Asking a question in English correctly

symaa said:

Okay,thank you for your reply my teacher,but I am still confused.

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fivejedjon said:

So, what are you confused about?

ALL verbs in English in (except those I note below) form questions with DO in non-progressive, non-perfect forms:

do I work?.......did he work?


ALL verbs used as auxiliaries form questions without DO:

are you coming? .......has she left?.......can you swim?

BE, whether it is used as a main verb or as an auxiliary, never forms questions with DO:

are you English? ...... is she working?.......was the meeting postponed?

HAVE, as a full verb, can be used in a question form with or without DO:

have you? mainly BrE, fairly formal and old-fashioned.
do you have? mainly AmE when HAVE has an association with 'possession'; correct in both AmE and BrE when HAVE means 'experience/take/etc'.

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symaa said:

Okay,_thank you for your reply my teacher,_but I am still confused. (period)

Respectfully yours

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birdeen's call said:

Symaa, there should always be a space after a comma. There should always be a period at the end of a sentence. Please take a look at my corrections in your post.

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TheParser said:

NOT A TEACHER , I learnt from you a lot and I still learn from you, my teacher.


DEAR FELLOW MEMBER SYMA:


(1) I just want to say THANK YOU for your question.No, it is you who should be thanked.:up:
(2) This thread has taught me a lot, and it has made me

go to my books in order to learn more.

(3) I think that you have made an excellent decision:

Never use "have" to make a question except when you must.

As the posters here told you, you must use "have" to start

a question only for the present and past perfect:

You have eaten. = HAVE you eaten?
Tom has eaten. = HAS Tom eaten?
They had eaten. = Had they eaten?

(NOTE: The future perfect is "We will have eaten." WILL we HAVE

eaten?)

(4) IF you see the verb "have" in other sentences, always

use do/does/did:


You have a car. = DO you have a car?

He has a car. = DOES he have a car?

They had a car. = DID they have a car?


(Yes, some speakers of English say "Have you a car?" and "Has

he a car?" But you are very wise (smart) to use only "do." I also

learned from my books and contacting other people that in 2011

almost everyone uses "did" for the past. In other words, almost

nobody says "Had they a car?" That is just too old-fashioned.)



Respectfully yours,


James

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symaa said:

(1) Thank you for your super kind words.

(2) People like to answer your questions because you are very

courteous to every person who answers you.

(3) I know that your wonderful attitude will bring you much

success in your career.


Sincerely,


James

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TheParser said:

symaa said:

(1) Thank you for your super kind words.

(2) People like to answer your questions because you are very

courteous to every person who answers you.

(3) I know that your wonderful attitude will bring you much

success in your career.


Sincerely,


James

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Thanks a lot for your kindness Mr.James, really I do not find the appropriate word to express my thankfulness, because it is you who give your time to help students without getting any benefits.

Best regards,
Syma

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