Question Formation: Yes/No, Wh-, Tag, and Indirect Questions
Master question formation — yes/no questions, wh- questions, tag questions, and indirect questions with rules and exam practice.
❌ Where you are going?
✅ Where are you going?
❌ Do he play cricket?
✅ Does he play cricket?
Question formation follows specific rules. This article covers all four types: yes/no, wh-, tag, and indirect questions.
Rule box: Direct questions use auxiliary inversion (auxiliary before subject). Wh- questions put the wh- word first, then auxiliary + subject. Tag questions add a short question at the end. Indirect questions use statement word order (no inversion).
Form: Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb
Do you like tea?
Can she swim?
Have they finished?
Is he coming?
Did you see it?
If there is no auxiliary, add do/does/did:
❌ Like you tea?
✅ Do you like tea?
❌ Plays he cricket?
✅ Does he play cricket?
Form: Wh- word + Auxiliary + Subject + Main Verb
Where are you going?
What do you want?
When did they arrive?
Why is she crying?
How does it work?
When the wh- word is the subject, there is no inversion:
Who called you? (who = subject — no auxiliary needed)
What happened?
Which book is yours?
A tag question is a short question added to the end of a statement. The tag uses the same auxiliary as the main clause. If the statement is positive, the tag is negative, and vice versa.
You are coming, aren’t you?
She can swim, can’t she?
He doesn’t like tea, does he?
They have finished, haven’t they?
You won’t mind, will you?
Special cases:
I am right, aren’t I? (not “amn’t I”)
Let’s go, shall we?
Nobody came, did they? (nobody = negative — positive tag)
Indirect questions embed a question inside a statement. They use statement word order (subject + verb), not question order.
❌ Can you tell me where is the station?
✅ Can you tell me where the station is?
❌ Do you know what does he want?
✅ Do you know what he wants?
❌ I wonder when will they arrive.
✅ I wonder when they will arrive.
Polite forms:
Could you tell me where the station is?
Do you know what time it is?
I wonder if you could help me.
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Where you are going? | Where are you going? | Auxiliary inversion. |
| Do he play? | Does he play? | Third person = does. |
| You are coming, isn’t it? | You are coming, aren’t you? | Tag matches subject/auxiliary. |
| Can you tell me where is he? | Can you tell me where he is? | Indirect = statement order. |
Choose the correct option or spot the error.
- ___ you like coffee? (Do / Does)
- Where ___ going? (you are / are you)
- She can swim, ___? (can she / can’t she)
- Error spotting: Do he play cricket?
- Error spotting: Where you are going?
- Error spotting: You are coming, isn’t it?
- Error spotting: Can you tell me where is the station?
- Fill in the blank: What ___ you want? (do / does)
- Fill in the blank: I wonder ___ he will come. (when / when will)
- Choose: Nobody came, ___? (did they / didn’t they)
- Do — second person.
- are you — auxiliary inversion.
- can’t she — positive statement, negative tag.
- Does he play cricket? — third person = does.
- Where are you going? — inversion.
- You are coming, aren’t you? — tag matches “you are.”
- Can you tell me where the station is? — statement order.
- do — second person.
- when — indirect question, statement order.
- did they — nobody = negative, positive tag.
Rule: Yes/no questions: auxiliary + subject. Wh- questions: wh- word + auxiliary + subject. Tags: match the auxiliary, opposite polarity. Indirect questions: statement word order (no inversion).
Memory trick: “Direct questions invert. Wh- words lead. Tags match and flip. Indirect questions don’t invert.”
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