Definition and Examples of Questions in English

Definition and Examples of Questions in English In grammar, a question is a type of sentence expressed in a form that requires (or appears to require) an answer. Also known as an interrogative sentence, a question is generally distinguished from a sentence that makes a statement, delivers a command, or expresses an exclamation. In terms of syntax, a question is usually characterized by inversion of the subject and the first verb in the verb phrase, beginning with an interrogative pronoun or ending with a tag question. Linguists commonly recognize three main types of questions: Yes-No Questions, Wh- Questions, and Alternative Questions. Examples and Observations This is a question that no one particularly wants to hear, but, where did they put his head?(Xander in Teachers Pet. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997)I know this is a silly question before I ask it, but can you Americans speak any other language besides English?​  (Diane Kruger as Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds, 2009)Question is, what did camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS?​  (The Doctor in The Runaway Bride. Doctor Who, 2005) Structuring Questions To form a polar question (one expecting yes/no as an answer), the first auxiliary verb, which bears a tense inflection, is moved to the front of the clause. Corresponding to John was eating the halva we get Was John eating the halva? There must be at least one verb in the auxiliary for question formationif the VP contains none of have, be or a modal then do must be included to take the tense inflection; thus, corresponding to the statement John ate the halva, we get the question, Did John eat the halva?   A wh- question (expecting a phrase or clause as answer) involves the same fronting, and in addition a wh- word (who, whom, whose, what, which, how, why, where or when), which refers to the same constituent of the main clause, must precede the preposed auxiliary word. Compare John was hitting Mary with Who was hitting Mary?  Mary arrived yesterday with When did Mary arrive? and John ate the halva with What did John eat? If the constituent being questioned had a preposition associated with it, then this may either be moved to initial position, before the wh- word, or it can be left in its underlying position in the clause. Thus, corresponding to He owes his success to hard work we can have either What does he owe his success to? or To what does he owe his success?(R.M.W. Dixon, A New Approach to English Grammar, on Semantic Principles. Oxford University Press, 1991) Examples of Question Types [In the following joke, the attorneys initial wh- ​question is followed by two yes-no questions and a final alternative question.]A woman went to an attorney to ask about a divorce.What grounds do you have, madam?About six acres.No, I dont think you quite understand. Let me rephrase the question. Do you have a grudge?No, just a parking space.lll try again. Does your husband beat you up?No, l always get up at least an hour before he does.The attorney could see he was fighting a losing battle. Madam, do you want a divorce or not?Im not the one who wants a divorce, she said. My husband does. He claims we dont communicate.(adapted from The Mammoth Book of Humor, by Geoff Tibballs. Carroll Graf, 2000) Intonation in Questions American English typically has rising intonation across the utterance for what are called yes-no questions (She bought a new car?) and falling intonation for information-seeking questions (also called wh- questions) (What does she want to buy?), although there is much variation in these patterns in both American and British dialects.​  (Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, Linguistics for Everyone. Wadsworth, 2010) Why Ads Use Questions Questions, like commands, imply a direct address to the readerthey require someone to answer. Thats why they are often used on magazine covers, like these from one issue of Cosmopolitan: At long last love. Are you sure its the real thing?THE CONDOM. Whats in it for you?Hired or fired? How to leave your job in style. We take them as requiring a response, like a ringing phone. There is another more subtle effect questions can havethey can contain presuppositions that are almost impossible to discard if one interprets the text.​  (Greg Myers, Words in Ads. Routledge, 1994) Questions as Technologies in Disguise Questions, then, are like computers or television or stethoscopes or lie detectors, in that they are mechanisms that give direction to our thoughts, generate new ideas, venerate old ones, expose facts or hide them.​  (Neil Postman, Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992)

The Demise of De Luxe

The Demise of De Luxe The Demise of De Luxe The Demise of De Luxe By Maeve Maddox In a conversation about hotels the other evening, I heard a woman say â€Å"the lobby was luxe.† I’d never heard luxe without the de. At least not in English. In the French expression the de is a preposition and the luxe is a noun, literally â€Å"of luxury.† In English wed say luxurious. Following French usage, the OED entry gives de luxe as two words and classifies it as an adjective phrase. Merriam-Webster spells deluxe as one word and defines it as â€Å"notably luxurious or elegant; sumptuous or elaborate.† Booksellers have long offered deluxe editions of popular books and the label has spread to other products: The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collectors edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including cars, fine wine and other products. Wikipedia Apparently just plain luxe enjoys wide popularity. Numerous hotels call themselves Luxe Hotel. Luxe and deluxe bump up against each other in newspaper coverage, for example this story in the San Francisco Business Times uses â€Å"luxe† in the headline and â€Å"deluxe† in the story S.F. tower to become luxe hotel (headline) Partners will likely shell out an additional $500 a square foot to convert it from an empty ATT office to the deluxe downtown destination. I came across a hotel site (Maddens on Gull Lake) that offers luxury accommodations, premium accommodations and deluxe accommodations. The word luxe derives from Latin luxus, â€Å"excess† or â€Å"abundance.† I plan to keep putting a de with my luxe. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals"Latter," not "Ladder"The Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-"