4.11 types of question

There are two main types of question.

Questions which can be answered by 'yes' or 'no' are called 'yes/no'-questions.

• 'Is he your only child?' --- 'Yes.'
• 'Are you planning to marry soon?' --- 'No.'
• 'Can I help you?' --- 'Yes, I'd like to book a single room, please.'
• 'Are you interested in racing?' --- 'Yes, I love it.'
• 'Are you a singer as well as an actress?' --- 'No, I'm not a singer at all.'
• 'Did you go through?' --- 'No, I didn't bother.'

The actual answer to a 'yes/no'-question is not always 'yes' or 'no'. For example, if you ask someone 'Do you read in bed?', they might say 'Sometimes' or 'Never'. If you say to someone 'Do you like Michael Jackson?', they might say 'I think he's wonderful'. But the questions 'Do you read in bed?' and 'Do you like Michael Jackson?' are still 'yes/no'-questions, because 'yes' and 'no' are the kind of answers the questioner expects. 'Sometimes' will be interpreted as a weak 'yes' answer, 'never' as a strong 'no' answer, and 'I think he's wonderful' as a strong 'yes' answer.

'Yes/no'-questions are fully explained in paragraphs 4.12 to 4.16.

The other main type of question begins with a 'wh'-word such as 'what', 'where', or 'when'. When you ask a question of this type, the answer cannot be 'yes' or 'no'.

• 'Who is he?' --- 'A man called Boylan.'
• 'Why didn't you ask me?' --- 'I was afraid to.'
• 'Where is he now?' --- 'He's at university.'

This type of question is called a 'wh'-question. When 'wh'-words are used as pronouns or adverbs at the beginning of a 'wh'-question, they are called interrogative pronouns or interrogative adverbs.

'Wh'-questions are explained in paragraphs 4.17 to 4.30.