GIU Essential (Questions 044-049)
Unit 044. is it …? have you …? do they …? etc. (questions 1)
A
In questions, the first verb (is/are/have etc.) is before the subject:
- I am late.
- Am I late?
- That seat is free.
- Is that seat free?
- She was angry.
- Why was she angry?
- David has gone.
- Where has David gone?
- You have got a car.
- Have you got a car?
- They will be here soon.
- When will they be here?
- Paula can swim.
- Can Paula swim?
Remember: the subject is after the first verb.
- Where has David gone?
- Are those people waiting for something?
- When was the telephone invented?
B
- They work hard.
- Do they work hard?
- You watch television.
- How often do you watch televison?
- Chris works hard.
- Does Chris work hard?
- She gets up early.
- What time does she get up?
- They worked hard.
- Did they work hard?
- You had dinner.
- Whar did you have for dinner?
- She got up early.
- What time did she get up?
Sometimes do is the main verb:
- What do you usually do at weekends?
- What does your brother do?
- He works at a bank.
- I broke my finger last week.
- How did you do that?
C
- Where’s John? Why isn’t he here?
- Why can’t Paula come to the meeting tomorrow?
- Why didn’t you phone me last night?
Exercise
- I can swim.
- Can you swim?
- I work hard.
- Does Jack work hard?
- I was late this morning.
- Were you late this morning?
- I’ve got a key.
- Has Kate got a key?
- I’ll be here tomorrow.
- Will you be here tomorrow?
- I’m going out this evening.
- Is Paul going out this evening?
- I like my job.
- Do you like your job?
- I live near here.
- Does Nichole live near here?
- I enjoyed the film.
- Did you enjoy the film?
- I had a good holiday.
- Did you have a good holiday?
- Have you got a car?
- Yes, I have.
- Do you use it a lot?
- Yes, nearly every day.
- Did you use yesterday?
- Yes, to go to work.
- Do you enjoy driving?
- Not very much.
- Are you a good driver?
- I think I am.
- Have you ever had an accident?
- No, never.
- Where has David gone?
- Is Rachel working today?
- What are the children doing?
- How is cheese made?
- Is your sister coming to the party?
- Why don’t you tell the truth?
- Have you guests arrived yet?
- What time does your train leave?
- Why didn’t Emily go to work?
Was your car damaged in the accident?
- I want to go out.
- Where do you want to go?
- Kate and Paul aren’t going to the party.
- Why aren’t they going?
- I’m reading.
- What are you reading?
- Sue went to bed elary.
- What time did she go?
- My parents are going on holiday.
- When are they going?
- I saw Tom a few days ago.
- Where did you see him?
- I can’t come to the party.
- Why can’t you come to the party?
- Tina has gone away.
- Where has she gone?
- I need some money.
- How much do you need?
- Angela doesn’t like me.
- Why doesn’t she like you?
- It rains sometimes.
- How often does it rain?
- I did the shopping.
- When did you do it?
Unit 045. Who saw you? Who did you see? (questions 2)
A
- Silvia saw Paul.
- Who saw Paul?
- Silvia. (Silvia saw him.)
- who is the subject.
- Paul is the object.
- Who did Silvia see?
- Paul. (She saw Paul.)
- Who is the object.
- Silvia is the subject.
B
In these questions, who/what is the subject:
- Who lives in this house? (= somebody lives in it - who?)
- (not Who does live?)
- What happened? (= something happened - what?)
- (not What did happen?)
- What’s happening?
- Who’s got my key? (Who has …?)
In these questions, who/what is the object:
- Who did you meet yesterday? (= you met somebody - who?)
- What did Paul say? (= Paul said something - what?)
- Who are you phoning?
- What was Silvia wearing?
Compare:
- George likes oranges.
- Who likes oranges?
- George.
- What does George like?
- Oranges.
- Who likes oranges?
- Jane won a new car.
- Who won a new car?
- Jane.
- What did Jane win?
- A new car.
- Who won a new car?
C
Use who for people (somebody). Use what for things, ideas etc. (something):
- Who is your favourite singer?
- What is your favourite song?
Exercise
- Somebody broke the window.
- Who broke the window?
- Something fell off the shelf.
- What fell off the shelf?
- Somebody wants to see you.
- Who wants to see me?
- Somebody took my umbrella.
- Who took your umbrella?
- Something made me ill.
- What made you ill?
- Somebody is coming.
- Who’s coming?
- I bought something.
- What did you buy?
- Somebody lives in this house.
- Who lives in this house?
- I phoned somebody.
- Who did you phone?
- Something happened last night.
- What happened last night?
- Somebody knows the answer.
- Who knows the answer?
- Somebody did the washing-up.
- Who did the washing-up?
- Jane did something.
- What did Jane do?
- Something woke me up.
- What woke you up?
- Somebody saw the accident.
- Who saw the accident?
- I saw somebody.
- Who did you see?
- Somebody has got my pen.
- Who’s got your pen?
- This word means something.
- What does this word mean?
- I lost X yesterday, but fortunately X found it and gave it back to me.
- What did you lose?
- Who found it?
- X phoned me last night. She wanted X.
- Who phoned you?
- What did she want?
- I needed some advice, so I asked X. He said X.
- Who did you ask?
- What did he say?
- I hear that X got married last week. X told me.
- Who got married?
- Who told you?
- I met X on my way home this evening. She told me X.
- Who did you meet?
- What did she tell you?
- Steve and I played tennis yesterday. X won. After the game we X.
- Who won?
- What did you do after the game?
- It was my birthday last week and I had some presents. X gave me a book and Catherine gave me X.
- Who gave you a book?
- What did Catherine give you?
Unit 046. Who is she talking to? What is it like?
A
- Julia is talking to somebody.
- Who is she talking to?
In questions beginning (Who …? What …? Where …? Which …?,) prepositions (to/from/with etc.) usually go at the end:
- Where are you from?
- I’m from Thailand.
- Jack was afraid.
- What was he afraid of?
- Who do these books belong to?
- They’re mine.
- Tom’s father is in hospital.
- Which hospital is he in?
- Kate is going on holiday.
- Who with? / Who is she going with?
- Can we talk?
- Sure. What do you want to talk about?
B
- What’s your new house like?
- It’s very big.
- What’s it like? = What is it like?
- What’s it like? = tell me
When we say ‘What is it like?’, like is a preposition. It is not the verb like (‘Do you like your new house?’ etc.)
- There’s a new restaurant in our street.
- What’s it like? Is it good?
I don’t know. I haven’t eaten there yet.
- What’s your new teacher like?
- She’s very good. We learn a lot.
- I met Nicole’s parents yesterday.
- Did you? What are they like?
They’re very nice.
- Did you have a good holiday? What was the weather like?
- It was lovely. It was sunny every day.
Exercise
- The letter is from X.
- Who is the letter from?
- I’m looking for a X.
- What are you looking for?
- I went to the cinema with X.
- Who did you go to the cinema with?
- The film was about X.
- What was the film about?
- I gave the money to X.
- Who did you give money to?
- The book was written by X.
- Who was the book written by?
- Who is she talking to?
- What are they looking at?
- Which restaurant is he going to?
- What is they talking about?
- What is she listening to?
Which bus are they waiting for?
- Tom’s father is in hospital.
- Which hospital is he in?
- We stayed at a hotel.
- Which hotel did you stay at?
- Jack plays for a football team.
- Which team does he play for?
- I went to school in this town.
- Which school did you go to?
- What are the roads like?
- What is the food like?
- What are the people like?
What is the weather like?
- What was the weather like?
- What was the film like?
- What were the lessons like?
- What was the hotel like?
Unit 047. What …? Which …? How …?
A
What + noun (What color …? / What kind …? etc.)
- What colour is your car?
- What size is this shirt?
- What time is it?
- What kind of job do you want?
- What colour are your eyes?
- What make is your TV set?
- What day is it today?
What without a noun:
- What’s your favourite colour?
- What do you want to do tonight?
B
Which + noun (things or people):
- Which train did you catch - the 9.50 or the 10.30?
- Which doctor did you see - Doctor Ellis, Doctor Gray …
We use which without a noun for things, not people:
- Which is bigger - Canada or Australia?
We use who for people (without a noun):
- Who is taller - Joe or Gray? (not Which is taller?)
C
What or which?
We use which when we are thinking about a small number of possibilities (perhaps 2,3 or 4):
- We can go this way or that way. Which way shall we go?
- There are four umbrellas here. Which is yours?
What is more general:
- What’s the capital of Argentina? (of all the cities in Argentina)
- What sort of music do you like? (of all kinds of music)
Compare:
- What colour are his eyes? (not Which colour?)
- Which colour do you prefer, pink or yellow?
- What is the longest river in the world?
- Which is the longest river - the Mississippi, the Amazon or the Nile?
D
How …?
- How was the party last night?
- It was great.
- How do you usually go to work?
- By bus.
You can use how + adjective/adverb (how tall / how old / how often etc.):
- How tall are you?
- I’m 1 metre 70.
- How big is the house?
- Not very big.
- How old is your mother?
- She’s 45.
- How far is it from here to the airport?
- Five kilometres.
- How often do you use your car?
- Every day.
- How long have they been married?
- Ten years.
- How much was the meal?
- Thirty pounds.
Exercise
- I’ve got a new TV set.
- What make is it?
- I want a job.
- What kind of job do you want?
- I’ve got a new sweater.
- What colour is it?
- I got up early this morning.
- What time did you get up?
- I like music.
- What type of music do you like?
- I want to buy a car.
- What kind of car do you want (to buy)?
- Which way shall we go?
- Which coat is yours?
- Which film do you want to see?
Which bus goes to the centre?
- What is that man’s name?
- Which way shall we go? Left or right?
- You can have tea or coffee. Which do you prefer?
- What day is it today?
- Friday.
- This is a nice office. Which desk is yours?
- What is your favourite sport?
- Which is more expensive, meat or fish?
- Who is older, Liz or Steve?
- What kind of camera have you got?
- I’ve got three cameras.
- Which camera do you use most?
What nationality are you?
- How high is Mount Everest?
- Nearly 9000 metres.
- How far is it to the station?
- It’s about two kilometres from here.
- How old is Helen?
- She’s 26.
- How often do the buses run?
- Every ten minutes.
- How deep is the water in the pool?
- Two metres.
- How long have you lived here?
- Nearly three years.
- Are you 1 metre 70? 1.75?
- How tall are you?
- Is this box one kilogram? Two?
- How heavy is this box??
- Are you 20 years old? 23?
- How old are you?
- Did you spend $20? ..?
- How much did you spend?
- Do you watch TV every day? Once a week? Never?
- How often do you watch TV?
- Is it 1000 miles from Paris to Mowcow? 1500?
- How far is it from Paris to Mowcow?
Unit 048. How long does it take …?
A
How long does it take from … to …?
- How long does it take by plane from New York to Washington?
- It takes one hour.
- How long does it take by train from London to Manchester?
- It takes two hours by train from London to Manchester.
- How long does it take by car from your house to the station?
- It takes ten minutes by car from my house to the station.
B
How long does it take to do something?
- How long does it take to cross the Atlantic by ship?
- I came by train.
- Did you? How long did it take to get here?
- How long will it take to get from here to the hotel?
- It takes a long time to learn a language.
- It doesn’t take long to cook an omelette.
- It won’t take long to fix the computer.
C
How long does it take you to do something?
- I started reading the book on Monday. I finished it on Wednesday evening. It took me three days to read it.
- How long will it take me to learn to drive?
- It takes Tom 20 minutes to get to work in the morning.
- It took us an hour to do the shopping.
- Did it take you a long time to find a job?
- It will take me an hour to cook dinner.
Exercise
- How long does it take by plane from London to Amsterdam?
- How long does it take by car from Milan to Rome?
- How long does it take by train from Paris to Geneva?
How long does it take by bus from the city centre to the airport?
- fly from your city/country to London
- It takes two hours to fly from Madrid to London.
- fly from your city/country to New York
- It takes n hours to fly from x to y.
- study to be a doctor in your country.
- It takes n years to study to be a doctor in x.
- walk from your home to the nearest shop
- It takes x minutes to walk from my home to the nearest shop.
- get from your home to the nearest airport
- It takes x hours to get from my home to the nearest airport.
- Jane found a job.
- How long did it take her to find a job?
- I walked to the station.
- How long did it take you to walk to the station?
- Tom painted the bathroom.
- How long did it take him to paint the bathroom?
- I learnt to ski.
- How long did it take you to learn to ski?
- They repaired the computer.
- How long did it take them to repair the computer?
- I read a book last week. I started reading it on Monday. I finished it three days later.
- It took me three days to read the book.
- We walked home last night. We left at 10 o’clock and we arrived home at 10.20.
- It took us 20 minutes to walk home.
- I learnt to drive last year. I had my first driving lesson in January. I passed my driving test six months later.
- It took me six months to learn to drive.
- Mark drove to London yesterday. He left home at 7 o’clock and got to London at 10.
- It took Mark three hours to drive to London.
- Lisa began looking for a job a long time ago. She got a job last week.
- It took Lisa a long time to get a job.
Unit 049. Do you know where …? I don’t know what … etc.
A
- Where is Paula?
- Do you know where Puala is?
- (not Do you know where is Paula?)
Compare:
- Who are those people?
- Do you know who those people are?
- How old is Nicole?
- Can you tell me how old Nicole is?
- What time is it?
- Do you know what time it is?
- Where can I go?
- Can you tell me where I can go?
- How much is this camera?
- I know how much this camera is.
- When are you going away?
- I don’t know when you are going away.
- Where have they gone?
- I don’t remember where they have gone.
- What was Kate wearing?
- I don’t know what Kate was wearing.
B
Questions with do/does/did (present simple and past simple)
- Where does he live?
- Do you know where he lives?
- (not Do you know where does he live?)
Compare:
- How do aeroplanes fly?
- Do you know how aeroplanes fly?
- What does Jane want?
- I don’t know what Jane wants.
- Why did she go home?
- I don’t remember why she went home.
- Where did I put the key?
- I know where I put the key.
C
Questions beginning Is …? / DO …? / Can …? etc. (yes/no questions)
Compare:
- Is Jack at home?
- Do you know if Jack is at home?
- Have they got a car?
- Do you know whether they’ve got a car?
- Can Brian swim?
- I don’t know if Brian can swim.
- Do they live near here?
- I don’t know whether they live near hear.
- Did anybody see you?
- I don’t know if anybody saw you.
You can use if or whether in these sentences:
- Do you know if they’ve got a car?
- Do you know whether they’ve got a car?
- I don’t know if anybody saw me.
- I don’t know whether anybody saw me.
Exercise
- Have your friends gone home?
- I don’t know where they’ve gone.
- Is Kate in her office?
- I don’t know where she is.
- Is the castle very old?
- I don’t know how old the it is.
- Will Paul be here soon?
- I don’t know when he will be here.
- Was he angry because I was late?
- I don’t know why he was angry.
- Has Sally lived here a long time?
- I don’t know how long she has lived here.
- How do aeroplanes fly?
- Do you know how aeroplanes fly?
- Where does Susan work?
- I don’t know where Susan works.
- What did Peter say?
- Do you remember what Peter said?
- Why did he go home early?
- I don’t know why he went home early.
- What time does the meeting begin?
- Do you know what time the meeting begins?
- How did the accident happen?
- I don’t remember how the accident happened.
- Do you know what time it is?
- Why are you going away?
- I don’t know where they are going.
- Can you tell me where the museum is?
- Where do you want to go for your holidays?
- Do you know what elephants eat?
I don’t know how far it is from the hotel to the station.
- Have they got a car?
- Do you know if they have got a car?
- Are they married?
- Do you know if they are married?
- Does Sue know Bill?
- Do you know if Sue knows Bill?
- Will Gary be here tomorrow?
- Do you know if Gary will be here tomorrow?
- Did he pass his exam?
- Do you know if he passed his exam?
- What does Laura want?
- Do you know what Laura wants?
- Where is Paula?
- Do you know where Paula is?
- Is she working today?
- Do you know she is working today?
- What time does she start work?
- Do you know what time she starts work?
- Are the shops open tomorrow?
- Do you know if the shops are open tomorrow?
- Where do Sarah and Tim live?
- Do you know where Sarah and Tim live?
- Did they go to Jane’s party?
- Do you know if they went to Jane’s party?