Reverso Context App
English “Yes/No” questions are questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
When the sentence contains a modal (verbs such as “can,” “will,” “may”) or a form of the verb be or a form of the helping verb have), the question is formed by placing the modal, “be” or “have” in front of the subject.
“He is twelve years old.”
“Is he twelve years old?”
“John is running in the marathon.”
“Is John running in the marathon?”
“Bill can pass the test.”
“Can Bill pass the test?”
If the verb phrase of the sentence does not contain a modal, a form of “be” or the helping verb “have,” place do in front of the subject (this is known as a do-formation). “Do” always takes the tense of the sentence, so the verb reverts to its base form.
“Monique owned that house.”
“Did Monique own that house?”
“You stand here every morning waiting for the bus.”
“Do you stand here every morning waiting for the bus?”