The three common used question patterns:
A question is a kind of a sentence that needs an answer. It is asked to make an inquiry. It is known as an interrogative sentence and the syntax or word order is different from a statement sentence.
The three types of common questions are:
- Yes/ no questions. They are also known as polar questions.
- Wh- questions
- Alternative questions
A yes/no question is formed by placing the auxiliary verb at the beginning of the sentence. For Example,
Yes. Greta has gone to the saloon.
The question will be:
Has Greta gone to the saloon?
A wh- question begins with words having the same two letters in the beginning like what, why, when, where, who, whom . The intended question may also begin with how. For Example,
How was he doing?
He was doing well.
The answers to these questions do not end in a yes/no. Instead, they provide information in a phrase or a clause.
Alternative Questions end with a falling intonation. These questions have a wide spectrum including nexus questions, close questions, either/or, multiple choice and choice questions.
Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be?’ is a typical example.