WH Question Words

We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions). We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for example WHy, HoW).

Question Word	Function	Example
what	asking for information about something	What is your name?
	asking for repetition or confirmation	What? I can't hear you. You did what?
what...for	asking for a reason, asking why	What did you do that for?
when	asking about time	When did he leave?
where	asking in or at what place or position	Where do they live?
which	asking about choice	Which colour do you want?
who	asking what or which person or people (subject)	Who opened the door?
whom	asking what or which person or people (object)	Whom did you see?
whose	asking about ownership	Whose are these keys? Whose turn is it?
why	asking for reason, asking what...for	Why do you say that?
why don't	making a suggestion	Why don't I help you?
how	asking about manner	How does this work?
	asking about condition or quality	How was your exam?
how + adj/adv	asking about extent or degree	see examples below
how far	distance	How far is Pattaya from Bangkok?
how long	length (time or space)	How long will it take?
how many	quantity (countable)	How many cars are there?
how much	quantity (uncountable)	How much money do you have?
how old	age	How old are you?
how come (informal)	asking for reason, asking why	How come I can't see her?

 Webgraphy: http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/wh-question-words.htm

Yes / No questions (closed questions)

Yes / No questions

In English, there are two basic types of questions: Yes / No questions and Wh- questions. Yes / No questions are also called closed questions because there are only two possible responses: Yes or No. When forming a Yes / No question, it must include one of these verbs: BE, DO, HAVE, or a modal verb. It is impossible to ask a Yes / No question without one of these verbs.

Read lesson  * en español  * en français

correct		incorrect
Are elections next year?		Elections next year?
Does he want to stay?		He want to stay?
Have the boys eaten?		The boys eaten?
Can the dog swim?		The dog swim?

Use the verb BE to ask Yes / No questions about the identity or description of a person, place, or thing.

question		response
Am I your friend?		Yes. / Yes, you are. / Yes, you are my friend.
Is this a good restaurant?		No. / No, it is not. / No, it is not a good restaurant.
Are these islands Greek?		Yes. / Yes, they are. / Yes, these islands are Greek.
Was his idea interesting?		No. / No, it wasn’t. / No, his idea was not interesting.
Were they happy?		Yes. / Yes, they were. / Yes, they were happy.

Note that the response can be short (Yes. / No.), or long: Yes or No followed by the subject and verb.
Use the verb BE with a preposition to ask Yes / No questions about a present or past location.

question		response
Am I at the correct location?		No. / No, you aren’t.
Are the keys under the books?		No. / No, they are not.
Was his house on an island?		Yes. / Yes, it was.
Were the demonstrations in the center of town?		No. / No, they weren’t.

Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question about a current activity or situation. This requires the present progressive: BE + (verb+ing).

question		response
Am I going with you and Tom?		Yes. / Yes, you are.
Is she working today?		No. / No, she isn’t.
Are we seeing a play tomorrow?		Yes. / Yes, we are.

Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question about a past activity or situation. This requires the past progressive: WAS / WERE + (verb+ing).

question		response
Was it raining?		Yes. / Yes, it was.
Were they playing?		No. / No, they weren’t.

Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question with the passive voice.

question		response
Is gold mined in Canada?		Yes. / Yes it is.
Are flowers grown here?		No. / No, they are not.
Was the book read?		Yes. / Yes, it was.

Use the verb HAVE to ask if somebody has done something or if some action has taken place. Note that these Yes / No questions use the present perfect (HAVE + past participle).

question		response
Has your brother left?		No. / No, he hasn’t.
Have you driven before?		Yes. / Yes, I have.
Has the party started?		Yes. / Yes, it has.

Use the verb DO to ask Yes / No questions in order to obtain facts about people, places, or things.

question		response
Do they smoke?		No. / No, they don’t.
Does it rain here?		Yes. / Yes, it does.
Did the key work?		No. / No, it didn’t.

Use modal verbs to ask Yes / No questions about possibilities or uncertainties.

question		response
Can we stay?		Yes. / Yes, we can. / Yes, we can stay.
Could this be true?		Yes. / Yes, it could (be true).
Should they stop?		No. / No, they shouldn’t (stop).
May I help you?		Yes. / Yes you may (help me).

Remember: When asking Yes / No questions with DO or a modal verb, the main verb remains in the base form (without to).

correct		incorrect
Do you drink coffee?		Do you to drink coffee?
Does she work here?		Does she to work here?
Can I go with you?		Can I to go with you?
Should we email her?		Should we to email her?

However, if there are two verbs that follow DO, the second verb remains in the infinitive (with to).

correct		incorrect
Do you want to drink coffee?		Do you want drink coffee?
Does she like to work here?		Does she like work here?
Did you need to go home?		Did you need go home?

Note that there are several ways to answer Yes / No questions, especially when using contractions.

Webgraphy:	http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/learn-english/grammar/questions-yes-no/

The Best Way to Learn English Grammar

The Best Ways to Learn English Grammar

A person who is attempting to learn English grammar quickly realizes that there are many rules and many exceptions to these rules in the English language. For some, doing grammar exercises can be a helpful way to learn those grammar rules. Others find that immersing themselves in the language allows them to obtain the skills needed without doing intense study. For many others, an approach that incorporates parts of both of these methods is most effective.

Webgraphy: http://www.ehow.com/way_5232861_ways-learn-english-grammar.html#ixzz31hk6Tpwf

How to use modal verbs

How to use modal verbs

can

Can is used in three ways. It is used to show that something is possible:

"You can come to the party if you want."

Can is also used when making a request or when asking for permission:

"Can I leave the office early today?"

Use can to show an ability:

"I can speak English."

should / ought to

Give advice and talk about a duty using should and ought to.

"I think you should be more careful about what you eat."

"I ought to cut the grass while it's sunny."

must / have to

Must and have to are both strong words and have a similar meaning. This is the difference in use:

must

Must shows an obligation (something that we have no choice about). It usually refers to a personal obligation - something we decide.

"I must remember to call my sister tonight."

have to

Have to is also an obligation, but it is an obligation that comes from someone else, which we must follow.

"I have to return these books to the library. They are due back today."

must not (mustn't)

must not is also used for something that is prohibited (not allowed)

"I mustn't wear jeans to work."

Can you think of any example sentences? Write at least three sentences...Now!
Webgraphy:  http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/how-use-modal-verbs

What is Grammar?

What is Grammar?

Grammar is the system of a language. People sometimes describe grammar as the "rules" of a language; but in fact no language has rules*. If we use the word "rules", we suggest that somebody created the rules first and then spoke the language, like a new game. But languages did not start like that. Languages started by people making sounds which evolved into words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is fixed. All languages change over time. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time.

Webgraphy:http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/grammar-what.htm

how should we use the infinitive in grammar

How should we use the infinitive

FUNCTION

The most common uses of the infinitive are:
To indicate the purpose or intention of an action (where the 'to' has the same meaning as 'in order to' or 'so as to'):

• She's gone to collect her pay cheque.
• The three bears went into the forest to find firewood.

As the subject of the sentence:

• To be or not to be, that is the question.
• To know her is to love her.
  (Note: this is more common in written English than spoken)

With nouns or pronouns, to indicate what something can be used for, or what is to be done with it:

• Would you like something to drink?
• I haven't anything to wear.
• The children need a garden to play in.

After adjectives in these patterns:

• It is + adjective +to-infinitive
  It is good to talk
• It is + adjective + infinitive + for someone + to-infinitive.
  It is hard for elephants to see mice
• It is + adjective + infintive + of someone + to-infinitive.
  It is unkind of her to say that.

After an adjective + noun when a comment or judgement is being made:

• It was a stupid place to park the car.
• This is the right thing to do.
• It was an astonishing way to behave.

With too and enough in these patterns:
too much/many (+ noun) + to-infinitive

• There's too much sugar to put in this bowl.
• I had too many books to carry.

too + adjective + to-infinitive

• This soup is too hot to eat.
• She was too tired to work.

too + adverb + to-infinitive

• He arrived too late to see the actors.

enough (+ noun) + to-infinitive

• I've had enough (food) to eat.

adjective + enough + to-infinitive

• She's old enough to make up her own mind.

not enough (+noun) + to-infinitive

• There isn't enough snow to ski on.

not + adjective + enough + to-infinitive

• You're not old enough to have grand-children.

webgraphy: http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/infinitive_function.php

Why is it important to use correct grammar ?

Why is it important to use correct grammar ? 

From time to time I find myself getting involved in a discussion about grammar. It's always the same: on one hand we have the people who argue that good grammar is important, and on the other hand we have those who say it isn't. Here I present my reasons for good grammar being important.

It boils down to this:

The purpose of good grammar is to ensure that what you write is correctly comprehended and is easy and enjoyable to read.

 

 

7 grammar rules you really should pay attention to

7 grammar rules you really should pay attention to 

1. The subjunctive
This one is pretty simple. When you're writing about a non-true situation — usually following the word if or the verb wish — the verb to be is rendered as were.
2. Bad parallelism
This issue comes up most often in lists, for example: My friend made salsa, guacamole, and brought chips. If you start out by having made cover the first two items, it has to cover subsequent ones as well. To fix, you usually have to do just a little rewriting. Thus, My friend made salsa and guacamole and brought chips to go with them.
3. Verb problems
There are a few persistent troublemakers you should be aware of.
4. Pronoun problemsLet's take a look at three little words. Not "I love you," but me, myself and I. Grammatically, they can be called object, reflexive, and subject. As long as they're by themselves, object and subject don't give anyone problems.
5. The 'dangling' conversation
In a class, I once assigned students to "review" a consumer product. One student chose a bra sold by Victoria's Secret.
6. The semicolon
I sometimes say that when you feel like using a semicolon, lay lie down till the urge goes away. But if you just can't resist, remember that there are really only two proper uses for this piece of punctuation. One is to separate two complete clauses (a construction with a subject and verb that could stand on its own as a sentence).
7. WordsAs I noted in my previous article, the meaning of words inevitably and perennially change. And you can get in trouble when you use a meaning that has not yet been widely accepted. 
Webgraphy: https://theweek.com/article/index/241295/7-grammar-rules-you-really-should-pay-attention-to

have got to

RULES OF HAVE GOT TO

1. Use have (got) to in the affirmative/positive form to talk about an obligation, or something that is necessary to do.

Have (got) to is always followed by a verb. You can think of it as have (got) + infinitive. Have to and have got to have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

We have (got) to go to school tomorrow.
James cancelled our date tonight. He’s (got) to work late.
You can’t just show up at her house! You have (got) to call her first.

2. Have got to is NOT commonly used in American English in the negative form. Use don’t and doesn’t with have to.

I don’t have to be at work until 2pm tomorrow.
She doesn’t have to start her new job until May 9th.
We don’t have to go to school tomorrow! Yay!
X: I haven’t got to be at work until 2pm tomorrow.
X: She hasn’t got to start her new job until May 9th.

3. Have got to is NOT commonly used in American English in a question. Use do/don’t and does/doesn’t in a question.

Do you have to go to school tomorrow?
Don’t you have to be home by midnight?
Does this report have to be finished today?
Doesn’t she have to work tomorrow?
X: Have you got to go to school tomorrow?
X: What time have you got to be there?

4. In American English, have got to is ONLY used in the simple present tense.

Have to can be used in the simple past:

We had to leave before the concert was over.
She had to leave the party early because she had to be home by midnight.
He had to spend $2,000 to repair his car after the accident.

In American English, have (got) to is not used in the present continuous form.

X: I am having (got) to …

5. You can use have (got) to to talk about the future if you have already made plans to do something, or if you are now obligated to do something in the future.

Even though you are talking about something happening in the future, the simple present tense is still used:

I have (got) to call my mom tomorrow.
We have (got) to go shopping for a dress before the wedding.
He has (got) to improve his grades before he can go to university.

6. You can use will/won’t have to [NOT will have got to] in the 1st conditional (future possible/real conditional). It means that you will be obligated to do something or it will be necessary to something in the future:

If I don’t go to university I will have to get a job.
When the kids grow up and move out, we‘ll have to sell the house and move into a smaller one.

Be going to can be used instead of will:

The new owners of the farm are going to have to tear down the old barn and build a new one.
If she doesn’t buy a new car, she‘s going to have to take the bus every day to work.

7. Have got to can also be used as an exclamation. Use have got to when you are certain about something (in the simple present tense):

You can’t be serious. You have got to be kidding me!
She has got to be crazy to want to bungee jump!
This has got to be your sweater! It’s definitely not mine.

8. Gotta is NOT a word!

‘Gotta’ is the sound that native English speakers make when they say ‘got to.’ It is NOT a proper English word and should NOT be used in written English!
Webgraphy: http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/grammar-have-to-have-got-to/

ought to

The verb ought to only exists in simple present and present perfect forms.
Examples:

• Helen ought to be more careful.
  
• I ought to stay in bed.
  
• They ought to be here already.
  
• You ought to eat more vegetables.
  
• Tom ought to take her home.
  
• It ought to work properly.

  The forms of ought to:

All persons	Present	Present perfect
Affirmative	ought to	ought to have
Negative	ought not to,  oughtn't to	ought not to have,  oughtn't to have

HAD BETTER

Had Better

"Had better" is most commonly used to make recommendations. It can also be used to express desperate hope as well as warn people.

Examples:

• You had better take your umbrella with you today. recommendation
• That bus had better get here soon! desperate hope
• You had better watch the way you talk to me in the future! warning

Using "Had Better" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "had better" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
had better recommendation	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People should unplug toasters before they clean them. 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You should have unplugged the toaster before you tried to clean it. 3. You had better unplug the toaster before you try to clean it.	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People shouldn't clean toasters without unplugging them first. 2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You shouldn't have cleaned the toaster without unplugging it first. 3. You had better not clean the toaster until you unplug it.	should, ought to
had better desperate hope, warning	The movie had better end soon. They had better be here before we start dinner. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.	They had better not be late. They had better not forget Tom's birthday gift. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.

"Had better" is often simply pronounced as "better" in spoken English.
Webgraphy: http://www.englishpage.com/modals/hadbetter.html