Greetings my dear reader.

Do you know how to correctly form a question to the subject in English? Probably, many of you now do not even understand what is at stake. Therefore, today I will tell you what it is - a question for the subject, how it is formed and even what forms it has at different times. After studying, you can move on to and on this topic.

So what is it?

Question to the subject - one of the in English. And, as you might guess from the name, it will refer specifically to the one who performs the action. The main words used here are « who - who" or « what - what". Let's look at examples:

Who is having a birthday party today? Who's having a birthday party tonight?

As you can see, the action is performed by a person, so we use the pronoun who- who.

Whatis lying on the floor? -What lies on the semi?

Here we are already referring to an inanimate object, so we use the word what- what.

The structure of the proposal looks like this:

Who\What + auxiliary verb + main verb-predicate + object.

Who has(auxiliary)broken(main verb)the window(addition)? - Who broke the window?

How to use at different times?

In general, the structure of sentences does not change with the use of different tenses. But to make it easier for you to remember the basic principle of constructing a sentence, I have a wonderful table for you.

In the present tense, we only change verbs at the appropriate tense. But be careful:

AT present simple we add an ending -s to the verb - and no auxiliary verbs!!!

In the past tense, we also change only the forms of verbs, and by analogy with the present tense

AT past simple remains the verb of the second form.

And finally, formation of proposals in future tense . Everything here is 100% the same.

How to answer such a question?

If you're asking this type of question, don't expect a long answer. Often the subject is the answer. Let's look at the structure of the response:

Subject + auxiliary verb

- Who has(auxiliary) written down the notes? - Who wrote down the notes?

- I have. - I

This principle works almost all the time. And I say "almost" because present simple you have to be very careful.

- Who reads(auxiliary) better: Jane or Kate? - Who draws better: Jane or Kate?

- Jane does. - Jane.

That is in the question we do not use the auxiliary verb, as in all other tenses, but in the answer - on the contrary . The same happens with past simple.

- Who finished(auxiliary) the book? - Who finished the book?

- I did. - I

Let's talk about mistakes

I can say for sure that students often do not have problems with this topic. As soon as they get acquainted with the theory and do a couple of exercises, everything becomes crystal clear. But still there are a couple of the most common mistakes.

• The most common of these is forgetting the correct endings in the present tense.

Who buy buys the fruits in your family? -Who buys fruit in your family?

Who write writes more beautiful: Lily or John? -Who writes more beautiful: Lily or John?

• Another mistake is to use the wrong auxiliary verb when answering (or even not use it at all).

-Who has broken the glass? -Who smashed cup?

- I. I have- I.

From the point of view of Russian speech, nothing may confuse you, but from the point of view of English grammar, it’s still worth using the verb.

You remember that the best way to remember something is to give yourself a thorough practice. on my site will help you quickly master the material. And in order to once again consolidate the ability to competently compose various questions in English, I prepared this one.

And for today I say goodbye. See you again, my dears!

Whose is used both as a pronoun and as a question word. We ask a question beginning with "whose" when we want to know who owns something, is associated with it, or has a direct connection with it.

1. The use of "whose" in questions about the ownership of something by someone:

“I found this pen. Whose is it?" (I found a pen. Whose is it?)
"It's mine. I lost it yesterday." (Mine. I lost it yesterday.)

“I found this bag of books under the desk. Whose could it be? (I found this book bag under the table. Whose bag could it be?)
"It must belong to one of the students." (It must be one of the students.)

"I found these tools in the garage. Whose are they?” (I found these tools in the garage. Whose are they?)
"They're Tom's. I borrowed them from him to repair the windows." (This is Tom. I took them from him yesterday to fix the window.)

"Whose notebooks are these?" (Whose notebooks are these?)
"They belong to the journalist who was here this morning." (They belong to the journalists who were here this morning.)

"Whose dog was run over in the street?" (Whose dog was hit on the street?)
"It was my neighbor's dog. She's very upset." (It was my neighbor's dog. She is very upset.)

"Whose car was stolen from the car park?" (Whose car was stolen from the parking lot?)
"The marketing manager's." (Marketing manager.)

The note: In the first three examples, "whose" was used as a pronoun. In the last three examples, "whose" is the determiner before the noun.

Don't forget to spell this word. It is often confused with "who's", which is a shortened form of "who is".

2. The use of "whose" in questions about the connection or association of someone with something:

"Whose fault was it?" (Whose fault was it?)
"We don't know yet. In fact, the fire could have been accidental." (We don't know yet. In fact, the fire could have started by accident.)

"Whose responsibility is it to lock up the office after the cleaners have gone?" (Who is responsible for closing the office after the cleaners leave?)
"The caretaker should do that." (The watchmen must do this.)

« Whose job is it to send out information to shareholders?” (Who should send information to shareholders?)
"It's the managing director's secretary who does that." (The secretary to the general manager should do this.)

3. You can also use "whose" by itself, especially when replying to someone:

"I know whose car that is." (I know whose car it is.)
Who?(Whose?)
"It belongs to the new designer." (It belongs to a new designer.)

"I've found out whose dog it was that attacked you." (I figured out whose dog attacked you.)
Who?(Whose?)
"It's our new next-door neighbor's." (This is our new neighbor's dog.)

Dialogues

mobile dispute(argument about mobile phones)

Whose mobile rank just now? (Whose cell phone just rang?)
- It was mine. Why? (Mine. What?)
- You're supposed to switch it off in here. (It must be turned off here.)
- Who says? (Who said that?)
- It's a school rule. (This is a school rule.)
- I was told that that's just applied to the classrooms. This is the common room. (I was told that this only applies to classrooms. This is a normal room.)
- Whoever told you that? (Who told you that?)
- I don't remember. In any case, who cares? There are no teachers here. (I don't remember. What's the difference anyway?)
- A lot of the other students will be annoyed if you use it in here. Some of them come here to do some extra studying. (Many students will be annoyed if you use it here. Some come here to study.)
- Well, I come here to relax and read magazines. Whose books are these on this chair? (Well, I come here to relax and read magazines. Whose books are these on the chair?)
- They're mine. I'll just move them. (Mine. I'll put them away now.)
Thanks. By the way, whose job is it to tidy up in here? (Thank you. By the way, who cleans here?)
- The school cleaner cleans it, but we're all responsible for keeping it tidy. Who left those dirty coffee mugs there? (The school cleaner, but we are all responsible for keeping this place clean. Who left the coffee stains here?)
- Who knows? The place was empty when I came in. (Who knows? It was empty when I entered.)

A missing letter(missing letter)

Who's that man in the waiting room, Mrs Smith? I assume he's a parent. (What kind of man is in the waiting room, Mrs. Smith? I'm guessing it's the parent.)
- That's Mr Brown, Mr Jackson. (This is Mr. Brown, Mr. Jackson.)
- Whose father is he? We have several students called Brown. (Whose father is he? We have several students here with the last name Brown.)
- He’s Jack Brown’s father in Year 3. Mr Brown’s here to complain about not receiving a letter he wrote about bullying. (He is Jack Brown's third grade father. Mr. Brown came to complain that you didn't get his bullying letter.)
- To whom did he send the letter? I certainly have never seen such a letter. (To whom did he send this letter? I have never seen such a letter.)
- He said that he addressed it to you, Mr Jackson, but I haven't seen it either. Who opened your mail when I was on holiday last week? I know the temp only worked in the afternoons. (He said he addressed it to you, Mr. Jackson. But I didn't see him either. Who opened your mail while I was on vacation last week?)
- I opened the letter myself and there was none from Mr Brown. Who is said to be bullying whom? (I opened the letters myself and there was none from Mr. Brown. Who bullied whom?)
- Mr Brown says that Jack is being bullied by Tom White and Bill Jones. (Mr. Brown says Jack is being hounded by Tom White and Bill Jones.)
- Well, I won't tolerate bullying in this school. Please ask Mr Brown to come into my office, Mrs Smith. (Well, I don't tolerate bullying at this school. Please ask Mr. Brown to come into my office, Mrs. Smith.)
- Certainly, Mr. Jackson. (Of course, Mr. Jackson.)

Question to the Subject, or Subject Questions, is one of the five types of questions in English grammar. Undoubtedly, its design is the most simple and understandable. To master it, you will have to spend quite a bit of time. Many publications on English grammar do not classify it as a separate type, but attach it to special questions. Despite the fact that the Question to the Subject begins with a special word, its structure differs sharply from the Special Question. Therefore, I still believe that it should be studied as a separate type so that there is no confusion. What is a subject?

What is a Question to the Subject and why is it needed?

Questions to the subject (Subject Questions) in English are questions that are asked in order to obtain additional information. From the name it is clear that the information relates directly to the main member of the sentence - the subject.

Subject Questions in English always begin with the question words "who?" and "what?", which are respectively translated as "who?" and what?". These interrogative pronouns are full members of the sentence. Since the interrogative pronoun replaces the member of the sentence to which the question is asked, in this case it performs the function of the subject.

Subject Questions are the only type of questions in English that do not have inversion. The word order in the question to the subject remains the same as in the declarative sentence. Therefore, the compilation of Subject Questions is not difficult.

It should be emphasized that the question for the definition of the subject is built on the same principle, without changing the order of words in the sentence. The question for determining the subject begins with one of the following interrogative words: "what" - "which", "which" - "which", "whose" - "whose", "how much" / "how many" - "how much", for followed by a noun. An interrogative pronoun followed by a noun also functions as a subject.

Rules of Education Subject Questions

Drawing up a Question to the Subject and its Definition is a momentary matter that absolutely everyone can handle. The subject question begins with who for animate nouns and what for inanimate nouns. The question for the definition of the subject is from the words what, which, whose, how much / how many. The question word is followed by a verb. Thus, in questions to the subject and its definition, the direct word order is preserved, as in a declarative sentence.
How is a Question to the Subject Formed?

The principle of compiling Subject Questions is as follows:

We take a declarative sentence, find the subject, and replace it with the corresponding interrogative pronoun. That's all!

But still there is one small nuance that should not be forgotten. In the present tense, the verb in the question to the subject must be in the form of the 3rd person, singular (i.e., you need to add the ending "-s"). Since we don't know what answer might follow, it is customary to use the 3rd person. In Russian, the situation is similar.

Let's move on to the questions themselves in English, or rather to examples, and you will immediately understand everything.

• She can speak Spanish very well - She can speak Spanish very well
• Instead of the subject "she" we put the pronoun "who". The rest of the sentence is rewritten without changes.
• Who can speak Spanish very well? Who can speak Spanish very well?

• She speaks Spanish very well - She speaks Spanish very well
• Who speaks Spanish very well? Who speaks Spanish very well?

• I am a teacher - I am a teacher
• In order to ask the question "who is the teacher?" we must put the verb "am" in the 3rd person singular (according to the rule) → i.e. we will use the verb "is" in the question.
• Who is a teacher? - Who is the teacher?

• Surely you now remembered the phrase "Who is who?" − Who is who?

• The books are in the classroom — Textbooks in the classroom
• What is in the classroom? - What is in the classroom?

• They speak to her - They speak to her
• In this sentence, to ask a question, you need to add an ending to the verb.
• Who speaks to her? Who is talking to her?

If the verb in the sentence is in the past or future tense, then it does not change. For example:

• They worked hard yesterday - They worked hard yesterday
• Who worked hard yesterday? Who worked hard yesterday?

• We will do it tomorrow - We will do it tomorrow
• Who will do it tomorrow? Who will do it tomorrow?

Now we will give some examples of Questions to the Definition of the Subject. We take a narrative sentence. We find the definition for the subject, and instead use the corresponding word (what, which, whose, how much / how many). The rest of the proposal is left unchanged. Note that the subject is preserved, but the verb is not placed before it.

• My sister is a teacher - My sister is a teacher
• Whose sister is a teacher? Whose sister is the teacher?

• Green pencils are on the table - Green pencils on the table
• What pencils are on the table? − What pencils are on the table?

Answers to Subject Questions

Subject Questions usually require a short answer that consists of a subject and an auxiliary or modal verb.

• Who has eaten all the apples? - Jim has (Who ate all the apples? - Jim)
• What can be done here? - Nothing can (What can be done in this case? - Nothing)
• Who must clean up the office? - Olga must (Who should clean the office? - Olga)
• Who plays the tennis there? - Helen does (Who plays tennis? - Lena)

If the verbs to be and to have are used in their semantic meaning, then the auxiliary verb is not needed.

• What is that? - That is a car (What is it? - This is a car)
• Who has the power? — The Parliament has. (Who has power? - Parliament)

In colloquial speech, in response to a question to the subject, an auxiliary or modal verb may be omitted.

• Who has sang it? - Peter (Who sang this? - Petya)
• What is that? - A car (What is it? - Machine)

Watch video lessons on the topic: “Question to the subject in English”

Good afternoon dear friends!

One of the most important skills in English is the ability to ask questions. It will come in handy in any situation: if you want to meet someone, ask for directions, buy something in a store. Therefore, today I will tell you about a whole separate group - about questions to the subject in English.

From this article you will learn:

Let's understand the terms

First, let's define what a subject is. This is the subject that performs an action. It can be expressed in different parts of speech:

1. Nouns. The cat is sleeping (The cat is sleeping).
2. Own name. Cindy likes oranges (Cindy loves oranges).
3. Pronoun. He is wearing a jacket (He is wearing a jacket).
4. Gerund. Talking on the phone is forbidden here (Talking on the phone is prohibited here).
5. Infinitive. To go jogging in the morning is very healthy (Going for a run in the morning is very healthy).

We need this knowledge when this subject is not known or we want to clarify something about him. For example, someone broke a mug and you want to know. You will angrily say: Who broke the cup?

For this type of sentence, we need only two question words: Who (who), What (what). Remember the last lesson about?

Something is missing

Looking at their scheme, you may notice that the word order is not the same as in the special questions we are used to. Or rather, it is more like a statement. How to ask a question to the subject in English? The rule is simple. Do you want modal verbs?

Here you do not need to memorize auxiliary verbs, as in other questions. They are simply not here. All you need to do is replace the known subject with who or what. For example, Steve has got the keys (Steve has the keys). Steve is the subject. But if it is unknown to you, we get: Who has got the keys? (Who has the keys?). As you can see, only one word has changed. main parts of a sentence in English?

The difference between a subject question and a special question

Let's look at examples of questions to the subject in different grammatical tenses in the table:

	present simple
	wake up early? lie in the corner?	wakes up early? eat chocolate? goes to school? lies in the corner?
	past simple
	called you? went to the cinema?	called you? went to the cinema? It happened?
	Future Simple
	will visit Sam? will wash the dishes? will happen to him?	visit Sam? wash the dishes? happen to him?
	verb to be
	is here?	here? happy? on the table?

How to answer them?

There are two ways to answer: short and full. The first contains only one word - the subject. For example, Who is talking on the phone? (Who's on the phone?) The answer is David. Did you repeat about articles for numerals?

The second contains the subject and auxiliary verb of the tense in which the sentence is built.

We get: David is.
Another example: Who sings this song? (Who sings this song?) Sandra/ Sandra does. By the way, remember pronouns?

Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss anything and get a phrase book in English, German and French as a gift. It has Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

For memorization

Now, so that everything is finally remembered, we will work out the knowledge gained in the exercise. Translate the sentences into English:

1. What's in the bag?
   For example, What is in the bag?
2. Who will call Jim?
3. What happened to the computer?
4. Who turned off the light?
5. Who wants to go to the theater with me?
6. What's in the refrigerator?
7. Who broke the glasses?
8. Who watches football?

That's all. If you are interested in learning something else about the English language, subscribe to the Viva Europe blog.

I was with you, a philologist of the English language, Ekaterina Martynova.
I wish you all a good mood!

Thanks to lessons 8 and 20, you are already familiar with question words and can ask questions in different tenses. Today's lesson is about how to ask questions about the subject.

Question words who and what

Subject - the main member of the sentence, indicating the person or thing that performs the action. When you ask a subject question, the question words Who and What are used. The word order with them remains exactly the same as in the positive sentence. And most importantly, no auxiliary verbs are used. For example:

Sam is talking to Katy. — Who is talking to Katy?

The accident happened yesterday. — What happened yesterday?

He can do it. — Who can do it?

The interrogative words Who and What are used when we ask a question for an object (answers questions of indirect cases). In this case, you will need auxiliary verbs:

Sam is talking to Katy. — Who is Sam talking to?

They bought a new car yesterday. — What did they buy?

He can do it. — What can he do?

Important! Pay attention to the use of prepositions in questions!

The words what and who agree with the verb in the singular, so remember to add the ending "s" to the predicate in the question to the subject, for example:

They speak Spanish. — Who speak s Spanish?

The question words which, whose, how many and how much

The interrogative words which, whose, how many and how much can also form a subject question. In this case, they must be used together with a noun:

The bedroom has two windows. — Which room has two windows?

Tom's dog is playing in the garden. — Whose dog is playing in the garden?

A lot of people live here. — How many people live here?

some money has been paid. — how much money has been paid?

If you use these interrogative words to ask a question for an object, you will need auxiliary verbs:

I will choose Room 7. — Which room will you choose?

Ruth is walking Tom's dog. — Whose dog is Ruth walking?

I asked a few people. — How many people did you ask?

I paid some money. — how much money did you pay?

Tasks for the lesson

Task 1. Ask a subject question using who, what, which, whose, how many, or how much.

1. These flowers look wonderful.
2. So many people call here every day.
3. My brother works in the Zoo.
4. Rachel is coming to see us.
5. Mum's bag is in the car.
6. Red house is the biggest.
7. Miss Morstan will go to Paris.
8. The flight has been delayed.

Task 2. Ask a question to the highlighted word.