How are English WH- questions formed from declarative sentences?

Answer 1

In English, WH- questions are formed from declarative sentences by following a few specific steps, which typically involve the transformation of the main clause structure. Here's how it generally works:

1. Identify the WH-word: The WH- word (who, what, where, when, why, how) indicates the information being requested. You need to choose the appropriate WH-word based on the specific information you want to ask about.

2. Move the WH-word to the front: The chosen WH-word replaces or is placed at the beginning of the sentence.

3. Adjust the auxiliary or main verb: If the declarative sentence contains a form of "to be," "to have," or auxiliary verbs (like can, will, should), you may need to rearrange the sentence structure. In some instances, you may also need to invert the subject and auxiliary verb.

4. Preserve the original meaning: Ensure that the transformation accurately maintains the meaning of the original declarative sentence.

Examples:

1. Declarative Sentence: "The cat is on the roof."

   • WH- Question: "Where is the cat?"

2. Declarative Sentence: "She bought a new car."

   • WH- Question: "What did she buy?"

3. Declarative Sentence: "They will go to the park tomorrow."

   • WH- Question: "When will they go to the park?"

4. Declarative Sentence: "John knows the answer."

   • WH- Question: "What does John know?"

5. Declarative Sentence: "They are meeting at noon."

   • WH- Question: "When are they meeting?"

These examples illustrate how to transform declarative sentences into WH- questions by moving the WH-word to the front and adjusting the verb structure accordingly.