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Learn the Four Sentence Types

Are you ready to learn about the four sentence types? Great!

We use different types of sentences for different purposes, and when we categorize sentences based on their purpose, we get four types of sentences (statements, questions, exclamations, and commands).

Let's look more closely at each one!

1. Statements (Declarative Sentences)

Statements are the most common type of sentence, and we use them to...make statements. 

It may be helpful to think of what these kinds of sentences don't do. They don't ask questions, they don't give commands, and they don't express ideas with a strong emotion. Think of them as regular, old, boring sentences that end with a period. 

The fancy name for a statement is a declarative sentence . 

We own a cat.

Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.

This is my favorite movie .

You may have heard that these kinds of sentences "state facts." If it helps you to think of them this way, then great! However, keep in mind that you could have a declarative sentence that states something that isn't true. Consider these statements:

I love going to the DMV.

Those sentences are categorized as statements, but they're obviously not true. A sentence doesn't have to be true to be a statement. 

2. Questions ( Interrogative Sentences)

Questions are another type of sentence, and I'm sure that you already know what they do—they ask questions! These kinds of sentences end with a question mark.

Where is the cat? 

When did the dinosaurs live?

What is your favorite movie?

The fancy name for a question is an interrogative sentence . One thing to note about questions is that they're usually written with a different word order than statements. This might cause you some trouble if you're trying to find the subject and the verb in the sentence. 

Statements often begin with the subject of the sentence. In the statement below, the subject is you .

You own a cat.

Questions, on the other hand, often have an  auxiliary verb  (helping verb) or another word before the subject. In the question below, the subject is you , and the word do is a helping verb.

Do you own a cat?

3. Exclamations ( Exclamatory Sentences)

Exclamations, or exclamatory sentences , are another type of sentence. These guys get to have all the fun. They make statements with emotion, so you can think of them as being declarative sentences that end with an exclamation mark . 

I can't find the cat!

The tyrannosaurus rex  was huge!

I love this movie!

The way that we've defined exclamatory sentences above is usually the way that people think about exclamations. However, you can also define exclamatory sentences in another way. If a sentence start with  what  or  how , is not a question, and has a shift in the typical word order, you can also say it's an exclamatory sentence. When you define exclamatory sentences this way, you're doing it by the sentence's form rather than by its purpose. You can read more about that here .

What big ears you have!

What big eyes you have!

What a terrible, big mouth you have!

4. Commands (Imperative Sentences)

Commands are sentences that—surprise—give commands or make requests. They usually end with a period, but they can also end with an exclamation mark. The fancy name for a command is an imperative sentence .

Feed the cat.

Please get me dinosaur socks.

Play the movie.

One strange thing about imperative sentences has to do with their subjects . Are you ready to hear about it? The subject of an imperative sentence is not stated in the sentence. It's implied.

And it gets even stranger. All imperative sentences have the same subject: (you). We call it understood you because it's not stated; it's simply understood.

When you give a command, you're speaking or writing to someone. That someone is the person that the pronoun  you in understood   you is referring to.

Even when we begin commands with a person's name , the subject is still you understood. (We call that name at the beginning of the sentence a noun of direct address. )

Bob, feed the cat. 

Mom, please get me dinosaur socks. 

Jenny, play the movie.

All of those sentences are commands, and their subject is you understood .

Okay, it's time for a tiny quiz on the sentence types! Do you remember what they are? Close your eyes and see if you can recall all four sentence types and their purposes. If you want a beefier quiz, you can take a quiz on the types of sentences here .

This is original content from  https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/sentence-types.html

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It starts from the very beginning and teaches you grammar and sentence diagramming in easy, bite-size lessons. 

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Other Helpful Resources

• Here's a PDF that covers these four sentence types . 

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Statements and Questions Posted by heather on Feb 11, 2012 in English Grammar , English Language

Statements can be changed into questions. When we convert a statement into a question, we have to make some changes.  One way of doing this is to change the word order by putting the verb at the beginning of the sentence and then adding a question mark at the end, like this:

“He is interested in animals.”

“Is he interested in animals?”

Sometimes, you need to change the verb and add an extra word to make a question, like this:

“They enjoyed the ballet.”

“ Did they enjoy the ballet?”

For some practise, try changing these statements into questions:

1. The bus is going to the station.

2. You get enough exercise.

3. This train stops at Central Station.

4. He loves to eat chocolate.

Now try to change these questions into statements:

1. Can we walk to school?

2. Will we arrive late?

3. Did you catch your train?

4. Was he cycling in all that rain?

5. Do they have a cat?

Don’t forget that you will need to read through your questions and statements to ensure that they make sense and do not require any extra changes.

Answers from Wednesday’s post about  Compound Words :

Exercise One:

1.  sunshine

2.  campfire

3.  jetpack

4.  baseball

5.   sunflower

6.  rattlesnake

7.  horseback

8.  skateboard

9.  butterfly

Exercise Two:

handbag, bookshelf, anybody, classroom, playground, waterfall, postbox, cupboard

Exercise Three:

1.  A large yellow sour fruit = grapefruit

2.  A room where students are taught = classroom

3.  Something cold to eat/drink in the summer that comes in a variety of flavours = milkshake

4.  Something a spider makes = spiderweb

5.  A beautiful insect with transparent wings = dragonfly

6.  A sudden shaking inside the earth = earthquake

7.  A piece of chicken or something used to beat a musical instrument = drumstick

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

1. Is the bus going to the station?

2. Do you get enough exercise?

3. Did This train stop at Central Station?

4. Does he love to eat chocolate?

1. We can walk to school.

2. We will arrive late.

3. You catched your train.

4. He was cycling in all that rain.

5. They have a cat.

@Farah Hi Farah,

Well done on completing the exercises. Just two small points to help you out. In question 3 (part 2), the past tense of “catch” is “caught” rather than “catched”. It is one of those tricky verbs. 🙂 With question 3 (part 1), I have another answer “Does this train stop at Central Station?” but your answer would also be correct. It just has a different meaning.

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2.4: Intonation- Statements and Questions

• Last updated
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• Brittany Zemlick
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Intonation: Statements and Questions

Rules to remember, rules to remember: intonation in statements and quesitons.

• In statements, the voice usually falls at the end of the sentence.
• In wh- questions that ask for new information, the voice usually falls at the end of the question.
• In yes/no question, the voice usually rises at the end of the question.

Watch the Video

Rachel's english - questions and intonation: up or down.

Answer the Questions

Listening practice: end of sentence intonation.

Listen to each word. Does the speaker's intonation rise or fall? Write "rise" or "fall" next to each word. End of Sentence intonation.m4a

End of Sentence Intonation AnswerS .docx

Listening Practice: Intonation and Questions

Listen to each sentence. Does the speaker's intonation rise or fall at the end of each sentence? Write "rise" or "fall" next to each sentence. Listening Practice - Intonation and Quesitons.m4a

AnswerS - Intonation in Questions .docx

Listening Practice: Yes/No Questions

Listen to each sentence. Does the speaker's intonation rise or fall at the end of the sentence? Write "rise" or "fall" next to each sentence. Intonation in Yes No Questions.m4a

AnswerS - Intonation in YES NO Questions .docx

Work with a partner. Take turns asking and answering the questions above.

Write 3 new yes/no questions to ask your teacher. Do not copy any of the questions you've already seen in this unit.

Listening Practice: Wh- Questions

Listen to each sentence. Does the speaker's intonation rise or fall at the end of the sentence? Write "rise" or "fall" next to each sentence. Intonation in WH questions.m4a

AnswerS - Intonation in WH Questions .docx

Write 3 new Why- questions to ask your teacher. Do not copy any of the questions you've already seen in this unit.

Recording: Yes/No and Wh- Questions

Make a recording of yourself asking each question. Make sure that you use the correct intonation for yes/no and wh- questions. You will receive one point for each question.

____ / 15 points

• What's your name?
• Where did you grow up?
• Where are you living now?
• What's your job?
• What do you do each day?
• Why do you like your job?
• What do you not like about your job?
• Why is your job important to you?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• Do you have a car?
• Are you a morning person?
• Do you eat meat?
• Are you a vegan?
• What does that mean?
• Why are you vegan?

• Student Login:

The Right Way to Ask Questions in English (Using Intonation)

May 15, 2019 | Pronunciation Training

Did you know there’s a right way to ask questions in English? Yes, there’s definitely the right grammar and word order. But there’s also something that will help you ask questions in a clear, easy to understand way. 

Intonation.

Intonation is the natural rise and fall of our voice when we speak. Using it correctly to ask questions will help you sound natural to native speakers and communicate clearly.

That’s what I want to help you do.

We have 4 types of questions in English. Each one needs different intonation. 

In this lesson, you’ll learn and practice the right intonation to ask questions in English — so you can do it correctly, every time.

Bonus: At the end, I’m going to tell you one specific thing you should definitely NOT do with your intonation in English conversation.

Use the right intonation for questions — every time.

Lesson by Annemarie

The Right Way to Ask Questions in English Using Intonation

YES/NO QUESTIONS

The first type of questions are those that will get a yes or no answer. These generally start with: are, is, can, do, did, have, would, could, should. Have a listen to a yes/no question and see if you can hear what we need to do with our voice. 

Are you gonna be home tonight? ⬈

For yes/no questions we use a rising intonation. This tells the person we are talking to that we expect a yes or no answer. We need to ask these kinds of questions a lot. But remember, if you are trying to make good conversation, yes/no questions will only lead to short answers.

So only use this kind of question when you need short answers, and definitely use rising intonation at the end. Try repeating these examples of yes/no questions, making your voice go up at the end of the question:

• Is your mom feeling better?
• Can you make it to my birthday dinner?
• Do you wanna see a movie tonight?
• Did you have time to watch the final episode?
• Have you had a haircut?
• Would you be into hanging out on Friday?
• Could you imagine if I lost my cell phone?
• Should we ask her to join us?

QUESTION WORD QUESTIONS

The next type of question is those that get a longer answer than yes/no. These questions start with all the ‘w’ question words: Who, what, which, why, where, when, or with how.

Who’s coming to your birthday dinner? ⬊

We use a falling tone for these questions. This intonation tells our listener we are expecting a longer answer.

These questions are great for small talk and for trying to fire up a good conversation. Let’s try. Really focus on repeating after me and making your voice go down at the end of the question:

• What did you think of the movie?
• Which hair stylist did you see?
• Why are you so busy lately?
• Where should we go for dinner?
• When are you gonna watch the final episode?
• How come she didn’t want to join us?

CHOICE QUESTIONS

Life is full of choices these days: short black, cafe latte, macchiato or mocha, and that’s just our morning coffee! So, how do we use our voice to let someone know we are asking them to make a choice? 

Do you want pizza ⬈ or pasta ⬊?  

When we offer a choice we make it really clear by going up on the first and additional choice and on the last choice we make our voice go down.

Do you want pizza ⬈, pasta ⬈, or steak⬊?  This clearly lets the listener hear that we are offering choices and tells them when the list of choices is done. Let’s try it, remember, up, up, up and finally down on the last choice, no matter how many choices there are:

• Can you help me now or later?  
• Is the best time to meet on Friday, Saturday or Sunday?
• Would you like vanilla, caramel, strawberry or chocolate?

MAKING A STATEMENT INTO A QUESTION

The cool thing about intonation is that we can actually make anything into a question. You can take a statement and add rising intonation ⬈ and it automatically becomes a question.

You might do this if you are surprised, want to change up your grammar or want to check that you understand something. You will notice there are no question words and the grammar is not what we normally use for a question in the examples below. Our voice alone creates the question.

• She’s gonna call you later today? ⬈
• You cleaned the whole house? ⬈
• This is the best movie of the year? ⬈

❤️this lesson? Be sure to check out:

Intonation Changes Meaning in English—How to Understand and Use It

10 Questions to Start a Conversation in English

Or get my full playlist on Pronunciation, Intonation, and Stress . 

Now you have everything you need to know about using intonation to ask questions in English. So you are ready to go! Why don’t you jump right in and try our practice questions here.

• Give an example of a question you could ask your friend. What intonation would you use?
• Give an example of a question you could ask your boss. What intonation would you use?
• You are surprised at something your neighbor just told you. How do you make a question with no question words? Give an example and tell us what intonation you would use.

Share your answers below; we would love to hear from you!

~ Annemarie

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‘Gonna’ is not correct English. If you are teaching people to speak English correctly then you should use ‘going to’.

Hi Paul, Thanks for the comment. I respectfully disagree. In English, ‘gonna’ is commonly used in casual conversation (with friends, family, coworkers, etc.) and it’s also used on podcasts, TV shows, etc. As a language learner/user, it’s important to be aware of how people use the language. That includes contractions and examples of connected speech.

It would be a disservice not to teach this to my students to help them recognize spoken English and, if they desire to do so, to use it as well.

Annemarie hi, do you offer online lessons? thanks

Thank you so much! Very helpful, useful and interesting lessons! You are an amazing teacher!

Hi Marina. We’re so glad you enjoyed the lesson and found it useful to you! And thank you for your kind comment.

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Questions in English Grammar – Structure & Examples

| Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Questions are an essential part of English grammar. They can be used to make requests, express interest, or ask for information. In this post, I’ll look at the different types of questions and how to structure them correctly. I’ll also provide some examples to see how they’re used in practice. So, whether you’re new to questions in English or just want a refresher, keep reading for all the essential info!

Why Are There Different Types of Questions?

Different types of questions are structured differently to obtain several categories of information. Yes/no questions are amongst the most common, and they can be answered strictly with yes or no. Question-word questions demand a more informative answer. Choice questions usually provide the person who answers with several options that are included in the question.

What Are the 4 Types of Common Questions?

English grammar divides its questions into four main types.

• General or Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions are typically used to gather information or confirm something already known. For example, you might ask your teacher if the class is canceled tomorrow or whether the exam will be multiple choice.

For example:

• Do we have to turn in the essay this Friday?
• Are you coming to the party?
• Does Jenna like to listen to Coldplay?

On the other hand, general questions usually require a longer answer. These are typically used to explain something in more detail, such as how to complete a task or what they think about a particular topic.

Asking follow-up questions is also a good way to clarify something that was said earlier. Choosing the right question based on the information you’re trying to obtain is important.

• Special or Wh-questions

Special or wh-questions use a specific word at the beginning. These words include why, what, where, who, when, which, and how.

• Why didn’t you answer when I called last night?
• What books are we supposed to read for the upcoming test?
• Where did Yara leave my car keys?
• Who was that person at the restaurant with you?
• When is the next big festival?
• Which color is your favorite?
• How do you plan to pay for everything?
• Choice Questions

Choice questions allow the respondent to select one of several possible responses. They are composed of two components, and the conjunction is used to connect the two of them. They are also known as closed questions or multiple-choice questions.

Questions based on options can either be broad and open-ended or more narrowly focused on a particular topic. If the topic of the sentence is not at the heart of the question being asked, a comprehensive response is required.

For example, if you ask someone, “Do you like salted snacks or sweet treats?” the center of this question is what they prefer, not who prefers it. The answer would be, “I like salted snacks.”

Choice question examples:

• Do you like rock music or EDM?
• What color would you choose between blue and green?
• Is he a client, or does he work here?
• Did you break that vase, or was it your brother?
• Disjunctive or Tag Questions

This question category is made up of two parts. A tag question is usually a statement followed by a mini-question. The mini-question typically uses an auxiliary verb, such as “are” or “do,” and aims to confirm the statement’s truth.

For example, “You’re studying linguistics” would be followed by the tag question, “aren’t you?” In this case, the speaker is assuming that the person they are speaking to is studying linguistics, and they are asking for confirmation.

Tag questions are typically used in spoken English, adding interactivity and immediacy to a conversation. However, they can also be used in written English for rhetorical effect.

For example, a character in one of my novels might say something like, “I didn’t kill him, did I?” This type of tag question indicates that the character is doubting their innocence, and it creates suspense for the reader.

What Are the 7 Question Words in English?

We use seven main words in English grammar to form questions: how, what, why, who, which, where, and when.

How Do You List Questions?

If you have to list several questions in a sentence, there are multiple ways to do so.

Without Using Question Marks

You don’t have to use question marks when listing questions in a sentence. You should, however, separate the questions using commas. For example:

• I wanted to know how you felt about the whole situation, your thoughts, and what would you have done differently.

Using Numbers

When you have a long series of questions to enumerate in a single sentence, consider adding numbers in parentheses before each one.

• Part of the research was to identify (1) what percentage of shoppers are likely to make an impulse buy, (2) what are the most common products people buy on impulse, and (3) how much people spend on impulse purchases.

Using Colons

Another way to list questions is to use colons when introducing them and separate them using commas.

• I want to know three things: how do I apply for a loan, how much money can the bank give me, and what interest I’ll have to pay in total.

How Do You Form Questions in English Grammar?

If you want to turn a sentence into a question, change the order of the words and add a question mark. Direct questions typically start with a verb followed by a subject.

• I am smart. > Am I smart?
• The dog is playing. > Is the dog playing?
• Sarah is wide awake. > Is Sarah wide awake?
• I love ice cream. > Do I love ice cream?

When you have a question word, always start your questions with it.

• Who are you talking to?
• When does the next bus come?
• Why does George never pay attention in class?

When you have modal verbs, start your question with these.

• Could you pass me the orange juice?
• Should you be working this late at night?
• Might I bother you for a glass of water?

Simple Question Example

• Yes/No Questions

Here are some examples of basic yes/no English questions:

• Did you hear that Gilly has a new boyfriend?
• Can you please bring me my phone charger?
• Did Lucas go to the gym this morning?
• Will you finish your homework before dinner?
• Is it possible to learn a whole new language in a month?
• Are you coming with me to the wedding this weekend?
• Wh-questions

Here are some examples of wh-questions:

• What would you like to order for supper?
• Why do bunnies sleep with their eyes fully open?
• Who is this person next to you in the picture, grandma?
• Which sweater should I wear with my green leather pants?
• Where do you plan to go on vacation next year?
• When do you think would be the best day to call you back?
• Indirect Questions

Indirect questions are formal questions that we employ when looking to be polite.

Suppose you need directions to find a certain place. You wouldn’t just stop a stranger and ask them, “Where’s the pet shop?”

Instead, you would say, “Could you tell me where the pet shop is?”

Here are some examples of indirection questions:

• Would you mind telling me your name?
• Do you know where I could find this restaurant?
• Do you have any idea what time the bank closes?
• Would it be possible to take a paint sample with me?
• Tag Questions

Here are some examples of tag questions:

• Farah can speak French, can’t she?
• You don’t know anything about that, do you?
• I’m not an annoying person, am I?
• You won’t return his phone calls, will you?
• She wouldn’t mind helping me with my project, would she?
• You’re majoring in Women’s Studies, aren’t you?
• Negative Questions for Confirmations

It’s common to form negative questions in English when you’re looking to confirm a thought or a suspicion. Here are some examples of these kinds of questions:

• Didn’t you have classes early in the morning? (I suspect you had classes.)
• Shouldn’t you avoid drinking coffee on an empty stomach?
• Wouldn’t you be better off ending this toxic relationship?

The Bottom Line

English grammar divides basic question types into four main categories: general or yes/no questions, special or wh-questions, choice questions, and disjunctive or tag questions. To form a question in English grammar, change the order of the words and add a question mark at the end. Questions typically start with a verb followed by a subject. When you have a question word (e.g., who), always start your question with it.

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An Introduction to Declarative Questions

You're saying that this is a declarative question?

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

A declarative question is a  yes-no question that has the form of a declarative sentence but is spoken with rising intonation at the end.

Declarative sentences are commonly used in informal speech to express surprise or ask for verification. The most likely response to a declarative question is agreement or confirmation.

Example Declarative Questions

When reading these examples, see if you can discern what it is that the speaker of each declarative question is feeling and trying to express. Declarative questions don't always get answers, but they always get a point across.

• "You think I'm kidding you? You think it's a joke to have to walk home on a clear night with an umbrella? You think that because I'm quirky I don't hurt? You've got it backward. I'm quirky because I hurt," (Weston, The Four Seasons ).
• Henry Rowengartner: Wow, you ate that whole thing? Frick: Why, sure! It wasn't that much, (Nicholas and Brown, Rookie of the Year ).
• "'This isn't working out,' Jin-ho said. 'We're going to have to let you go.' "'You're firing me?' she said. "'Yes. Ann will call you Monday re the paperwork.' "'You're firing me at a bar? Outside the bathroom in a bar?' “'I'm sorry if it doesn't suit your high standards,'" (Clifford 2016).
• Vivian: I was supposed to ride that barrel right out of this crummy town. Jaye: And you never considered a bus? (Fletcher and Dhavernas, "Barrel Bear").

Declarative Questions Vs. Rhetorical Questions

You might be familiar with rhetorical questions, questions that seek no answer, and wonder whether declarative questions and rhetorical questions are the same. For an explanation of why they are not, read this excerpt from International English Usage.

"A declarative question has the form of a statement:

You're leaving?

but has the intonation of a question when spoken and is marked by a question mark in writing. A declarative question differs from a rhetorical question such as:

Do you think I was born yesterday?

in two ways:

• A rhetorical question has the form of a question:
• Was I tired?
• A declarative question seeks an answer. A rhetorical question requires no answer since it is semantically equivalent to an emphatic declaration:
• Do you think I'm stupid? (i.e. I'm certainly not stupid)
• Am I tired? (i.e. I'm extremely tired.)" (Todd and Hancock 1986).
• “Barrel Bear.”  Wonderfalls , season 1, episode 7, 27 Oct. 2004.
• Clifford, Stephanie. Everybody Rise . Griffin, 2016.
• Rookie of the Year . Dir. Daniel Stern. MetroLight Studios, 1993.
• The Four Seasons . Dir. Robert Mulligan. Universal Pictures, 1981.
• Todd, Lorento, and Ian Hancock. International English Usage . Routledge, 1986.
• Question Mark Definition and Examples
• Figure of Speech: Definition and Examples
• Echo Question in Language
• Direct Question in Grammar
• Speech Patterns: Uptalking
• Rhetorical Questions for English Learners
• What is a Question?
• Beginner's Guide to Declarative Sentences
• An Introduction to Rhetorical Questions
• Definition and Examples of Major and Minor Moods in English Grammar
• An Introduction to Exclamatory Sentences
• 'That'-Clause
• What Is a Rhetorical Question? Definition and Examples
• Complex Question Fallacy
• Intonation Definition and Examples in Speech
• What Are Utterances in English (Speech)?

A statement is a sentence that tells you something. A question is a sentence that asks you something. A statement does not require an answer. A question requires an answer.

A written question in English always ends with a question mark: ?

Question Structure

The basic structure of a question is:

Look at these example sentences. They all have the auxiliary verb before the subject:

Exception! For the main verb be in Present Simple and Past Simple, there is no auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences. They all have the main verb before the subject:

Question Types

There are three basic question types:

• Yes/No: the answer is "yes or no"
• Question-word: the answer is "information"
• Choice: the answer is "in the question"

We look at these in more detail below.

Yes/No questions

Sometimes the only answer that we need is yes or no. Look at these examples:

Exception! Main verb be in Present Simple and Past Simple:

Question-word questions

Sometimes we want more than yes or no for an answer. When asking for information, we usually place a question-word at the beginning of the sentence. The question-word indicates the information that we want, for example: where (place), when (time), why (reason), who (person). Look at these examples:

Exception. Main verb be in Present Simple and Past Simple:

Choice questions

Sometimes we give our listener a choice. We ask them to choose between two possible answers. So their answer is (usually) already in the question. Look at these examples:

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How does the intonation of a phrase change for questions and statements?  Learn the difference in this video.

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Video Text:

Today I’m going to talk about word stress and questions vs. statements. In English, statements generally tend to go down in pitch throughout the phrase. I’ll be there by three. I’ll is higher than three. Questions, on the other hand, tend to go up at the end. Have you seen Mary? Have you seen Mary? Let’s look at three phrases that can be either questions or statements. For example, you know what I mean. This can be a statement if you’re talking to somebody and you’re explaining something, but you know that they understand, maybe because they’ve had the same experience. You might say, You know what I mean. Statement. But if you’re talking and you want to make sure that the person is understanding you, you might say, You know what I mean? Asking a question. Statement: You know what I mean, You know what I mean. Voice goes down. Question: You know what I mean? You know what I mean? Voice goes up at the end.

The simple word me could be a question or a statement. Let’s say, for example, you’re with a group of people and someone says, who can help me tomorrow? You might volunteer and say me. Me, Me, voice goes down in pitch. Me. But let’s say the person who asked who can help me? is staring right at you. And you feel like, are they asking me? Then you might say Me? Question. Me? As in, are you specifically asking me to help? Me, statement. Me? Question.

See you tomorrow. Let’s say you’re at work and you know that you’re going to be at work tomorrow and so is your colleague. When you part ways you might say See you tomorrow. Statement. But maybe you’re not sure that your colleague will be there. Then you might say, see you tomorrow? Question. That would be like asking, are you going to be in tomorrow? See you tomorrow? Statement: see you tomorrow. Voice goes down. Question: see you tomorrow? Voice goes up at the end.

The next clip uses free software that can analyze speech. See RachelEnglish.com for a link to this free software. Here you will see the pitch of the three phrases in both question and answer form. You know what I mean. You know what I mean? Me. Me? See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow?

Now you will hear some phrases. You need to decide if it is a question or a statement based on the word stress. You’re coming at three … You’re coming at three. Question. I am trying to confirm that this person will be coming at three. You’re coming at three? Voice goes up at the end. He saw her yesterday. He saw her yesterday. Statement. He saw her yesterday. Voice goes down throughout the phrase. We’re going. We’re going. Statement. Voice goes down in pitch. We’re going? We’re going? Question. Voice goes up in pitch. He hurt her feelings? He hurt her feelings? Question: voice goes up at the end. He hurt her feelings? They said no. They said no. Statement. They said no. Voice goes down in pitch throughout that phrase. We’ll see them Monday? We’ll see them Monday? Question. Voice goes up at the end. We’ll see them Monday? 987 Today I’m going to talk about the TS sound. I’ve noticed, working with my students, that many people have problems putting the T into the TS sound. So, let’s ends up sounding like less. So what is the difference between the S and the TS? A stop, the T stop. So, to make the S, the tip of the tongue is forward, here, ss, lightly touching behind the bottom front teeth. Corners of the lips will be pulled a little wide, teeth are closed, and the lips are parted, letting out the sound. To make the T, one would ordinarily lift the tongue to the roof of the mouth, tt, and release.

However, in the TS sound, there’s actually a short cut that the tongue does. Rather than lifting the tip for the T, the tip stays down here, ss, ss. And it’s further back, the front part of the tongue, but not the tip, that will raise and touch the roof of the mouth, to cut off the air flow. Sst, sst. So rather than the tip coming up, it’s simply the front part raising. And still, that contact with the roof of the mouth makes the stop because it cuts off the airflow. So to work on this sound, we’re actually going to begin by practicing an S sound with a stop T at the end rather than a TS sound. So the first sound, the S. Ss, ss, tip of the tongue down low. Sst, and the stop. Bringing the front of the tongue to the roof of the mouth while leaving the tip in its place. Sst, sst, sst, sst. Practise that along with me. Sst, sst, sst.

So as the tongue moves up, it cuts off the airflow. Now let’s practise alternating the S with the stop T a little quicker this time. Sst, etc. So to make the TS sound, it’s simply starting with the stop T, and moving into the S: ts, ts, ts, ts. So you want to start with the front part of the tongue raised, the tip down, and air in a cut-off manner. Ts. You then pull the tongue back down with the tip still forward, releasing the air out for the S. So let’s take a look at the two words from before. Let’s, and less. Let’s, the tongue is raising in the front part, cutting off the airflow. Let’s, and, less, less, less. No stop in the sound. Let’s, less. So as you’re practicing this, make sure you hear that pause. Let’s. You might even want to exaggerate it like that to make sure you’re getting it in.

The TS sound is very common in English. It’s, what’s, let’s. Also, any noun in plural form that ends in a T, for example, cats. And the conjugation of some verbs that end in a T, like sits. So let’s look at some more examples. It’s raining, it’s, ts, ts, it’s raining. That’s what I said. Tha-ts-, that’s what I said. He fights with his boss a lot. He fights, ts, fights, he fights with his boss a lot. That takes some guts, guts, that takes some guts. Let’s go. Let’s, let’s go. That’s ts, ts, that’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1112 The P and B consonants. These two sounds are paired together because they take the same mouth position. P is unvoiced, pp, meaning only air passes through your mouth. And B is voiced, bb, meaning, uh, uh, bb, you’re making a sound with your vocal cords. To make this sound, the lips will stay together while the teeth part a little bit, pp, bb. These are stop consonants. In stop consonants, there are two parts. There is a stop of the airflow, and a release. So the stop of the airflow happens, pp, as the lips remain closed, and the release when they part and the air comes through. Let’s look at the nature of a stop consonant in the sample word nap. Na–, the lips are together, cutting off the airflow, nap, pp, and they part, the air is released. Stop consonants at the ends of words or syllables are sometimes not released. In other words, there’s just the first part, the stop of air flow. Let’s take for example the sentence I’m going up later. I’m going up later. So the lips came together to make the P — I’m going up later — but when they opened and the sound continued, it simply went into the L consonant sound, which was next, without the release. I’m going up, I’m going up, I’m going up later.

Here is the sound from the front, where the lips are together but the teeth are slightly parted. That is why it doesn’t look relaxed. And here from the side. Again, you can see this tension in the chin as the teeth are slightly parted even though the lips are closed. Here, parts of the mouth are drawn in. The soft palate is raised in this sound, and the tongue itself raises just a little bit, b ut the tip of the tongue is still touching the bottom front teeth. Sample words: pad, bad, pot, bought. Sample sentence: Pick a big print for the bedspread. Now you will see this sample sentence up close and in slow motion both straight on and from an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.,

Pick, the lips press together as the jaw drops slightly. A big, again, the lips press together as the jaw drops. Print, again the P sound. Tongue goes up to make the T. Lip comes up to make the F in ‘for’. The, lips together, bb, bedspread, and here again to make the P in spread. Jaw drops to make the ‘eh’ as in ‘bed’ vowel sound, and the tip of the tongue up to make the D. And here from an angle. The lips press together even as the jaw drops and the teeth part. Pick, the ‘ih’ as in ‘sit’ sound. Pick a big, again the lips come together for the B, big. And again for the P, print. Tongue up for the T. For the. Lips together for the B in bed-, and again for the p in -spread. The ‘eh’ as in ‘bed’ and the tongue up to make that D. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1102 The ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ vowel sound. This is a very relaxed vowel sound. You can see, uh, the jaw drops but the rest of the mouth remains very neutral, uh, uh. The tongue is also very relaxed. The back presses down just a little bit, and the tip is forward, lightly touching behind the bottom front teeth. Uh, butter. Here we see the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound on the right compared with the mouth at rest on the left.

Here we see the inside parts of the mouth drawn in. As with all other vowels, the soft palate is raised in this vowel. But more importantly, note the position of the tongue. It is forward and relaxed, and slightly pressed down in the back. The ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound. Sample words: mother, sudden, lucky, ton. Sample sentence: I love my younger brother, but sometimes he bugs me. Now you’ll see this sentence up close and in slow motion, both straight on and from an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.

I, the jaw drops to make the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong. Tongue comes up to make the L and comes through the teeth, love and the jaw drops. This is the ‘uh as in ‘butter’ sound. Bottom lip comes up for the V, and the lips come together for the M, my. Younger, another ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’, but it’s very fast. We’re already now into the R, younger. Brother, another uh vowel sound. The tongue comes through the teeth for the TH. Er, brother. But, another uh  vowel sound. Teeth come together for the S, sometimes, uh, another ‘butter’ sound. -Times, he bugs – lips come together for the B and again, the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound. The tongue comes up in the back to make the G. Me, with the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ vowel sound.

Again from an angle. The jaw drops for the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong, I love, the tongue forms the L, jaw drops for the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’. Bottom lip up to the teeth to make the V sound, my. The tongue moves up to make the Y consonant sound: younger. There’s the R consonant sound. Brother, a quick ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’. Tongue through the teeth to make the TH. Lips together for the B. But, another quick ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’. The teeth together to make the S, sometimes, a quick ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’, -times, with the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong. Lips together to make the M. He bugs, with the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound. You can see the tongue moved up in the back to make that G sound. Me, with the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ vowel and the corners of the lips pulled back. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1117 The CH and JJ consonant sounds. These two sounds are paired together because they take the same mouth position. CH is unvoiced, meaning only air passes through the mouth, and JJ is voiced, meaning, uh, uh, jj, you’re making a sound with the vocal cords. These consonants have a stop consonant component, but unlike stop consonants, they’re always released. The stop consonant is when the front part of the tongue raises and touches the roof of the mouth in the front in the T/D tongue position. The mouth takes the position of the SH and DJ sounds, where the teeth are together, the corners of the lips are in, and the rest of the lips are flared. Ch, jj. So the tongue will move up and press the roof of the mouth, air builds up, and when the tongue releases, the air comes through, ch, jj, making the sound.

Here is the sound on the right, compared with the mouth at rest on the left. Notice how the lips in this sound come away from the face. Here parts of the mouth are drawn in. The soft palate is raised in this consonant sound. Notice how high the tongue reaches. It presses against the roof of the mouth before pulling away to release the air. The ch/jj sounds. Sample words: char, jar, chump, jump. Sample sentence: I was on the edge of my seat watching each match of the major tournament. Now you will see this sentence up close and in slow motion, both straight on and from an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.

I, with the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong, lips circle into the W, was. On the edge, now here we have the jj consonant sound. Watch the lips as the teeth come together. Of my seat. Lips pull wide for the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’. Watching, lips make the W. Ch, here is the ch sound. Watch the lips. Each, lips pull wide for the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ and again, the ch. Match, again it ends in the ch consonant sound. Of the major, with the jj consonant sound, jj. Tournament. Lips together for the M, tongue up for the N position, and the T.

And now from an angle. I, with the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong. Was on the edge, watch the jj sound. Jj. Of my seat, corners of the mouth pulled wide for the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’. Watching, lips make the W. Watch-, here’s the ch sound. Watching. Each, corners pull wide for the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’, and now form the ch. Match, again ends in ch. Of the major, watch for the jj – there we are – major, tournament. Lips together for the M, tongue up to make the N, and the teeth together for the T. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 948 Today I’m going to talk about the phrases ‘want to’ and ‘going to’. Wanna and gonna are acceptable, although casual, pronunciations of these phrases. For example, in a job interview, you might not want to use this more casual pronunciation. You might say a phrase like, ‘I want to contribute … blah blah blah.’ Want. Where you actually make that T sound. But if you’re in more casual conversation, for example with a friend, you might say something like ‘I want to be there by 6.’ Wanna, wanna, here it would be appropriate to use that word.

In the words wanna and gonna, it is the first syllable that is accented. Wanna, gonna. And the vowel sound in the first syllable is most likely going to be the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound, though you may at times hear it a little closer to the ‘ah’ as in ‘father’ sound. I think I myself pronounce it closer to the ‘uh’ as in ‘butter’ sound. Wanna, gonna. In both of these words, the final syllable is a simple schwa sound, short and unaccented. Wanna, gonna.

Another note about ‘wanna’, wanna is short for the words ‘want to’. Not ever for the words ‘wants to’. So, for example, in the phrase ‘ I want to be there by 6′, I’m replacing ‘want to’ with ‘wanna’. But if we change the subject to he, he wants to be there by 6, now the word is wants, with the S, and not want (because of the different conjugation). Therefore, we cannot shorten it into ‘wanna’. He wanna be there by 6. Can’t say that because ‘wants to’ does not shorten into wanna. Only ‘want to’.

Going to, or gonna, is used with a subject and the conjugated verb ‘to be’. I am going to be there at 6. If we’re going to shorten ‘going to’ into gonna, we’re also going to want to shorten ‘I am’ into I’m, a contraction. I’m gonna be there by 6. You are going to becomes you’re gonna. He or she is going to becomes he’s gonna, she’s gonna. We are going to becomes we’re gonna. They are going to becomes they’re gonna. They’re gonna. If you’re going to be shortening these words, they’re, the contraction, gonna, the more casual pronunciation, you don’t want to pause between them. They’re gonna, they’re gonna. The whole point in shortening them is to say it faster. So, if you pause in between, it will make the sentence sound a little strange. They’re gonna. We’re gonna. I’m gonna. It all melts together, almost as if it’s one longer word.

Repeat the following sample sentences. I want to see the movie on Friday. They wan to be here. We want to get there early. I’m going to see her tomorrow. Are you going to be there? They’re going to pay for it. We’re going to stop by later. 965 In this video, I’m going to talk more about linking and reduction. I have done an ‘Intro to Linking’ video — if you haven’t seen that already, you might want to check it out. Today we’re going to talk about the situation with the letter H beginning a word. Let’s look at the following sentence as an example: I’ll tell her we’re leaving. I’ll tell her we’re leaving. I’ll tell her we’re leaving. I’ll tell her we’re leaving. Could you tell a difference in the two different ways I pronounced this? I’ll tell her … er … I didn’t pronounce the H in ‘her’. I’ll tell her we’re leaving. I reduced the word ‘her’ by leaving out the H. Perhaps you’ve noticed this. Native speakers do it quite a lot.

Now, if you drop the H, you have to be certain that you link it to the word before. Tell her, tell her, it’s almost like it becomes one word. Teh-ler, tell her. How do you think I’m going to pronounce this phrase? I’m going to drop the H, reducing the word ‘he’. And because I’m going to do that, I want to make sure that I really link things. So I’m actually going to almost think of the Z sound as beginning a word ‘zi’. Wuh-zi there? Was he there? Was he there? Try saying that all very smooth and linked. Was he there? Was he there?

Before we go further, let’s talk quickly about punctuation. A period, a comma, a colon, a semicolon, a dash: these things will all signify a stop, a break, a pause. So, we don’t want to link sounds over that kind of punctuation. Let’s take a look at an example sentence. At first he never came; he now comes regularly. Notice there was that pause there where the semicolon is. And because of that I didn’t link, and I didn’t drop the H in ‘he’ the second time. At first he never came: I do drop that H, reducing the word and linking. At first he, at first he, at first he never came; he now comes regularly.

So we’ve looked at ‘he’ and ‘her’, what are some other possibilities? If we’re going to reduce a word, it has to be an unstressed word. So let’s review which words we’ll stress, and which ones will be unstressed. Content words are stressed. These are nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, in general. Function words will be unstressed. These are words that don’t have a meaning on their own, like ‘with’ or ‘if’. These are prepositions, conjunctions, articles, and helping verbs.

So, common function words beginning with H: has, have, had. These are helping verbs. Example: What have you done? What have you done? Notice that the H is dropped in ‘have’, and the vowel is actually reduced from aa to the schwa: uv, uv, uv. That is how we’re pronouncing the word ‘have’ in the sentence. What have, what have, what have you done? And do note that it’s linked to everything around it. What have you, what have you, what have you done?

Another example: my friend has seen it twice. The word ‘has’ is pronounced without the H and the vowel sound is reduced to the schwa. My friend has, has, has, my friend has seen it twice. Also, again, it is linked to everything around it. My friend has seen it twice. Now, I want to point out that in ‘What have you done?’, ‘have’ is the helping verb for ‘done’. And in ‘My friend has seen it twice’, ‘has’ is the helping verb for ‘seen’.

Now if these words were the only verb in the sentence, the main verb in the sentence, they wouldn’t be reduced. Because then they would be the verb, not a helping verb. For example, I have two. Now, I may say ‘have’ very quickly, but I’m probably not going to drop the H, and I’m not going to reduce the vowel. I have two. Because it is the only verb in the sentence. Therefore, it is not a helping verb. It is the main verb. I have two.

How do you think I will pronounce ‘her’ here? If you guessed er, you’re right. I saw her sister in Chicago. I saw — er — sister, saw her sister, saw her sister. I saw her sister in Chicago.

And here, how will I pronounce ‘his’? Iz, iz, I will drop that H. What was his name again? What was, iz, name again? What was his name again? What was his name again? And how will I pronounce ‘him’? I will drop that H. ‘Im, ‘im. I told him no. I told — im — no. I told him no. I told him no. How will I pronounce ‘his’? I’m going to drop the H. Do you remember John? This is his sister. This is — is — sister. This is his sister.

As you listen to native speakers, keep this in mind. Try to identify it and then imitate it. And when you feel comfortable, bring it into your everyday speech. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1100 The ‘aw’ as in ‘law’ vowel sound. To make this sound, the jaw drops, but the tongue raises a bit, aw, not just the front or the back, but the whole thing really, It also shifts back a little bit, aw, which means the tip of the tongue is not touching anything in the mouth, aw. You’ll notice too that the corners of the lips come in a little bit, aw. Really it’s almost like the cheeks come in and shift forward a little bit, aw, to make this sound. Law.

Here is the ‘aw’ as in ‘law’ vowel sound on the right compared with the mouth at rest on the left. Notice that the corners of the mouth are pressed forward somewhat, which brings the center part of the lips away from the face. Here, parts of the mouth are drawn in. As with all vowels, the soft palate is raised. But more importantly, look at just the tongue. You can see in the aw sound that the tongue comes up and backwards. This means the tip of the tongue is not touching the teeth. The ‘aw’ as in ‘law’ sound. Sample words:bought, crawl, wrong. Sample sentence: Your daughter is taller than when I saw her last fall. Now you’ll see this sentence up close and in slow motion, both straight on and from an angle, , so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.

Your, the lips form the Y consonant sound position. Daughter, with the aw sound. Dd, aw. The tongue comes up to pronounced the T, which here is pronounced as a D. Daughter is tt taller, another aw vowel sound here, aw. The tongue comes up for the L. Than when, the lips form the W, I saw, the teeth come together to make the S, aw, another ‘aw’ as in ‘law’. Her last, tongue comes up to make the L. And finally, fall, with another ‘aw’ as in ‘law’ sound. Aw. And the tongue comes up to the L.

Your, the lips form the Y consonant sound, daughter, with the aw as in law. There’s the position. Tongue moves up to make that D sound, and then back to make the R. Daughter is taller, another aw, aw. Tongue comes up to make the L. Than when, tongue goes up to make the N. I saw, another ‘aw’ as in ‘law’, aw. Her, tongue goes up to make the L, last fall. Another ‘aw’ as in ‘law’ sound, aw, and the tongue goes up to make the L. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1108 The ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong. The first sound in this diphthong does not occur on its own as a vowel in American English, e, e, ay. To make this first sound, the tongue will push forward and press behind the bottom front teeth, e, e. The front part will be wide, ay, ay. The second half is the ‘ih’ as in ‘sit’ vowel. So to make this part of the diphthong, the front/mid part of the tongue will raise towards the roof of the mouth, ay, ay. As the tongue raises, the jaw will close somewhat. Ay, say.

Here are the two sounds side by side. You can see that in the first sound of the diphthong, the jaw is dropped slightly more. Here are the two sounds in profile. Again, note that the jaw drops slightly more for the first sound. Here, parts of the mouth are drawn in. In the first sound of the diphthong, the tongue pulls more forward. In the second sound it is more forward and up, and the tongue raises closer to the roof of the mouth. In both sounds, the tip of the tongue is touching the front bottom teeth. Sample words: maybe, play, neighbor. Sample sentence: I was afraid if I stayed late that I’d be tired today. Now you’ll see this sentence up close and in slow motion, both straight on and from an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.

I, with the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong, was, lips make the W shape, afraid, bottom lip up for the F, and now here is the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong. Tongue tip up to make the D. If I stayed, again the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong, and the tongue tip up for the D. Late, again the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong, and the tongue moves into the T position. That I’d be tired, with the ‘ai’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong, today. Again the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong.

And now from an angle. I, with the ‘ay’ as in ‘buy’ diphthong, was afraid. The ‘ay’ as in ‘say’, tongue forward and then up more towards the roof of the mouth. There the tip makes the D. If I stayed, again the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ but it’s very quick here, the jaw doesn’t drop much before the tongue moves up to make the D sound. Now here’s the L, and it pulls down again, la-, into the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong. That I’d be tired today. And again, the ‘ay’ as in ‘say’ diphthong. The jaw drops, the tongue comes forward, and then the jaw closes as the tongue raises towards the roof of the mouth. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. 1098 The ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ vowel. To make the sound, the front part of the tongue raises very high towards the roof of the mouth while the tip still remains down, lightly touching behind the bottom front teeth, ee, ee, ee. The tongue doesn’t touch the roof of the mouth, but it’s very close up there, ee, ee. You can see also the corners of the lips pull wide, ee, ee.

Here is a photo of the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ vowel sound on the right, compared with the mouth at rest on the left. Notice that the corners of the mouth are pulled slightly back in this ee sound. And here with the inside parts drawn in. As with all vowels, the soft palate is raised, but more importantly, note the tongue. It’s raised very high in the mid-front, though not quite touching the roof of the mouth. The tip of the tongue lightly touches the back of the bottom front teeth. Sample words: please, ski, even. Sample sentence: She needs to see there’s a reason to believe me. Now you’ll see this sentence close up and in slow motion, both straight on and from an angle, so you can really study how the mouth moves when making this sound.

She, S-H sh, and the ee. Needs, see how much further the corners of the lips pull back, needs, as it is more stressed than she. To see, again, the corners of the mouth are pulled back. There’s, the tongue comes through the teeth, a reason, again the ‘ee’ as in ‘she’ rr ee son. To believe, lip comes up to make the V, me.

And now from the angle. She, sh here, she, needs, tongue goes up to make the N. And watch the corners of the mouth really pull back. Needs. To, t-uh here. See, teeth come together to make the S, see. There’s, tongue comes through the teeth. A reason, lips form the R, re-, corners pull back, re-son. To believe. Lips together for the B, tongue up to make the L and the corners of the lips pull back for the ee. Lip moves up to make the V. Me, corners pull back again for the ee sound. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.

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How to Change a Statement to Question

Last Updated: April 6, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Language Academia and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Language Academia is a private, online language school founded by Kordilia Foxstone. Kordilia and her team specialize in teaching foreign languages and accent reduction. Language Academia offers courses in several languages, including English, Spanish, and Mandarin. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 19 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 585,940 times.

Turning a statement into a question can seem really hard at first, but it might be easier than you think. You use a statement to express a fact, opinion, or viewpoint about a topic. On the other hand, you ask questions to get information from others. You can easily change a statement to a question by moving the helping verb, moving the being verb, or adding a doing verb. Additionally, you can add a question word or question tag to get specific information.

Moving the Helping Verb

• The teachers have treated us kindly.
• They had already eaten.
• She will win the fight.
• My cat would climb that tree.
• A pie can feed eight people.
• We shall meet again.
• I was standing.

Tip: Check for helping verbs in contractions. For example, in the sentence “We’ll go to school,” “we’ll” is a contraction of “we will.” “Will” is a helping verb. Similarly, “hasn’t” is a contraction of “has not,” and “has” is a helping verb.

• The teachers have treated us kindly. → Have the teachers treated us kindly?
• They had already eaten. → Had they already eaten?
• She will win the fight. → Will she win the fight?
• My cat would climb that tree. → Would my cat climb that tree?
• That pie can feed eight people. → Can that pie feed eight people?
• We shall meet again. → Shall we meet again?
• I was standing. → Was I standing?

• Your brother has been growing quickly. → Has your brother been growing quickly?
• I could have been studying. → Could I have been studying?

Shifting a Being Verb

• It is raining.
• We are hungry.
• I am going home.
• You were there last night.
• The cat was playing with that toy.

• It is raining. → Is it raining?
• We are hungry. → Are we hungry?
• I am going home. → Am I going home?
• You were there last night. → Were you there last night?
• The cat was playing with that toy. → Was the cat playing with that toy?
• If you use the verb to be, you can change the place of the verb and the subject.
• For example, I am Irish can be transformed into a question by changing the place and form of the verb and pronoun to the required form. So I am Irish will become Are you Irish?

• For example, the word “been” appears in this sentence: “We have been going to school for ten weeks.” Notice that “have” is used here as a helping verb. That means you’d form a question by writing, “ Have we been going to school for ten weeks?”

Adding Does, Do, or Did

• My cat plays with a toy. → Does my cat play with the toy?
• My friend takes the bus. → Does my friend take the bus?

• They greet their teacher. → Do they greet their teacher?
• The protesters call for change. → Do the protesters call for change?
• You throw stones at my window. → Do you throw stones at my window?

• He saved the cat. → Did he save the cat?
• The sheep jumped over the fence. → Did the sheep jump over the fence?
• He broke my oven. → Did he break my oven?

Tip: If the verb has a helping verb, use the helping verb technique instead.

Trying Other Methods

• You can add a question word at the beginning of a sentence to indicate what the question is referring to specifically.
• You are going home. → When are you going home?
• The cat caught the mouse. → How did the cat catch the mouse?

• She bought a new scooter. → She bought a new scooter, right?
• He was at the party. → He was at the party, wasn’t he?
• They went to the store yesterday. → They went to the store yesterday, didn’t they?

• You are going home. → You are going home?
• She's a scientist. → She's a scientist?
• We have school tomorrow. → We have school tomorrow?

Practice Exercises and Answers

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• Read your questions aloud to see if they sound right. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

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• ↑ https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/sentence/type-interrogative.htm
• ↑ https://www.educationquizzes.com/in/primary/english/sentences-4-convert-statements-to-questions
• ↑ https://www.englishgrammar.org/change-statement-questions/
• ↑ http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/marks/question.htm#tags
• ↑ http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/marks/question.htm

About This Article

To change a statement to a question, first look for the helping verb in the sentence, like “Have,” “Would,” “Can,” or “Was.” Then, move the helping verb to the front of the sentence and add a question mark at the end. For example, “I was standing,” becomes, “Was I standing?” For sentences with longer helping verbs, like “could have been,” only move 1 helping word. For instance, in “I could have been studying,” move the “Could,” to the beginning to make it, “Could I have been studying?” In some cases, you may need to use "Do" or "Does" at the beginning, like “He cleans the bedroom,” which becomes, “Does he clean the bedroom?” For more tips, including how to add question words to make a statement into a question, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Article • 12 min read

Questioning Techniques

Asking questions effectively.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Why Is It Important to Ask Questions Effectively?

"Garbage in, garbage out," is a popular truth, often said in relation to computer systems: if you put the wrong information in, you'll get the wrong information out.

The same principle applies to communications in general: if you ask the wrong questions, you'll probably get the wrong answer, or at least not quite what you're hoping for.

Asking the right questions is at the heart of effective communication and information exchange. By asking the right questions – and asking them in the right way – in a particular situation, you can improve a whole range of communication skills. For example, you can gather better information and learn more, you can build stronger relationships, manage people more effectively, and help others to learn too.

In this article and in the video, below, we will explore some common questioning techniques, and when (and when not) to use them.

Key Takeaways

• There are various questioning techniques you can use to gain the information you need. Each technique has its own pros and cons.
• Closed questions are useful when you need a to-the-point answer, whereas open questions are good for extracting more detailed responses.
• Funnel questions are a way to extract more detail gradually. This technique is a good way to prompt memories or deeper thinking.
• Probing questions help you gain detail and clarity.
• Leading questions are a good technique if you're trying to persuade someone, but they can leave the other person feeling they have little or no choice.
• Rhetorical questions encourage reflection and are another useful persuasion technique.
• Asking the right kind of questions can help you in all sorts of situations, like coaching or defusing tension and anger. They help you to learn about people, communicate more clearly, and build relationships.

Open and Closed Questions

A closed question usually receives a single word or very short, factual answer. For example, "Are you thirsty?" The answer is "Yes" or "No"; "Where do you live?" The answer is generally the name of your town or your address.

Open questions elicit longer answers. They usually begin with what, why, and how. An open question asks the respondent for his or her knowledge, opinion or feelings. "Tell me" and "describe" can also be used in the same way as open questions. Here are some examples:

• What happened at the meeting?
• Why did he react that way?
• How was the party?
• Tell me what happened next.
• Describe the circumstances in more detail.

Open questions are good for:

• Developing an open conversation: "What did you get up to on vacation?"
• Finding out more detail: "What else do we need to do to make this a success?"
• Finding out the other person's opinion or issues: "What do you think about those changes?"

Closed questions are good for:

• Testing your understanding, or the other person's: "So, if I get this qualification, I will get a raise?"
• Concluding a discussion or making a decision: "Now we know the facts, are we all agreed this is the right course of action?"
• Frame setting: "Are you happy with the service from your bank?"

A misplaced closed question, on the other hand, can kill the conversation and lead to awkward silences, so is best avoided when a conversation is in full flow.

Funnel Questions

This technique involves starting with general questions, and then drilling down to a more specific point in each. Usually, this will involve asking for more and more detail at each level. It's often used by detectives taking a statement from a witness:

"How many people were involved in the fight?" "About ten." "Were they kids or adults?" "Mostly kids." "What sort of ages were they?" "About fourteen or fifteen." "Were any of them wearing anything distinctive?" "Yes, several of them had red baseball caps on." "Can you remember if there was a logo on any of the caps?" "Now you come to mention it, yes, I remember seeing a big letter N."

Using this technique, the detective has helped the witness to re-live the scene and to gradually focus in on a useful detail. Perhaps he'll be able to identify young men wearing a hat like this from CCTV footage. It is unlikely he would have got this information if he's simply asked an open question such as "Are there any details you can give me about what you saw?"

When using funnel questioning, start with closed questions. As you progress through the tunnel, start using more open questions.

Funnel questions are good for:

• Finding out more detail about a specific point: "Tell me more about Option Two."
• Gaining the interest or increasing the confidence of the person you're speaking with: "Have you used the IT Helpdesk?," "Did it solve your problem?," "What was the attitude of the person who took your call?"

Probing Questions

Asking probing questions is another strategy for finding out more detail. Sometimes it's as simple as asking your respondent for an example, to help you understand a statement that they have made. At other times, you need additional information for clarification, "When do you need this report by, and do you want to see a draft before I give you my final version?" Or to investigate whether there is proof for what has been said, "How do you know that the new database can't be used by the sales force?"

An effective way of probing is to use the 5 Whys method, which can help you quickly get to the root of a problem.

Use questions that include the word "exactly" to probe further: "What exactly do you mean by fast-track?" or "Who, exactly, wanted this report?"

Probing questions are good for:

• Gaining clarification to ensure that you have the whole story and that you understand it thoroughly.
• Drawing information out of people who are trying to avoid telling you something.

Leading Questions

Leading questions try to lead the respondent to your way of thinking. They can do this in several ways:

• With an assumption – "How late do you think that the project will deliver?" This assumes that the project will certainly not be completed on time.
• By adding a personal appeal to agree at the end – "Lori's very efficient, don't you think?" or "Option Two is better, isn't it?"
• Phrasing the question so that the "easiest" response is "yes" – Our natural tendency to prefer to say "yes" than "no" plays an important part in the phrasing of questions: "Shall we all approve Option Two?" is more likely to get a positive response than "Do you want to approve Option Two or not?" A good way of doing this is to make it personal. For example, "Would you like me to go ahead with Option Two?" rather than "Shall I choose Option Two?"
• Giving people a choice between two options – both of which you would be happy with, rather than the choice of one option or not doing anything at all. Strictly speaking, the choice of "neither" is still available when you ask "Which would you prefer... A or B?" but most people will be caught up in deciding between your two preferences.

Note that leading questions tend to be closed.

Leading questions are good for:

• Getting the answer you want, but leaving the other person feeling that they haven't got a choice.
• Closing a sale: "If that answers all of your questions, shall we agree on a price?"

Use leading questions with care. If you use them in a self-serving way or one that harms the interests of the other person, then they can, quite rightly, be seen as manipulative and dishonest.

Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical questions aren't really questions at all, in that they don't expect an answer. They're really just statements phrased in question form: "Isn't John's design work so creative?"

People use rhetorical questions because they are engaging for the listener – as they are drawn into agreeing ("Yes it is and I like working with such a creative colleague") – rather than feeling that they are being "told" something like "John is a very creative designer." (To which they may answer "So What?")

Rhetorical questions are even more powerful if you use a string of them. "Isn't that a great display? Don't you love the way the text picks up the colors in the photographs? Doesn't it use space really well? Wouldn't you love to have a display like that for our products?"

Rhetorical questions are good for:

• Engaging the listener.
• Getting people to agree with your point of view.

Using Questioning Techniques

You have probably used all of these questioning techniques before in your everyday life, at work and at home. But by consciously applying the appropriate kind of questioning, you can gain the information, response or outcome that you want even more effectively.

Questions are a powerful way of:

• Learning: ask open and closed questions, and use probing questioning.
• Relationship building: people generally respond positively if you ask about what they do or enquire about their opinions. If you do this in an affirmative way "Tell me what you like best about working here" you will help to build and maintain an open dialog.
• Managing and coaching : here, rhetorical and leading questions are useful too. They can help get people to reflect and to commit to courses of action that you've suggested: "Wouldn't it be great to gain some further qualifications?"
• Avoiding misunderstandings: use probing questions to seek clarification, particularly when the consequences are significant. And to make sure that you avoid jumping to conclusions. The Ladder of Inference tool can help you here, too.
• Defusing a heated situation: you can calm an angry customer or colleague by using funnel questions to get them to go into more detail about their grievance. This will not only distract them from their emotions, but will often help you to identify a small practical thing that you can do, which is often enough to make them feel that they have "won" something, and no longer need to be angry.
• Persuading people: no one likes to be lectured, but asking a series of open questions will help others to embrace the reasons behind your point of view. "What do you think about bringing the sales force in for half a day to have their laptops upgraded?"

Tips For Asking Effective Questions

Make sure that you give the person you're questioning enough time to respond. This may need to include thinking time before they answer, so don't just interpret a pause as a "No comment" and plow on.

Skillful questioning needs to be matched by careful listening so that you understand what people really mean with their answers.

Your body language and tone of voice can also play a part in the answers you get when you ask questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i improve my questioning techniques.

Consider what you want to learn from the person you're speaking with so that you can choose the most appropriate technique, and practice active listening . This will help you to fully understand their response, and delve deeper if you need to. It also facilitates an open discussion.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when questioning?

Asking too many questions at once, and not allowing enough time to answer, can overwhelm the other person and create a hostile tone. Instead, ask one question at a time and try not to speak over someone when they're replying. For longer or more introspective answers, allow them some extra thinking time, too. And if you need them to elaborate, sometimes a brief pause is all it takes to prompt someone to expand on their answer.

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Natasa Kulessa

"Managing and coaching" - I am wondering here about using these terms synonymously and suggesting that "leading questions" are part of coaching someone, as coaching is quite the opposite of "getting people to commit to courses of action that you've suggested". Coaching is about supporting someone else in coming up with their own solutions to their own goals, leading them in this way would be counter productive.

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Logical Reasoning - Statement and Assumption

Why should i learn to solve logical reasoning questions and answers section on "statement and assumption".

Learn and practise solving Logical Reasoning questions and answers section on "Statement and Assumption" to enhance your skills so that you can clear interviews, competitive examinations, and various entrance tests (CAT, GATE, GRE, MAT, bank exams, railway exams, etc.) with full confidence.

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Here you can find multiple-choice Logical Reasoning questions and answers based on "Statement and Assumption" for your placement interviews and competitive exams. Objective-type and true-or-false-type questions are given too.

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You can download the Logical Reasoning quiz questions and answers section on "Statement and Assumption" as PDF files or eBooks.

How do I solve Logical Reasoning quiz problems based on "Statement and Assumption"?

You can easily solve Logical Reasoning quiz problems based on "Statement and Assumption" by practising the given exercises, including shortcuts and tricks.

• Statement and Assumption - Section 1
• Statement and Assumption - Section 2
• Statement and Assumption - Section 3
• Statement and Assumption - Section 4
• Statement and Assumption - Section 5
• Statement and Assumption - Section 6

In each question below is given a statement followed by two assumptions numbered I and II. You have to consider the statement and the following assumptions and decide which of the assumptions is implicit in the statement.

Give answer

• (A) If only assumption I is implicit
• (B) If only assumption II is implicit
• (C) If either I or II is implicit
• (D) If neither I nor II is implicit
• (E) If both I and II are implicit.

Statement: "You are hereby appointed as a programmer with a probation period of one year and your performance will be reviewed at the end of the period for confirmation." - A line in an appointment letter.

Assumptions:

• The performance of an individual generally is not known at the time of appointment offer.
• Generally an individual tries to prove his worth in the probation period.

Statement: It is desirable to put the child in school at the age of 5 or so.

• At that age the child reaches appropriate level of development and is ready to learn.
• The schools do not admit children after six years of age.

Statement: "In order to bring punctuality in our office, we must provide conveyance allowance to our employees." - In charge of a company tells Personnel Manager.

• Conveyance allowance will not help in bringing punctuality.
• Discipline and reward should always go hand in hand.

Statement: Unemployment allowance should be given to all unemployed Indian youth above 18 years of age.

• There are unemployed youth in India who needs monetary support.
• The government has sufficient funds to provide allowance to all unemployed youth.

Statement: "If you trouble me, I will slap you." - A mother warns her child.

• With the warning, the child may stop troubling her.
• All children are basically naughty.

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UK PM announces general election

By Rob Picheta, CNN

Our live coverage has ended. Read more about Rishi Sunak's announcement and the upcoming UK election here.

How does a UK election work?

From CNN's Rob Picheta in London

In the UK, voters don’t elect a prime minister directly. Instead, they elect a member of parliament (MP) to represent their local constituency.

The leader of the party that wins a majority of the UK’s 650 constituencies automatically becomes prime minister. That means 326 is the magic number.

If there’s no majority, they need to look for help elsewhere, ruling as a minority government or forming a coalition.

A campaign takes just six weeks -- a breeze compared to the mammoth US presidential election calendar.

Technically, the King has to allow an election to take place and allow parliament to be dissolved, which will occur in the next few days for the rest of the campaign.

But this role is symbolic; King Charles III will not go against the advice of his prime minister or the votes of the British public.

The current polling is dire reading for Rishi Sunak

Analysis from CNN's Rob Picheta

Rishi Sunak is looking to do in six weeks what he hasn't been able to do in the 20 months since he took power: overturn a polling deficit.

Labour have been leading in general election opinion polls since late 2021, and that lead has been huge for the entirety of Sunak's premiership.

They are around 20 points up on average, with the Tories often closer to third party challengers like Reform and the Liberal Democrats than they are to Labour.

When converted to a projection of seats in parliament, those figures indicate either a comfortable Labour win or a potential electoral wipeout for the Conservatives.

But for Sunak's team, some deeper numbers provide some comfort. While Keir Starmer leads Sunak in polling on the question of who would make a better prime minister, that lead is much smaller than the overall party voting gap -- suggesting Sunak will seek to keep the focus on a "me versus him" message.

Some polling experts also suggested that recent local elections may indicate a slimmer Labour win than polling does, but it is notoriously difficult to extrapolate nationwide forecasts from local votes in only some parts of the country.

Sunak may also take heart from an unlikely source: former left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who started the 2017 general election facing a similar deficit and eventually forced a hung parliament, in a narrow loss to Theresa May.

However he looks at it, the polls are dire for Sunak. He has six weeks to change that.

Sunak sells himself as a safe pair of hands. Will anyone buy it?

From CNN's Luke McGee in London

Sunak’s speech was delayed by over 10 minutes. Speculation among those standing around on Downing Street was that he was waiting for the rain to clear.

A let-up in the weather was shortly followed by the prime minister's emergence from his official residence. The heavens almost immediately opened again, drenching Sunak.

His back luck continued as protesters outside blasted the song “Things Can Only Get Better” by D-Ream, the anthem of Labour’s 1997 victorious election campaign. At this point it was virtually impossible to hear the PM.

If his tone was flat, his message was somewhat uninspiring. Big speeches on Downing Street are usually surround by a buzz of excitement. Such speeches are reserved for big moments in politics: resignations, major policy announcements, or indeed, calling elections.

This was a list of what Sunak sees as his biggest selling point: a safe pair of hands at a difficult time.

He spoke of his first major political intervention, when he implemented a furlough scheme to pay the wages of those who could not go to work during Covid lockdowns. He elaborated on how as the world becomes less secure, he is the stable hand that Britain needs.

It was a riff on a speech he made last week, in which he outlined the challenges Britain faces, from a belligerent Russia waging war on the continent to the threats posed by AI.

And he said that the opposition Labour Party doesn’t have a plan and cannot be trusted. It was all quite negative, but that might be all that Sunak and his party have left after 14 years in power.

He is trying to pitch himself as a change candidate with fresh ideas, which might be the case.

But the key question any voter will now ask ahead of this long-awaited election is: why should you be given another go?

Starmer promises to "stop the chaos"

From CNN's Rob Picheta and Antoinette Radford in London

Starmer outlined a three-prong pitch to voters as he set out Labour's electoral offering for the first time under his leadership.

He said the election is "a vote to stop the chaos," promising "a politics that treads more lightly in all our lives" -- a rebuke of a turbulent few period in Westminster that has seen five Tory prime ministers in eight years.

Secondly, he hit out at the Conservatives' economic record, framing his party as the one more in touch with the financial struggles of voters across the UK.

And thirdly, he promised "a long-term plan to rebuild Britain," said he would "reset" the country and its politics.

"Time and again they have pursued their own interesting rather than tackling the issues that affect your family. And if they get another five years, they will feel entitled to carry on exactly as they are. Nothing will change," Starmer said.

Keir Starmer says election is a "chance to change for the better"

"Tonight the prime minister has finally announced the next general election," opposition leader Keir Starmer said in response to PM Rishi Sunak's announcement.

He framed the vote as a "chance to change for the better - your future, your community, your country."

"It will feel like a long campaign, I'm sure of that, but no matter what else is said and done, that opportunity for change is what this election is about," Starmer said.

He begins the vote about 20 points ahead in the polls, so he will be running as a favorite as well as a challenger.

What themes did Rishi Sunak hit in his rain-soaked speech?

Rishi Sunak’s speech outside Downing Street gave a glimpse into what Britons can expect to hear from the prime minister as he looks to defy gloomy expectations for his party and retain power.

He sought to diffuse criticism of his record, pointing to two major challenges — Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine — that he said amounted to “the most challenging times since the Second World War.” 

Critics say that, while every country has dealt with those forces, many comparable economies are coping better than Britain’s. But Sunak said he had restored “hard-earned economic stability.”

Sunak touched heavily on illegal migration, which is expected to be a major plank of his electoral campaign.

He claimed “we are stopping the boats with our Rwanda partnership,” though that deal — which finally became law last month — has not yet led to a single asylum-seeker being deported to the African country.

He also noted other policies — like saying Britain’s will be the first generation “to grow up smoke-free” — a key, legacy-defining plan from Sunak that hasn’t, and now won’t, make it to parliament before the election.

And he attacked the policy record of Keir Starmer, saying the Labour leader hasn’t been clear about what he stands for.

Sunak was drenched by rain and almost drowned out by protesters during his speech

Rishi Sunak was drenched by rain and had to compete with blaring music being played by protesters, in a speech that did not provide the flawless optics staff would have hoped for in a set-piece election announcement.

The recent trend has been for prime ministers to announce elections outside the famous front door of Number 10.

But that does leave them open to the elements -- and pouring rain soaked the back of Sunak's suit in the minutes in which he was speaking, which was evident as he turned away from cameras and walked back into the building.

Meanwhile, the D:Ream song "Things Can Only Get Better" -- the campaign song for the Labour Party before its landslide victory in 1997 -- almost drowned out Sunak's voice on the TV broadcast of his speech, disrupting Sunak's attempts to deliver a clear message to cameras and, by extension, voters.

Sunak had the option to deliver his remarks indoors in a media briefing room built specially for big speeches. One might wonder if he regrets the choice to fight the weather and noise instead.

Cabinet members smile as they leave Downing Street, but refuse to answer questions

From CNN's Rob Picheta

The first few members of Rishi Sunak's cabinet have filtered out of Downing Street after the prime minister's speech in which he fired the starting gun on a July general election.

They smiled broadly to journalists as they walked quickly through the rain, but failed to respond to questions shouted by reporters about the poll.

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BREAKING: HHS Suspends Funding and Proposes Formal Debarment of EcoHealth Alliance, Cites Evidence from COVID Select Report

WASHINGTON — Today, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accepted the Select Subcommittee’s recommendation to formally debar EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. (EcoHealth). HHS will immediately commence official debarment proceedings and implement a government-wide suspension of U.S. taxpayer funds to EcoHealth — including a hold on all active grants.

“EcoHealth Alliance and Dr. Peter Daszak should never again receive a single penny from the U.S. taxpayer. Only two weeks after the Select Subcommittee released an extensive report detailing EcoHealth’s wrongdoing and recommending the formal debarment of EcoHealth and its president, HHS has begun efforts to cut off all U.S. funding to this corrupt organization. EcoHealth facilitated gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China without proper oversight, willingly violated multiple requirements of its multimillion-dollar National Institutes of Health grant, and apparently made false statements to the NIH. These actions are wholly abhorrent, indefensible, and must be addressed with swift action. EcoHealth’s immediate funding suspension and future debarment is not only a victory for the U.S. taxpayer, but also for American national security and the safety of citizens worldwide .

“ The Select Subcommittee’s investigation into EcoHealth and the origins of COVID-19 is far from over. Dr. Daszak and his team are still required to produce all outstanding documents and answer the Select Subcommittee’s questions, specifically related to Dr. Daszak’s potential dishonesty under oath. We will hold EcoHealth accountable for any waste, fraud, and abuse and are committed to uncovering any illegal activity, including lying to Congress, NIH, or the Inspector General ,” said Chairman Wenstrup .

Read the Select Subcommittee’s report titled “ An Evaluation of the Evidence Surrounding EcoHealth Alliance, Inc.’s Research Activities ” here .

Read today’s letter from HHS to EcoHealth Alliance, Inc. here .

Read HHS’s action referral memorandum here .

Body shaming, IQ insults and cross talk: House committee meeting devolves into chaos amid personal insults

WASHINGTON — Criticism of a member's "fake eyelashes" and another's intelligence. A question about discussing a member's "bleach blond, bad-built butch body."

A House Oversight Committee meeting Thursday night devolved into chaos amid personal attacks and partisan bickering in a rare evening session that was supposed to center on a resolution recommending Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt of Congress.

The already tense hearing was derailed when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., responded to a question from Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, by saying, “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”

Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, immediately moved to strike Greene's words from the record and make her apologize to Crockett.

"That is absolutely unacceptable," Ocasio-Cortez said over cross talk. "How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?"

Greene taunted Ocasio-Cortez, asking, "Are your feelings hurt?"

"Oh, girl? Baby girl," Ocasio-Cortez shot back. "Don't even play."

Greene attacked a second member just minutes after she criticized Crockett, asserting that Ocasio-Cortez did not have "enough intelligence" for a debate.

Greene had asked Ocasio-Cortez, "Why don't you debate me?"

Ocasio-Cortez responded that she thought "it's pretty self-evident."

"You don't have enough intelligence," Greene said as members of Congress audibly groaned at her attack.

Greene agreed to strike her comments toward Crockett but vehemently refused to apologize for the evening's attacks, declaring, “You will never get an apology out of me.”

Amid repeated demands from Democrats to strike Greene’s words from the record and force her to apologize, Comer eventually ruled that Greene’s insult of Crockett did not violate House rules against engaging in “personalities” during debate. When Democratic ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland sought to appeal the ruling, Republicans offered a motion to table, or kill, his appeal.

After the vote, Crockett asked Comer for clarification to understand his ruling about personal attacks on members of Congress.

"I'm just curious, just to better understand your ruling," Crockett said. "If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?"

Chaos erupted again, with a member instructing Crockett to "calm down."

"I have two hearing aids. I'm very deaf," the committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said after cross talk took over. "I'm not understanding — everybody's yelling. I'm doing the best I can."

After Comer agreed to strike Greene’s insult of Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats sought to enforce committee rules that would have prevented Greene from speaking for the rest of the hearing. Republicans voted to allow her to speak.

Comer ultimately called for a short recess amid debate over questions about a rule for members who have had comments struck from the record but wished to speak. Upon return, he reminded members to observe "the House's standard of decorum."

Greene was ultimately recognized to speak for more than four minutes, during which she reiterated that she would not apologize.

"I will not apologize for my words, and I will not change them," she said.

Nearly an hour after the hearing was derailed, the committee got back to debating whether Garland should be held in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur over his handling of classified documents.

Tensions were already running high after a long day, with Republicans peppering Raskin's opening remarks with interruptions.

The meeting had originally been scheduled for 11 a.m., but it was moved to 8 p.m. after several committee members traveled to New York to attend the trial of former President Donald Trump .

The committee voted 24-20 along party lines to recommend holding Garland in contempt following the contentious meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office has not yet said when it would put the contempt resolution before the full House.

Rebecca is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for NBC News, managing coverage of the House.

Megan Lebowitz is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Post Office scandal latest: Long silences as ex-boss Paula Vennells struggles to answer questions; desperate letters from sub-postmasters shown

Paula Vennells began her questioning this morning with an apology, saying she was "very, very sorry". She is one of the most high-profile faces of the scandal, in which hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully convicted. Watch her evidence live below.

Wednesday 22 May 2024 19:19, UK

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• Paula Vennells faced first of three days at inquiry - scroll down for updates as they happened
• What have we learned today?
• Vennells started with apology: 'I'm very, very sorry' | She cries recalling sub-postmaster who took own life
• Royal Mail chief texted Vennells: 'I think you knew'
• Long silences as Vennells struggles with answers
• Former sub-postmasters react: She is putting on 'mega performance'
• Paul Kelso analysis: She is having a very difficult time
• Adele Robinson analysis: Disconnect between her statement and her answers
• The inquiry explained: Who is Vennells? | What is the Post Office scandal?
• Live reporting by Brad Young and Jess Sharp

By Paul Kelso , business correspondent

Paula Vennells arrived at the Post Office Inquiry a former chief executive, a former Church of England lay preacher and an ex-CBE, with only her reputation, and perhaps her liberty, left to defend.

After more than five hours of questioning she has done very little to restore the former, with the latter still very much a live issue.

While she was giving evidence her nemesis Alan Bates was meeting the Metropolitan Police to discuss their ongoing investigation.

The day went horribly for Ms Vennells from the moment she stepped from her car in torrential rain and was met by the sort of media scrum reserved for superstars and the shamed.

Read the rest of Paul's analysis here...

The inquiry heard evidence from the most prominent figure to date: former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells.

Her testimony was being closely watched by wrongly-convicted sub-postmasters, hoping to see the truth told.

Here are the key moments.

Apology: She began with the first of what would be several apologies to sub-postmasters and their families, saying she was "very affected" by their stories.

Alarm was sounded:  Jason Beer KC showed the inquiry letters from multiple sub-postmasters complaining about the Horizon system in 2013, and Ms Vennells admitted there was a not a good enough system to deal with complaints.

Complaints branded 'noise': Ms Vennells says she regrets calling sub-postmaster's complaints "noise" in an email sent in March 2015.

'Bad news is good news': She denied that there was a conspiracy to keep information from her or that other staff hid bad news from her. She added she put in place a campaign called "Bad news is good news" to encourage people to share difficult information.

Royal Mail chief withdraws support : Text messages were displayed showing the former head of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, telling Ms Vennells she could no longer support her, adding: "I think you knew."

Tears: Ms Vennells cried several times throughout the questioning, including when recalling the death of sub-postmaster Martin Griffiths, who took his own life. She apologised for asking for information on his mental health.

Remote access: A witness described Fujitsu's remote access as the "Wild West", said Jason Beer. A review found that "balancing transaction postings" could be made via the Horizon IT system without sub-postmaster approval in 2014.

MP's letter: The inquiry was shown a letter from former Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero which asked Ms Vennells to investigate a sub-postmaster's complaint in 2015.

Select committee strategy: Jason Beer asked Ms Vennells about a purported strategy to hold back information unless she was pushed, and she said she didn't ask for it and wouldn't have gone into the meeting unprepared.

The inquiry is now being shown notes, which told Paula Vennells what she would be allowed to say to the select committee. 

The notes show a list of bullet points which she would be allowed to discuss, and then another section of information she could talk about "if pushed". 

You can see part of the list here: 

Jason Beer KC asks her about the strategy to hold back information unless she was pushed, and she says she didn't ask for it. 

She goes on to explain that she wouldn't have gone into the meeting unprepared. 

"Why would the Post Office adopt a strategy of withholding information unless pushed?" Mr Beer asks her. 

Ms Vennells avoids the question, saying he would have to ask Jane Hill, who was the head of public affairs at the Post Office at the time. 

She insists her understanding was that Horizon did not have the remote access function, and she received the notes at "very short notice". 

"Whatever anybody asks me to do, I would only tell the truth," she adds. 

Turning to 2015 when Paula Vennells was preparing to stand before a select committee, Jason Beer KC shows the inquiry an email sent by her to Post Office executives. 

In the email, which has been sent to Mark Davies and Lesley Sewell, she asks if it's possible for the Horizon IT system to be accessed remotely. 

You can see the email below...

Mr Beer asks her why she "needed" to tell the select committee that remote access was not possible - something she alludes to in her email.  

Ms Vennells says she phrased her email this way, in a bid to "get the truth in a really clear answer". 

Laughs break out in the room as Mr Beer responds: "That's an odd way of going about this, isn't it? Tell me I'm wrong." 

Ms Vennells says she "absolutely believed" remote access was not possible, and she wanted to be able to answer questions from the select committee correctly.

"I'm very sorry. I am giving you the completely truthful answer." she adds. 

After the board briefing, Paula Vennells agrees she had no information on which to conclude whether Fujitsu had used balancing transactions before 2010.

She says she was told: "It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to get the data to look at some of the questions about this because it didn't exist: Either because it had been destroyed because of data retention policies but more likely because it wasn't there any longer."

Mr Beer interrupts: "Do you know what investigation was carried out to find that documentation? Because we've got it. 

"We've got the documentation which shows - one witness described it as the Wild West - the extent to which Fujitsu could inject, amend, transactions, pre-2010, completely, before 2004, unregulated, unaudited, and unauditable."

She replies: "I should have seen those documents. I didn't know they existed."

The inquiry is looking into a Deloitte board briefing for the Post Office on the design of Horizon dated 23 May 2014.

They said their report was limited by the fact that it was not possible to validate how Horizon had been implemented or operated.

The review found that "balancing transaction postings" made via the Horizon IT system did not require sub-postmaster approval.

Ms Vennells says she raised the issue, but found it was incorrect.

"Why were you focusing on remote access, which is what this is about," asks Jason Beer KC.

Paula Vennells says: "Remote access wasn't a new news item, it was a very important item. So to focus on that would have been a sensible thing to do."

Jason Beer KC draws the inquiry's attention to Paula Vennells's witness statement, in particular a section regarding a letter from services firm Ernst & Young, which carried out a management audit.

They identified a risk that unrestricted access to privileged IT functions "increased the risk of unauthorised/inappropriate access which could lead to the processing of unauthorised or erroneous transactions".

Mr Beer says it is implicit in the statement that Fujitsu had remote access to Horizon - meaning individual post office accounting systems could be accessed.

"I don't believe that I understood that degree of detail," she says.

"At the time, I had been promoted to managing director just a few months previously, and this was the first time I had come across an IT audit.

"I accept fully that this is what the document said, how much of that I really understood at the time, I'm not sure."

The inquiry is shown an email sent to Paula Vennells in 2011 by the Royal Mail boss Donald Brydon, which raises questions about the Horizon system. 

The Post Office and Royal Mail used to be part of the same company but split into separate organisations in 2012. 

In the email, Mr Brydon said he was surprised to read an article about a class action by sub-postmasters and asking if there had ever been an independent audit of Horizon. 

Ms Vennells replied, saying the issued had "reared its head before" and she would get a brief circulated to new board members. 

She also reiterated a sentiment we have seen several times already, that all cases that had been taken to court had seen the Post Office's position upheld. 

We now know that this was incorrect, and several sub-postmasters had been acquitted of charges. 

You can see her reply below...

Jason Beer KC questions Ms Vennells about the emails, saying there were "pieces of folklore" that seem to have been circulated around the Post Office, including that it won every court case, there were no issues with Horizon and remote access to the IT system was not possible. 

"How is it that on all of these critical issues, so many false statements were circulating within the Post Office?" he asks. 

Ms Vennells explains that, at the time, they were "not considered to be false statements". 

While she says she "can't recall clearly" where the information came from, she adds: "The only possible source of this statement would have been through the Post Office legal team." 

Our team is working through Paula Vennells's lengthy witness statements to bring you the key lines.

She discusses the case of Martin Griffiths, a sub-postmaster who took his own life after being wrongly accused of stealing £60,000.

Ms Vennells defends her decision to request someone to look into Martin Griffith's background, including his mental health, saying she "wanted to support Mr Griffiths and his family and offer what possible care we could".

"When I received the sad news of Mr Griffiths' passing on 11 October 2013, his family were my first thought," she adds.

"As my email shows, I wanted to offer my personal assistance in any way which would be helpful. I offered to speak to or meet with Mr Griffiths' family," she explains. "This was something I had done in other cases where SPMs or their families had lost loved ones and I offered to do it here if it was something that would help them. "

She cites the "duty of care" she owed to her colleagues at the Post Office, saying she was "aware of the toll that this incident had taken" on Angela van den Bogerd and that she "did not want to put further strain on her when deciding who would undertake which tasks going forward".

"Throughout my involvement, I tried to offer care and support to those involved in this deeply sad event before looking to the needs of the business," she writes.

She explains that she had previously been given information suggesting that there were pre-existing mental health and family issues but that she could not recall who told her this.

She says she now recognises that such "rumours" about Mr Griffith's personal situation were "unhelpful" and apologises to his family.

"I am so sorry, especially to Mr Griffiths' family, because reading this now it seems a very intrusive.

"I was clumsily trying to establish the facts and, although this did need to be done, I should have waited."

Sub-postmasters watching the inquiry from Fenny Compton moan or laugh at a response from Paula Vennells.

She was just shown an email sent to her from sub-postmaster Tim McCormack in October 2015, which said the "farce" could be stopped.

He told her to "wake up and realise that the people you rely on to tell you the truth about what's happening don't have the ability to do so".

Mr McCormack warned her that a judicial review would be inevitable if she did not take action.

At the inquiry, Jason Beer KC asks what action Ms Vennells took after reading the letter.

"I don't recall. Genuinely, I don't recall," she says.

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Will Trump Run as a Felon? A Big 2024 Question Will Soon Be Answered.

The ruling in the trial of the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, which could come next week, could be a deciding factor in a tight race.

• Share full article

By Shane Goldmacher

The witness list is winding down. Closing statements are expected early next week. Then a Manhattan jury will gather in the first criminal trial of a former president to determine whether Donald J. Trump will campaign this fall as a convicted felon.

The political impact of one of the most consequential jury deliberations in the nation’s history is far from predictable.

“Who knows?” said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who has been a longtime Trump critic. “The first casualty of the I’m-right-you’re-evil politics of today is institutional credibility. We’re not in the politics of accepting impartial facts anymore.”

But whether the verdict becomes a political turning point or not, it will be a major moment in the race.

The case is the only one of Mr. Trump’s four indictments expected to come to trial and a conclusion before Election Day, even if the charges of falsifying financial records related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star do not match the gravity of the indictments accusing Mr. Trump of trying to thwart the peaceful transfer of power in 2020.

There is little doubt that Mr. Trump’s base is unlikely to abandon him now. Less clear is how swing voters or some of the traditional Democratic constituencies — younger, Black and Hispanic voters — who have expressed diminished support for Mr. Biden lately, and even flirted with Mr. Trump, would process a guilty verdict.

“We’ve looked at a lot of polling that indicates a good chunk of voters would move away from Trump if he’s convicted,” said Jim Margolis, a veteran Democratic strategist and ad maker. “I hope that turns out to be true. But if past is prologue, I don’t think we count on that happening.”

Mr. Trump’s political playbook ahead of the verdict is so worn as to be predictable.

His experience enduring multiple investigations, civil trials and two impeachments has provided a template for how he will declare victory, in the case of acquittal or a hung jury, over a deep state that was out to get him but failed. It is also the road map for how, if found guilty, he will try to undermine the legitimacy of the prosecution as a partisan sham engineered to undercut his candidacy, a message that he and allies have hammered for months.

In Trumpian shorthand, based on his previous statements, it will be a “total exoneration” if not guilty and “election interference” if convicted.

In a statement, Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, said Mr. Trump’s team would “fight and crush the Biden Trial Hoaxes all across the country.”

The Biden campaign has largely steered clear of speaking directly about the trial, avoiding providing any fodder to the G.O.P. claims, made without evidence, that his administration was behind the New York case. But his political operation, which declined to comment, winked at the trial last week, selling shirts after Mr. Biden proposed debates that read “Free on Wednesdays,” the weekday that the trial is paused.

The Trump campaign, with a flair for the dramatic — and a limited travel schedule, owing to the trial — has scheduled a large rally in the Bronx on Thursday.

Mr. Trump has called some of those who face criminal charges after participating in the Jan. 6 attacks “hostages” and opened some events by playing a recording of defendants singing the national anthem from jail . Last week, the man who broke into the home of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison .

Bradley Beychok, co-founder of the progressive group American Bridge, which last week began what it has promised will be a $140 million anti-Trump ad campaign, said that the verdict, whatever it is, won’t change its advertising strategy.

“Democrats have to be cautious to not take the bait that our job is merely to tell voters how bad, evil and awful Donald Trump is,” he said. “He is all of those things but we have to focus on how does this affect their daily lives.”

Alex Castellanos, a veteran Republican strategist, outlined what he sees as a heads-Trump-wins, tails-Biden-loses situation as the trial comes to a conclusion.

“An acquittal would vindicate him,” he said of Mr. Trump, “and a guilty verdict would martyr him — and hey, that’s how you start religions.”

Mr. Castellanos explained Mr. Trump’s Teflon-like standing as rooted in his promise to upend institutions and institutional norms that many in the country feel have not served them well.

“He can grab women by the p-word, he can say of John McCain ‘I like heroes that haven’t been captured,’ and we all think this is the end of him, that this will hurt him,” Mr. Castellanos said. “What does history tell us? He really can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Because it’s not about him. It is about who he is there to stop. The reason he can eat kryptonite is he was elected to be the hand grenade underneath the establishment’s door.”

Campaigning for the presidency under the cloud of a conviction is without precedent. One of the few prominent cases of a politician being on the ballot soon after a conviction was former Senator Ted Stevens, who lost re-election narrowly only days after he was found guilty on seven felony counts in 2008. The race was so close it was not decided until absentee ballots were counted.

Yet even as this historic trial was underway, fully 36 percent of voters said they were paying little to no attention at all, according to a recent New York Times/Siena College survey of battleground states . And crucial independent voters were even less engaged, with 45 percent saying they were paying little to no attention.

Mr. Margolis, the Democratic strategist, said the lack of television cameras in the courtroom has been the missing ingredient.

“No live TV, no video of Stormy testifying, no cut-aways of Trump sleeping,” he said of the woman, Stormy Daniels, whose sexual encounter with Mr. Trump, which he has denied, is at the center of the hush-money case. “That’s a big reason the trial hasn’t rocked America.”

The Trump campaign has been asking voters in polls what news stories they are following most and the trial has not topped 20 percent, according to a person familiar with the surveys.

Perhaps as a result, a criminal conviction could still come as a jolting surprise. The Times/Siena poll showed only 35 percent of voters in six battlegrounds saw a conviction as very or even somewhat likely.

Voters were split on whether Mr. Trump could get a fair trial in New York along predictable partisan lines, although roughly one in five Democrats thought he could not get a fair trial and about the same share of Republicans thought he could. A slim majority of independents thought he could not get a fair trial.

One political cost of the trial already been incurred for Mr. Trump: He has been confined to New York for four days a week for a month, which is significant when a candidate’s time is often considered a campaign’s most precious resource.

Mr. Murphy, the Republican strategist, said Mr. Trump’s daily courthouse remarks before the cameras — even with fawning supporters arrayed behind him — have undermined the strongman image he seeks to project.

“His brand is strength. What he likes to do is be cocky in front of an adoring crowd,” Mr. Murphy said. Instead, he said, the commentary has made Mr. Trump look more like “an old mangy lion caught in a net.”

“The whole vibe of caged, defeated animal,” he said, “is bad for Trump.”

Shane Goldmacher is a national political correspondent, covering the 2024 campaign and the major developments, trends and forces shaping American politics. He can be reached at [email protected] . More about Shane Goldmacher

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race: News and Analysis

In an interview, Donald Trump suggested he might support letting states place restrictions on birth control , then said amid criticism that he didn’t support restrictions.

Kerry Kennedy, the sister of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has become the face of her family’s effort  to block her brother’s independent candidacy and re-elect President Biden.

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s first campaign manager, who was ousted from that campaign in 2016, has been hired as an adviser for the Republican Party’s nominating convention .

Noncitizen Voting:  House Republicans are pushing legislation to crack down on voting by noncitizens , which happens rarely and is already illegal in federal elections, in an effort to sow doubts about the 2024 results if Trump loses .

May 21 Primaries:  Here are some takeaways  from primary contests in Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky and Oregon, as well as a special election in California  to fill the remainder of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s term.

Georgia’s Changed Landscape:  Biden’s narrow win in Georgia in 2020 was seen as a sign of the state’s emergence as a battleground. This year could be different .

Political Violence:  Public officials from Congress to City Hall are now regularly subjected to threats of violence. It’s changing how they do their jobs .

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Questions: statement questions ( you’re over 18? )

We can use statements (declaratives) to ask yes-no questions. In writing we know they are questions because they have question marks. In speaking we know they are questions because of the context, and often because of their intonation:

Statement questions can be affirmative or negative:

A: So you’re from Lo ↗ ndon? (rising intonation) B: Yeah, that’s right .

A: So you’re not from Lo ↗ ndon? (rising intonation) B: No, I’m from Manchester originally .

The intonation of a statement question depends on its meaning. We use statement questions when we think we know the answer to the question and we want to find out if we’re right. In these cases we can use falling intonation:

A: Right, so today is the 8 ↘ th? B: Yep . ( Yep is an informal way of saying yes .)

We can also use statement questions to express surprise. When we express surprise, we use rising intonation (indicated in the examples below with ↗) :

A: I’ve made a coffee cake . B: That’s a coffe ↗ e cake?

A: Friday is Kyle’s last day at work . B: Kyle’s le ↗ aving?

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an occasion when a driver in a motor race stops in the pits (= area where cars are repaired)

Apples and oranges (Talking about differences, Part 2)

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• 英語–ドイツ語 ドイツ語–英語
• 英語–インドネシア語 インドネシア語–英語
• 英語–イタリア語 イタリア語–英語
• 英語–日本語 日本語–英語
• 英語-ノルウェイ語 ノルウェー語–英語
• 英語–ポーランド語 ポーランド語–英語
• 英語–ポルトガル語 ポルトガル語–英語
• 英語–スペイン語 スペイン語–英語
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus 単語リスト

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