema.

Who went to the cinema?

My parents bought a car.

Who bought a car?

Present Perfect

I have read the book.

Who has read the book?

The boys have broke n the window.

Who has broken the window?

 

глагол “to be”

Present

We are fond of sport.

Who is fond of sport?

They are happy.

Who is happy?

We are speaking English.

Who is speaking English?

Past

They were happy.

Who was happy?

The children were swimming.

Who was swimming?

 

Note: subject questions to the construction “ there + to be ”:

e.g. There is a book on the table. – На столе лежит книга.

What is there on the table? – Что лежит (находится) на столе?

e.g. There are flowers in the vase.

What is there in the vase?

e.g. There was butter on the plate.

What was there on the plate?

e.g. There were magazines on the shelf.

What was there on the shelf?

 

Task

I. Ask subject questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время:

1) Simon always pays the bill at a restaurant.

2) Something terrible has happened! I’ve broken my favourite teacup!

3) We never went to that party.

4) My friends are having fun.

5) They were really upset about the incident.

6) His car broke down.

7) There were notebooks, pens, and various office supplies on the desk in his office.

 

II. Ask subject questions to the following sentences:

Scotland covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It has a 96-mile border with England. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. There are a lot of islands in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages. In 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland. The new Kingdom of Great Britain was created in 1707.

 

5) A disjunctive question (=a tag question) requires the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Sentence Structure: It consists of a positive statement followed by a negative tag, or a negative statement followed by a positive tag. 

Tasks

1. Ask a disjunctive question:

with the verb “to be”:

1) It is autumn.

2) It was cold.

3) It will be sunny.

4) We are students.

5) They were disappointed.

6) They will be glad to see you.

7) The church was built a century ago.

8) The house is being built now.

 

2. Ask a disjunctive question (affirmative sentences):

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) He goes to school.

2) He wrote a test.

3) He will translate the sentence.

4) She has done the shopping.

5) She had done her homework by 6 p.m.

6) She has been learning French for 5 years.

7) She will have passed her exams by February.

8) You would love to help her.

 

3. Ask a disjunctive question (negative sentences):

1) You don’t like this book.

2) The weather is not that bad.

3) She won’t help us.

4) He never fails me.

5) He never went there.

6) She has seen nothing.

7) She hadn’t discussed it with anyone.

 

Note 1: Translation into Russian:

You live in Moscow, don’t you?

Ты живешь в Москве, да?

Ты живешь в Москве, правда?

Ты ведь живешь в Москве?

Note 2: Responses to tag questions:

Тебе понравилась песня?	Да, понравилась.	Did you like the song?	Yes, I did.
Тебе понравилась песня?	Нет, не понравилась.	Did you like the song?	No, I didn’t.
Разве тебе не понравилась песня?	Нет, понравилась.	Didn’t you like the song?	Yes, I did. =But yes, I did.
Разве тебе не понравилась песня?	Нет, не понравилась.	Didn’t you like the song?	No, I didn’t.

 

NB! Learn by heart!

I am a student, aren’t I?

But: I am not a student, am I?

Let’s go there, shall we?

Sometimes an offer to do something sounds just “Shall we?”

Open the window, will you?

He has a car, doesn’t he?

Cf: He has got a car, hasn’t he?

We had to walk, didn’t we?

 

Note 3: Do not confuse disjunctive questions with echo questions:

e.g. Джим победил. – Правда? Здорово!

Jim has won. – Has he? That’s great!

e.g. I bought a new car. – Did you?

Я купил новую машину. – Да?

e.g. She is from Russia. – Oh, is she?

Она из России. – Правда?

e.g. I don’t like George. – Don’t you? Why? 

Мне не нравится Джордж. – Нет? Почему?

 

Task

Ask disjunctive questions:

Part 1

1) I’m your friend.

2) Let’s invite him to our place.

3) Read the text.

4) There is a child in the room.

5) There are trees in the park.

6) There was a mistake in the test.

7) There were people in the street.

8) Everybody has their own tastes.

9) Nobody lives in the house.

10) Everyone is here.

11) Nobody is absent.

12) Everybody read the book.

13) No one wrote the test.

14) He has a big family.

15) He has got a lot of friends.

16) He has to do the shopping every weekend.

17) He had to stay at home.

Part 2

1) This beach is safe for bathing.

2) John was seasick.

3) They are going out tonight.

4) The Smiths have got two cars.

5) He has to go there.

6) Jack has written a novel.

7) The box will fit in your pocket.

8) His sister can speak Japanese.

9) The twins used to play rugby.

10) You’d like a drink.

11) You’d better wait for Mary.

12) Let’s have a party.

13) Fetch one more chair.

14) I am your girlfriend.

15) Bill doesn’t like oysters.

16) They don’t believe you.

17) You haven’t been here before.

18) They couldn’t pay the rent.

19) People shouldn’t text while driving.

20) You didn’t do it on purpose.

21) This won’t take long.

22) There won’t be much time.

23) The fire wasn’t started deliberately.

24) Sam couldn’t have prevented it.

 

Terms

general	[ˈdʒenrəl]	общий (вопрос)
alternative	[ɔːlˈtɜːnətɪv]	альтернативный (вопрос)
special	[ˈspeʃl]	специальный (вопрос)
disjunctive Syn. tail, tag	[dɪsˈdʒʌŋktɪv]	разделительный (вопрос)
subject question	[ˈsʌbdʒekt]	вопрос к подлежащему

 

 

1.2.3.  THE IMPERATIVE SENTENCE

It expresses a command, a warning, a request, a wish, a suggestion or an invitation.

Sentence structure: It does not have a subject and begins with an imperative verb.

 

e.g. Move aside! (a command)

e.g. Don’t try to cross the line. (a warning)

e.g. Come for the party tonight. (an invitation)

e.g. Always help your friends in need. (a suggestion)

 

a) commands are pronounced with a falling tone:

e.g. Stop talking!

 

b) requests and invitations are usually pronounced with a rising intonation:

e.g. Open the door, please.

 

Note 1: An imperative sentence can have a negative form:

e.g. Don’t go there!

e.g. Don't be so rude!

 

Note 2: An imperative sentence can have an emphatic form (it is not used very often):

e.g. Do come to see me tomorrow! – Обязательно заходи завтра ко мне в гости!

 

Note 3. A command addressed to the third person is expressed with the help of “let”:

e.g. Let her go.

With the first person plural the verb “to let” is used to for making suggestions:

e.g. Let's get started. (=Let us)

Note 4: Imperative sentences usually end with a period (.); though sometimes they may end with an exclamation mark (!).

e.g. Maintain silence!

Additional information: https://www.teachingbanyan.com/grammar/imperative-sentence/

 

1.2.4. THE EXCLAMATORY SENTENCE

It expresses some kind of emotion (anger, joy, sorrow, excitement, surprise etc.).

Sentence structure: It often begins with the words “ what ” and “ how”. It is always in the declarative form, i.e. no inversion takes place.

Intonation: It is generally spoken with a falling intonation.

 

e.g. What a lovely day it is! (excitement)

e.g. How fast he runs! (surprise)

e.g. How interesting the match was! (excitement)

e.g. Hurray, we won the match! (joy)

e.g. I lost my purse! (sorrow)

Note: “so” and “such” are often used:

e.g. He is so smart!

e.g. It is such a beautiful flower!

 

Additional information: https://www.teachingbanyan.com/grammar/exclamatory-sentence/

II. According to their structure simple sentences are divided into two-member and one-member sentences.

1) A two-member sentence has two principal parts, a subject and a predicate.

e.g. Hespeaks English.

 

A two-member sentence may be complete or incomplete (elliptical).

 

a) It is complete when it has a subject and a predicate:

e.g. Iam reading.

 

b) It is incomplete (elliptical) when one of the principal parts or both are missing, but can be easily understood from the context. Such sentences are mostly used in colloquial speech, especially in dialogues:

 

e.g. Who has done it? – Tom. (Как проверить, что это неполное двусоставное предложение? Мы можем достроить предложение: Tom has done it.)

e.g. Where are you going? – Home. (Можно достроить: I am going home.)

 

2) A one-member sentence has only one member which is neither the subject nor the predicate. Such sentences are usually used in descriptions and in emotional speech. If the main part of a one-member sentence is expressed by a noun, the sentence is called nominal:

e.g. Winter.

e.g. The sky, the flowers, the songs of birds!

Simple sentences, both two-member and one-member, can be extended (распространенные) and unextended.

An unextended sentence consists only of the principal parts:

e.g. Sheis reading. (subject + predicate)

An extended sentence consists of the principal parts and one or more secondary parts (objects, attributes or adverbial modifiers):

e.g. She studies languages at the university. (subject + predicate + object + adverbial modifier)

 

Terms

extended	[ɪkˈstendɪd]	распространенное (предложение)
unextended	['ʌnɪk'stendɪd]	нераспространенное (предложение)
two-member		двусоставное (предложение)
complete	[kəmˈpliːt]	полное (предложение)
incomplete	[ˌɪnkəmˈpliːt]	неполное (предложение)
Syn. elliptical	[ɪˈlɪptɪkl]	эллиптическое (предложение)
one-member		односоставное (предложение)
nominal	[ˈnɒmɪnl]	назывное (номинативное)

Tasks

1. Read and translate the following terms into Russian:

auxiliary, inversion, utterance, declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, affirmative, to precede, questions: general, alternative, disjunctive, special; a command, a request, complete, incomplete, elliptical, extended, unextended, nominal

2. Translate the following terms into English (use correct articles):

главное предложение, придаточное предложение, инверсия, распространенное предложение, повествовательное предложение, разделительный вопрос, вспомогательный глагол, главные члены предложения, второстепенные члены предложения, подлежащее, дополнение, полное предложение, неполное предложение, эллиптическое предложение, сложноподчиненное предложение.

 

3. Classify the sentences according to the purpose of the utterance:

Model: It is cold. (a declarative sentence)

        Do you like it? (an interrogative sentence, a general question)

It’s autumn. What a beautiful season! Let’s go to the park. You like autumn, don’t you? What is your favourite autumn month? Is it September?

 

4. Classify the sentences according to their structure:

Model: He lives in Ivanovo. (a two-member complete extended sentence)

       Dawn. (a one-member nominal unextended sentence)

Autumn. The leaves are turning yellow. It is cloudy. A cold wind is blowing. I don’t really like this time of year.

 

5. Characterize the following sentences (extended or unextended):

My friend lives in New York. He is a driver. He drives a taxi. He meets all kinds of people. 

6. Make all types of questions to the sentences (general, alternative, disjunctive, special, subject):

1) They always travel first class.

2) Angela is an architect.

3) He had to run to catch the bus.

4) The kids were playing with a ball in the street.

5) Zack will finish school next year.

6) The USA is made up of 50 states.

7) She has been learning Chinese for six months.

8) Jake was worried about his biology exam.

9) He took his driving test last week.

10) She always wears dark glasses.

11) His parents are experienced surgeons.

12) They bought a nice house in the suburbs.

13) Alice was born in the Netherlands.

 

 

THE SENTENC E

 

Types of Sentences

sentence	[ˈsentəns]	предложение
simple	[ˈsɪmpl]	простое (предложение)
compound	[ˈkɒmpaʊnd]	сложносочиненное
complex	[ˈkɒmpleks]	сложноподчиненное

clause	[klɔːz]	часть сложного предложения
principal clause Syn. main clause	[ˈprɪnsəpl]	главное предложение
subordinate clause	[səˈbɔːdɪnət]	придаточное предложение

 

auxiliary (verb)	[ɔːɡˈzɪliəri]	вспомогательный глагол
notional verb	[ˈnəʊʃənl]	смысловой глагол
inversion	[ɪnˈvɜːʃn]	инверсия

 

A simple sentence consists of only one clause:

e.g. He lives in London.

Note: A clause is part of a sentence which has a subject and a predicate.

 

A compound sentence is a sentence which consists of two or more clauses coordinated with each.

The clauses may be joined:

a) by coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but):

e.g. Mary read and Tom slept.

b) asyndetically (without a conjunction):

e.g. The rain fell slowly, the house was quiet.

 

A complex sentence consists of a principal clause (главное предложение) and one or more subordinate clauses (придаточное предложение).

The clauses may be joined:

a) by conjunctions (when, after, before, if, how, what, that, which, who, why, where, whether, as, since, etc.):

e.g. I’ll talk to him when he comes.

b) asyndetically (without a conjunction):

e.g. I thinkyou are right.

Tasks

1. Characterize the following sentences (simple, compound or complex) and point out the conjunctions (if any):

1) Buckingham Palace is a major tourist attraction.

2) We will tell you when we are ready.

3) Yesterday’s music festival was great.

4) It is already April but the weather is still very cold and rainy.

5) I don’t know what you are talking about.

6) The weather was fine yesterday and we went yachting.

7) You can stay at home or you can go with me.

8) I am late as I have missed my bus.

9) You have the book I’m looking for.

10) I want you to help me.

11) Although I know his character, he often surprises me.

12) We won’t be able to help you unless you tell what happened.

 

2. Revision task:

1) Characterize the following sentences (simple, compound or complex).

2) Write the parts of the sentence (below) and parts of speech (above) in the sentence:

Borders between the countries are open and passports are not required.

 

 

The Classification of Simple Sentences

A sentence is a unit of speech whose grammatical structure conforms to the laws of the language and which serves as the chief means of conveying a thought. A sentence is not only a means of communicating something about reality but also a means of showing the speaker’s attitude to it.

 

The classification of simple sentences is based on two principles:

I.       according to the purpose of the utterance (по цели высказывания);

II. according to the structure (по структуре).

 

I. According to the purpose of the utterance we distinguish four kinds of sentences: the declarative sentence, the interrogative sentence, the imperative sentence, the exclamatory sentence.

 

declarative	[dɪˈklærətɪv]	повествовательное
interrogative	[ˌɪntəˈrɒɡətɪv]	вопросительное
imperative	[ɪmˈperətɪv]	побудительное
exclamatory	[ɪkˈsklæmətri]	восклицательное

 

1.2.1. THE DECLARATIVE SENTENCE

It states a fact in the affirmative or negative form.

Sentence Structure: The subject precedes the predicate.

to precede [prɪˈsiːd] предшествовать; стоять перед

Intonation: It is generally pronounced with a falling intonation.

 

affirmative	[əˈfɜːmətɪv]	утвердительный
negative	[ˈneɡətɪv]	отрицательный

 

e.g. He lives in Ivanovo.

e.g. She doesn’t speak Spanish.

 

Note: There is a great difference between English and Russian negative sentences: in English the predicate of a sentence can have only one negation but in Russian it can have more than one.

e.g. Nobody wants to eat anything. – Никто ничего не хочет есть.

e.g. He is never late for classes. – Он никогда не опаздывает на занятия.

 

Task

Translate the sentences:

1) Он никогда не выполняет обещания.

2) Я ничего не понимаю в машинах.

3) В зале не было ни одного человека.

4) Никто не знает, что случилось с ней.

 

1.2.2. THE INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE

An interrogative sentence asks a question.

It is formed by means of inversion, i.e. by placing the predicate (or part of it) before the subject.

 

There are five kinds of questions:

1) A general question requires the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Sentence Structure: It is formed by placing part of the predicate, i.e. the auxiliary or modal verb before the subject of the sentences.

Intonation: It is spoken with a rising intonation.

e.g. Do you like it?

e.g. Can you help me?

 

Note 1: If the predicate is expressed by the verb ‘ to be ’, the question is formed by placing the predicate before the subject.

e.g. Is he a student?

e.g. Are you from Russia?

e.g. Was he happy?

e.g. Were they glad to see you?

 

Note 2: Sometimes such questions have a negative form and express astonishment or doubt.

e.g. Don ’ t you believe me? – Неужели (разве) ты мне не веришь?

e.g. Haven ’ t you heard about it? – Разве ты не слышал об этом?

 

Note 3: Responses to general questions:

e.g. Ты говорил с ним вчера? – Да, говорил. / Нет, не говорил.

Did you speak to him yesterday? – Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

             

e.g. Разве ты не говорил с ним вчера? – Нет, говорил. / Нет, не говорил.

Didn’t you speak to him yesterday? – Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

 

Tasks

I. Ask a general question:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Ann has an elder sister. (Present Simple, does)

2) Alice brought her boyfriend to the party. (Past Simple, did)

3) He ’ll go abroad next year. (Future Simple, will)

4) I have been to Paris. (Present Perfect, have)

5) His friends can rely on him. (модальный глагол “can”)

6) The children are staying with their grandparents.

7) She's a great beauty.

8) Doctors often work very long hours.

9) He travels abroad a lot.

10) Jake has passed his exams.

11) She will join us for lunch.

 

II. Ask general questions to the following sentences:

England has a long history. The name "England" is derived from the Old English name Englaland. It meant ‘land of the Angles’. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes. They settled in Great Britain during the Early Middle Ages. The earliest reference to the Angles occurs in the first century work by Tacitus, Germania.

 

2) An alternative question indicates choice.

Sentence Structure: Its structure is like that of a general question and the choice is given.

Intonation: It is spoken with a rising intonation in the first part and a falling intonation in the second part.

e.g. Do you live in town or in the country?

e.g. Is she a model or a PR agent?

e.g. Did he write an essay or a report?

e.g. Were they anxious or relaxed?

Task

Ask alternative questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Alice is into photography.

2) My elder brother has been to Egypt.

3) My colleagues often discuss political news.

4) There are ten students in the group.

 

II. Ask alternative questions to the following sentences:

England is a part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west. England is separated from continental Europe by the English Channel. The country includes over 100 smaller islands.

 

3) A special question begins with an interrogative word.

  Sentence Structure: The order of words is the same as in a general question, but the interrogative word precedes the auxiliary verb.

Intonation: It is spoken with a falling intonation.

Схема: вопросительное слово + вспомогательный глагол + подлежащее + сказуемое

 

e.g. What books do you like?

e.g. Where did you go?

e.g. When was Ivanovo founded?

e.g. How many points can you get?

Note: the preposition is usually placed at the end:

e.g. What are you laughing at?

e.g. What is he fond of?

 

More examples of special questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Lanny is keen on photography. (Present Simple, is)

What is Lanny keen on?

2) We go to the cinema every weekend. (Present Simple, do)

Where do we go every weekend?

How often do we go to the cinema?

3) He has ten French books. (Present Simple, does)

What does he have?

What books does he have?

 How many French books does he have?

Task

I. Ask special questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время, потом вспомогательный глагол:

1) Jane is waiting for her friend.

2) He looked at his watch.

3) I borrowed my sister’s umbrella.

4) He was interested in politics.

5) Mike can speak three foreign languages.

6) The UK consists of four parts.

7) You’ll have to pay $1200 for it.

 

II. Ask special questions to the following sentences:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland includes the island of Great Britain, the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II has reigned since 1952. She became Queen after her father’s death. Her father was King George VI. He was deeply respected by the nation because during the WWII he shared the hardships of the common people.

 

4) A subject question (who? – кто?, what? – что?)

When the interrogative word is the subject of the interrogative sentence or an attribute to the subject, the word order is direct, i.e. no inversion is used.

e.g. Who cooks in your family? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. Who is reading? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. What is there on the table? (3 лицо, ед.ч.!)

e.g. How many people live in Moscow?

 

More examples of subject questions:

Present Simple

I like music.

Who likes music?

Boys play football.

Who plays football?

We live in Ivanovo.

Who lives in Ivanovo?

Past Simple

I went to the cinema.

Who went to the cinema?

My parents bought a car.

Who bought a car?

Present Perfect

I have read the book.

Who has read the book?

The boys have broke n the window.

Who has broken the window?

 

глагол “to be”

Present

We are fond of sport.

Who is fond of sport?

They are happy.

Who is happy?

We are speaking English.

Who is speaking English?

Past

They were happy.

Who was happy?

The children were swimming.

Who was swimming?

 

Note: subject questions to the construction “ there + to be ”:

e.g. There is a book on the table. – На столе лежит книга.

What is there on the table? – Что лежит (находится) на столе?

e.g. There are flowers in the vase.

What is there in the vase?

e.g. There was butter on the plate.

What was there on the plate?

e.g. There were magazines on the shelf.

What was there on the shelf?

 

Task

I. Ask subject questions:

A tip: Сначала определяем время:

1) Simon always pays the bill at a restaurant.

2) Something terrible has happened! I’ve broken my favourite teacup!

3) We never went to that party.

4) My friends are having fun.

5) They were really upset about the incident.

6) His car broke down.

7) There were notebooks, pens, and various office supplies on the desk in his office.

 

II. Ask subject questions to the following sentences:

Scotland covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It has a 96-mile border with England. It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Irish Sea. There are a lot of islands in the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages. In 1603, James VI of Scotland became king of England and Ireland. The new Kingdom of Great Britain was created in 1707.

 

5) A disjunctive question (=a tag question) requires the answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Sentence Structure: It consists of a positive statement followed by a negative tag, or a negative statement followed by a positive tag.