Questions tagged [questions]

This tag is for inquiries about the grammar and phrasing of questions. (If your question is about anything else, do not use this tag.)

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1 vote
1 answer
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Can I ask a question as part of another sentence, like in "I think she's nice what do you think?"?

Is asking questions in a middle of a sentence grammatically correct for example I think she's nice what do you think? That's correct or should I make two sentences out of that?
3 votes
3 answers
72 views

Does "Is it not legal?" mean the same as "Is it illegal?"?

Do these three mean the same thing? If not, could you please explain the difference between them in simple words. Isn't he certain? Is he not certain? Is he uncertain? In a context: Why did he say ...
-1 votes
1 answer
98 views

Use of question mark at the end of clause

Loving you is like breathing, how can I stop? He asked how I had failed in the examination. In example 1, firstly, there is a comma before the second clause. Secondly, it's in interrogative order. ...
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

Confirming negatives in English

I know in English if someone asks: The picture is not correct, right? I could answer: No, it is not correct. Right, it is not correct. But what if the negative is in the word itself, such as The ...
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is it correct to say "What, my family and friends would say, is ...?" instead of "What would my family and friends say is ...?"?

ell.stackexchange.com: (1) What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? my variant: (2) What, as my family and friends would say, is the driving force of my life? I think (2) ...
1 vote
1 answer
34 views

They don't have the book? Don't they have the book?

Which sentence with the question word order or with the usual word order should I use in this situation? Do those two questions mean the same thing here or is there some difference in meaning between ...
0 votes
1 answer
32 views

You don't like it? (usual word order) Don't you like it? (question word order)

Could you please help me understand whether I've got to use the usual word order or the question word order in these two situations, and most importantly why. Please, give me some guidance. A: Hello, ...
1 vote
2 answers
39 views

(Do) You really want it?

I’ve often heard native speakers not use the auxiliary verb before the question. Could you please explain what the difference is between asking positive questions in these two ways? In what ...
1 vote
1 answer
36 views

What does 'Why' mean in this case

But maybe we can be friends. Now tell me little flea, what does my blood taste like?” “Why, your blood tastes of banana milkshake.” “That’s because I eat lots of bananas,” said the monkey. “Do fleas ...
0 votes
2 answers
22 views

Can I combine first person, second person, and third person in a sentence?

For example: In my opinion, it's a lot easier for you to stay silent than it is for you to speak up, but we all need to speak up to get heard by others.
2 votes
2 answers
66 views

Using words "not" and "until" in the same sentence

For example, let's say someone said to me, "You did not need to wait until I was in the pool to hold me". I believe this can translate to something like, "You did not need to wait to ...
0 votes
1 answer
49 views

"Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished?"— Is it correct not to invert the word order and say "or it should be abolished"?

an example from the section "More examples" on cambridge.org: (1) Is monarchy relevant in the modern world or should it be abolished? Is it necessary to invert the word order in the second ...
0 votes
1 answer
45 views

"How much are you offering "? "What is your offer"?

If I am selling a house, Could you pls tell me that who could say these qestions? Seller or buyer or both(as in anyone)
1 vote
2 answers
17 views

“Can I not read it”?

If a person is asking about permission not to read something, he doesn't want to read it and asks not to read it. Can we use the phrase “Can I not read it”? Is it correct?
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0 votes
3 answers
41 views

Is an indignant or surprised question a rhetoric question?

Learn to Read Latin says on p115 an (conj.) introduces an indignant or surprised question expecting a negative answer. can it really be that ... Althought it is about Latin, it is also about English ...
0 votes
1 answer
61 views

Are these two questions both grammatically correct?

What is the most suitable method of xxx for improving xxx? or What method of xxx is most suited to improve xxx? or What method of xxx is most suited for improving xxx? Sorry for the xxx, but I'd ...
2 votes
1 answer
295 views

Can you omit "do you" in question?

Is the second sentence correct? Do you have a question about XYZ? Contact us! Have a question about XYZ? Contact us! Basically I wonder if I can omit do you or if it is always required.
0 votes
1 answer
52 views

How to ask about the subject and objects in the following sentence?

I made up a sentence: "She feeds the shark fishes." How to ask about the subject, the 1st object and the 2nd object? Maybe: Who feeds the shark fishes? Who does she feed fishes? What does ...
0 votes
1 answer
90 views

Is "Why not more?" a correct question?

Is Why not more? correct, or should it be Why no more? What does it mean, then? Why don't you want anymore of something? Or the opposite: Why not having some more of something?
1 vote
1 answer
42 views

Is the order arrived?

Our teacher keeps telling us that * Is the order arrived? * is grammatically correct and added that Arrived here functions as an adjective. Anyone can help us solve the problem if there is one. Thank ...
1 vote
1 answer
39 views

What does this question on the application form mean?

I am currently applying for an internship and this question is on the application form (I am not a native speaker): "What, if any, reasonable accommodations are necessary to perform the essential ...
2 votes
1 answer
77 views

Does 'Service with exception' look native to English speakers?

I saw this error message on my university's website, which seems weird to me. After googling, I found no other people using this error message in their apps or websites. But some of my schoolmate ...
0 votes
1 answer
58 views

What are you? or Who are you?- questions about jobs [duplicate]

Some years ago students in Russia were taught to use only "What are you?"-question when asking about jobs or professions. But some days ago I came across both questions - "What is this?&...
2 votes
2 answers
79 views

How should I (know)?

Question: Do you know who it could be? Response: How the hell should I (know)? Would it be natural to leave out (know) in the response?
1 vote
1 answer
51 views

{Do you see/Did you see/Have you seen} him yet? Which tense is correct?

There is this guy my friend usually sees in her school cafe. So today I texted my friend and wanted to ask her if she saw that guy in the cafe while my friend was still in school. Which tense should I ...
0 votes
2 answers
171 views

What are the questions starting with "How long" that correspond to "I have three weeks to learn English" & "I have to learn English for three weeks"?

What will be the questions that start with "How long..." for these two following sentences? I have three weeks to learn English. I have to learn English for three weeks. The only question ...
0 votes
1 answer
29 views

What is the correct way to punctuate direct questions that are not quotes? [duplicate]

What is the correct way to punctuate direct questions that are NOT quotes in a sentence in APA style? Examples: End of sentence: A lot of people wonder, How do judges get appointed? or A lot of ...
1 vote
3 answers
7k views

'May I know...' if 'May I know when this group was established?' sounds natural? May I know other ways to ask this question?

May I know when this group was established? Hello. I learned in a text that we can say 'May I know...?' in formal situations. But an American teacher of English told me it sounded unnatural. He said '...
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

Where am I taking this to?

Where are you going? Where are you from? In the first sentence, we don't need to use a preposition for Where (question word) but in the other sentences we need to use prepositions, why?
0 votes
2 answers
60 views

"I've been to see the manager" -- meaning of "been to see"

What does "been to see" in this excerpt from a listening test mean? Tutor: Hello Sam, come in and sit down ... Sam: Thanks. Tutor: You’re here to discuss your company-based IT project aren’...
2 votes
1 answer
103 views

Emphatic statement and questions

We can use helping verbs like do, does, and did before verbs for emphasis, as in: He knows the truth. He does know the truth. (More emphatic) But does the same rule apply to information questions? ...
2 votes
2 answers
99 views

How idiomatic is "or?" instead of "isn't it?" at the end of a question?

I made the observation that some English speakers end questions with "or " where I would expect "isn't it", "don't they" etc. So instead of This won't work, will it? You ...
1 vote
2 answers
48 views

Word order in indirect question

As I know, we normally have to change the word order in indirect questions. Correct my examples below if they are wrong: "Can you tell me where you come from?" "Can you tell me who were ...
0 votes
0 answers
33 views

what should I use for an object/thing/non-living 'What' or 'Who' in a question like this?

"Who decides which program to run next?" "What decides which program to run next?" which sentence would be correct if the answer could be 'interpreter' which is an object/non-...
2 votes
2 answers
279 views

How much does it cost or How much it costs in title

Here is the title of an article: How much it costs to launch a new brand. It is not actually a question, it is like: [This is]How much it costs to launch a new brand. I know that titles that began ...
0 votes
2 answers
62 views

She does not speak English. How did you communicate with her? - rhetorical question

Example 1 She does not speak English. How did you communicate with her? Example 2 She does not speak English. How could you have communicated with her? What I am trying to say is that it was ...
0 votes
2 answers
69 views

Form Label to Indicate Childrens Prices Group And Those That Are Free of Cost

Our company finds it difficult to word the notice indicating that infants under certain ages are either "free" or go at "half-price". What should we use? "Free child age?" or ...? we're not native ...
3 votes
4 answers
462 views

How should I punctuate "How you ask?"?

I can climb to the top of that tree. How you ask? Well, like this. I can climb to the top of that tree. How, you ask? Well, like this. I can climb to the top of that tree. "How", you ask? ...
0 votes
1 answer
87 views

Ways to ask what a word means

Are all these idiomatic ways of asking what a word means? Is number 2 a cleft sentence? What does "technique" mean? What does it mean "technique"? What's the meaning of "...
1 vote
1 answer
67 views

What is the usage of "is, am, and are" and "do and does" in terms of closed question?

When we want to ask the yes-no question, we will use verbs like "is, am, and are" or "do and does", and we put it in the head of the sentence. And the question is, what is the ...
7 votes
4 answers
710 views

How does the sentence 'Who did Tom say saw him?' work?

I understand the meaning but not the sentence formation/syntax. In my mother tongue this would make no sense. I would rather say: Who according to Tom saw him? Perhaps the following will help to ...
0 votes
1 answer
60 views

"How long a gap do I need between treatments." OR "How long do I need between treatments."

This sentence is from a web site about laser treatments. "How long a gap do I need between laser hair removal treatments?" "How long" refers to time anyway. So, why do we need to ...
0 votes
0 answers
55 views

“Was there not” or “Wasn’t there” - what’s the difference?

Is there a difference between “Was there not” or “Wasn’t there” in the meaning? Example: Was there not an emptiness…?. Or can be interchangeably used for the same “ Wasn’t there an emptiness…?” Or is ...
1 vote
3 answers
239 views

Why is there inversion in "Whose gloves are these?" but not "Whose book won the prize?"?

I was told that we don't use inversion when asking about the subject of a sentence. I encountered these two sentences while surfing the internet. Whose book won the prize? Whose gloves are these? If ...
-2 votes
2 answers
62 views

What does it mean if when someone says. “I don’t know when you will get your chance.” [closed]

I would greatly appreciate it, if someone could please explain this to me.
1 vote
1 answer
46 views

That is very respectful of you

"That is very respectful of you" - I am trying to tell someone that I really appreciate their action that is the fact of showing respect to someone. Would it be correct to frame the ...
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Tag question of ought to

I would like to know the tag question of "ought to" is oughtn't to or shouldn't ? For example, He ought to have made a note of it, ________? For this sentence, the tag will be "oughtn't ...
-1 votes
1 answer
40 views

Difference between Aren't and Don't [closed]

Could someone please clarify my doubt on below questions. Aren't you on leave today? Don't you on leave today? Which one should I use to ask question. Thanks
9 votes
3 answers
42k views

"What time is it" versus "what is the time"

Does it matter if I use "what time is it?" versus "what is the time?". In what cases should I use what time is it? For example would I say: Hey steve! what is the time? or Hey steve! what time ...
-1 votes
1 answer
116 views

"(In) where you are"

I understand the meaning of "where you are", but I'm not sure if it is grammatically correct to use the phrase in the following example - If I already know where you have moved to and wonder ...

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