Questions without an auxiliary verb

[Seagull]

Sometimes I have some difficulties in making it clear for my students why sometimes the questions don't have an auxiliary verb. For example, in the sentence: "How many workers work in that factory?", you don't need an auxiliary verb(do) because the question is about the subject of the sentence. But if you ask:" How many workers do you know in that factory?" you need the auxiliary verb because the question word is not referring to the subject of the sentence. Is that right? Could you, please, give me a more technical answer, so I can explain it more clearly to my students?
Thanks for answering
Regards

Manuela Rocha

[ahmmetwally]

Wow, I have the same question!

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by Manuela Rocha

Sometimes I have some difficulties in making it clear for my students why sometimes the questions don't have an auxiliary verb. For example, in the sentence: "How many workers work in that factory?", you don't need an auxiliary verb(do) because the question is about the subject of the sentence. But if you ask:" How many workers do you know in that factory?" you need the auxiliary verb because the question word is not referring to the subject of the sentence. Is that right? Could you, please, give me a more technical answer, so I can explain it more clearly to my students?
Thanks for answering
Regards

Manuela Rocha

Technical isn't always better, Manuela. Your explanation is excellent. The important point now is to devise examples for them to practice. it's best if the examples are contextually richj so you might want to have them ask questions, even silly questions that they may already know the answer to, like,

How many brothers do you have? vs How many brothers live at home?

How many workers do you know in that factory? vs How many workers in that factory know you?

This is a part of language that has to be internalized and internalization comes from practicing in context, and allowing that there will be errors but just keep practicing.

[RonBee]

Maybe that's why they call it drill. With practice you "drill" it into your head.

[riverkid]

Likely, Ron, but I think there's a difference. Drills are all too often empty exercise in a contextual sense.

I feel that the result is that the brain doesn't put the grammar in the correct contextual space. ESLs often memorize irregular verbs in a rote, "break broke broken" manner and they become highly proficient in that but they still often fail to deploy the verbs accurately in a natural language situation.

[Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim]

Originally Posted by Manuela Rocha

Sometimes I have some difficulties in making it clear for my students why sometimes the questions don't have an auxiliary verb. For example, in the sentence: "How many workers work in that factory?", you don't need an auxiliary verb(do) because the question is about the subject of the sentence. But if you ask:" How many workers do you know in that factory?" you need the auxiliary verb because the question word is not referring to the subject of the sentence. Is that right? Could you, please, give me a more technical answer, so I can explain it more clearly to my students?
Thanks for answering
Regards
Manuela Rocha

It depends upon the function of the question word in the sentence. If for example who/what/how question the subject/agent (not the object) you don't need "do" (old Germanic way):

Who came here? questions the subject
Who did you speak with. Questions the object
This confusion is also partly due to the fact that "who" has taken over the function "whom", the question word for the object, filled when it fell out of use except in very formal writing.

What happened? subject
What did you do? object

How many people died? subject
How many people did you interview? object

In sentences with "have" used in the active (present perfect)/passive:
I have repaired the car. Have you repaired the car? present perfect no do is used.
I have the car repaired. Do you have the car repaired? passive usage with do