{"id":1215,"date":"2020-01-23T18:09:02","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T23:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?p=1215"},"modified":"2020-05-16T12:49:34","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T16:49:34","slug":"how-to-make-great-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"How-To Make Great Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What\u2019s the source of great answers? Great questions of course! Asking the right question at the right time is the key to getting the information you need. Here\u2019s how you can do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Linguix<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the right structure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If English is not your native language, or even if it is, then using the correct structure is integral to forming questions accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two main structures when making questions in English:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structure 1: Using the verb \u2018to be\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Question word(s)<\/strong><\/td>Verb \u2018to be\u2019<\/strong><\/td>Subject<\/strong><\/td>Additional info. (or verb if \u2018to be\u2019 is an auxiliary)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
What<\/td>is <\/td>your name? <\/td>  <\/td><\/tr>
Why<\/td>was<\/td>she<\/td>so tired?<\/td><\/tr>
How long<\/td>is<\/td>your brother<\/td>going to stay in Chicago?<\/td><\/tr>
–<\/td>Is<\/td>he<\/td>from Mexico?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n

Structure 2: Using all other verbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Question word(s)<\/strong><\/td>Auxiliary<\/strong><\/td>Subject<\/strong><\/td>Verb<\/strong><\/td>Additional info.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Where <\/td>did <\/td>you <\/td>learn <\/td>to drive? <\/td><\/tr>
How long<\/td>will<\/td>she<\/td>stay <\/td>in California?<\/td><\/tr>
–<\/td>Does<\/td>your father<\/td>like<\/td>football?<\/td><\/tr>
How many times<\/td>have<\/td>you<\/td>met<\/td>her?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all questions in English fall into these two structures. Learning them, and practicing them, is a priority for all learners of English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The major difference between using the verb \u2018to be\u2019 and all other verbs in questions is that the verb \u2018to be\u2019 does not use an auxiliary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closed question<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a question doesn\u2019t include a question word (for example, \u2018Is he from Mexico?\u2019) it is because it is a yes\/no question, also known as a closed question.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These types of questions are great when you are looking for a quick, straight answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indirect questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

English is a very indirect language, and native English speakers generally don\u2019t respond well to questions that are too direct in nature. Therefore, indirect questions are vitally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to make indirect questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1)<\/strong>    Open-ended indirect questions using the verb \u2018to be\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Indirect phrase<\/strong><\/td>Question word<\/strong><\/td>Subject<\/strong><\/td>Verb \u2018to be\u2019<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Could you tell me <\/td>where <\/td>the bank <\/td>is?  <\/td><\/tr>
Would you mind telling me<\/td>what <\/td>your names  <\/td>are? <\/td><\/tr>
Do you know<\/td>what <\/td>the answer <\/td>is?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2)<\/strong>    Open-ended indirect questions using all other verbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Indirect phrase<\/strong><\/td>Question word<\/strong><\/td>Subject<\/strong><\/td>verb<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Do you know  <\/td>what time  <\/td>the movie <\/td>starts? <\/td><\/tr>
Would it be possible to tell me<\/td>where <\/td>you  <\/td>bought that watch?  <\/td><\/tr>
Would you know<\/td>why<\/td>she<\/td>didn\u2019t eat tonight?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3)<\/strong>    Closed indirect questions (sometimes using would + past tense to emphasize politeness)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Indirect phrase<\/strong><\/td>If<\/strong><\/td>clause<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Would you mind <\/td>if <\/td>I borrowed this pen? <\/td><\/tr>
Would it be okay <\/td>if<\/td>I sat here?<\/td><\/tr>
Do you mind<\/td>if<\/td>I don\u2019t come to the party?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Indirect questions work really well in English because they put the respondent at ease. Use them as frequently as possible. That said when you need to get to the point, do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other important considerations when asking questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is more to asking a great question than getting the structure right, of course. Here are some other important considerations when forming questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  \tJudge your timing.<\/strong> There is a time and a place for questions. And there is a time and a place to just listen and observe. Judge the right time to ask your question, as incorrect timing may not lead to the type of answer you were looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  \tEmphasize the positive.<\/strong> All people respond better to positivity, so try to pitch your question with this in mind. For example, \u201cWhat went wrong?\u201d could be replaced with \u201cWhat can we do to make this right?\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  \tDig deeper with further questions.<\/strong> The lead-off question might not be the only one you need to ask. Depending on what the answer is, don\u2019t be afraid to delve a little deeper to help you really understand. Just because you have asked the question, it doesn\u2019t mean that you should just accept the answer as it is. \u201cCould you give me an example?\u201d is a really powerful follow-up question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  \tPitch your question just right with the language you use.<\/strong> Don\u2019t be too technical if you are speaking with a non-technical person. Don\u2019t be too informal in your language if you are dealing with high-level management. Think about your audience at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  Don\u2019t interrupt.<\/strong> This is a frequently made mistake. Once you have asked the question, let the other person respond. Don\u2019t interrupt, and don\u2019t dig into their answer until they have finished speaking. Prepare good follow-up questions for when the time comes that they have finished speaking and make sure that they don\u2019t answer one of those follow-up questions in their initial response because that means you weren\u2019t listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7  \tListen.<\/strong> There is nothing worse than failing to listen to the answer that is given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the source of great answers? Great questions of course! Asking the right question at the right time is the key to getting the information you need. Here\u2019s how you can do it. Using the right structure If English is not your native language, or even if it is, then using the correct structure is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[14,48,583,54],"class_list":["post-1215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-how-to","tag-question","tag-verb-tenses","tag-verbs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow-To Make Great Questions - Linguix Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How-To Make Great Questions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What\u2019s the source of great answers? Great questions of course! Asking the right question at the right time is the key to getting the information you need. Here\u2019s how you can do it. Using the right structure If English is not your native language, or even if it is, then using the correct structure is […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Linguix Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-01-23T23:09:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-16T16:49:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samantha Ruff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samantha Ruff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/\",\"name\":\"How-To Make Great Questions - Linguix Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-23T23:09:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-16T16:49:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ac57263f1721a7acff5ec232620d844c\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How-To Make Great Questions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Linguix Blog\",\"description\":\"Writing about using technology to create content and build effective communications.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ac57263f1721a7acff5ec232620d844c\",\"name\":\"Samantha Ruff\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8884b7458504353810bccc66621c685ef2093899a8a2e2678dd483dfe1bcd428?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8884b7458504353810bccc66621c685ef2093899a8a2e2678dd483dfe1bcd428?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Samantha Ruff\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/author\/samantha\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How-To Make Great Questions - Linguix Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How-To Make Great Questions","og_description":"What\u2019s the source of great answers? Great questions of course! Asking the right question at the right time is the key to getting the information you need. Here\u2019s how you can do it. Using the right structure If English is not your native language, or even if it is, then using the correct structure is […]","og_url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/","og_site_name":"Linguix Blog","article_published_time":"2020-01-23T23:09:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-05-16T16:49:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Samantha Ruff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Samantha Ruff","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/","url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/","name":"How-To Make Great Questions - Linguix Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png","datePublished":"2020-01-23T23:09:02+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-16T16:49:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ac57263f1721a7acff5ec232620d844c"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/24.png","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/how-to-make-great-questions\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How-To Make Great Questions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/","name":"Linguix Blog","description":"Writing about using technology to create content and build effective communications.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ac57263f1721a7acff5ec232620d844c","name":"Samantha Ruff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8884b7458504353810bccc66621c685ef2093899a8a2e2678dd483dfe1bcd428?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8884b7458504353810bccc66621c685ef2093899a8a2e2678dd483dfe1bcd428?s=96&d=monsterid&r=g","caption":"Samantha Ruff"},"url":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/author\/samantha\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1901,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions\/1901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}