Unit 10.2
54 Yes/No Questions
Syntax
Yes/no questions are also called closed questions or polar questions because the answer to them can only be yes or no.
The answers to closed questions are called short answers.
To create a closed question only auxiliary (be, have, do) or modal verbs (can, could, would…) are allowed.
The yes/no questions have this structure:
Auxiliary/modal verb + subject + noun/verb + …?
We usually repeat the auxiliary or the modal verb in the short answer. It is not necessary to repeat the verb itself.
The short answers have this structure:
Yes/no + subject + auxiliary/modal verb (the same of the question).
| QUESTION | AFFIRMATIVE SHORT ANSWER | NEGATIVE SHORT ANSWER |
|---|---|---|
| Do you…? | Yes, I do./Yes, we do. | No, I don’t./No, we don’t. |
| Does he…? | Yes, he does. | No, he doesn’t. |
| Can we…? | Yes, we can. | No, we can’t. |
| Have you got…? | Yes, I have./Yes, we have. | No, I haven’t./No, we haven’t. |
| Has he got…? | Yes, he has. | No, he hasn’t. |
| Would you like…? | Yes, I would./Yes, we would. | No, I wouldn’t./No, we wouldn’t. |
| Are you…? | Yes, I am. | No, I‘m not. |
| Were you…? | Yes, I was./Yes, we were. | No, I wasn’t./No, we weren’t. |
| Was it…? | Yes, it was. | No, it wasn’t. |
| Did they…? | Yes, they did. | No, they didn’t. |
- Do you like postcards? - Yes, I do. /
Yes, I like. - Did she go by car? - No, she didn’t.
- Were you at the bus station yesterday? - Yes, we were.
We use yes/no questions when we expect that answer will be either yes (affirmative) or no (negative). These questions are also called closed questions or polar questions.
We call yes/no questions, closed questions or polar questions as the answer can only be yes or no. The answer to these questions is called a short answer.
- The structure of a yes/no question is:
Auxiliary/modal verb + subject + noun/verb + …?;
- Short answers are structured in this way:
Yes/no + subject + auxiliary/modal verb (the same as the verb of the question).
For example:
— “Do you like cats? - Yes, I do.” = Since the question has been asked with the verb to do (Do you like cats?), the short answer will contain the same verb (Yes, I do).
♦ “Whose cat is this?” = Wh- questions are also called open questions because you can give infinite number of answers.
NOTE: We can only use an auxiliary (be/have…) or a modal verb (can/could /would…) in order to create a yes/no question.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.