Simple Present Tense

The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Tenses

We use different tenses to describe the time that the verb refers to.

Present simple tense

25 Examples of Simple Present Tense Sentences

1. My father goes to gym every day.
2. She loves to play basketball.
3. She thinks he is very handsome.
4. I run every weekend.
5. We play tennis every morning.
6. Does he write an email?
7. They talk too much.
8. Does he go to school?
9. It usually rains every day here.
10. It smells very delicious in the kitchen.
11. My son lives in London.
12. My sisters do the ironing.
13. They make the bed.
14. My father always washes the cars.
15. My teacher sometimes forgets his keys.
16. I like ice-cream.
17. The students wear their uniform.
18. It smells very delicious in the kitchen.
19. Alex brushes her teeth twice a day.
20. He gets up early every day.
21. They speak English in USA.
22. We generally sing songs all together.
23. We go to a gallery every Sunday.
24. They drive their kids to school every day.
25. We walk slowly.

 

The simple present tense in English is used to describe actions that are repeated, habitual, true, or factual. Despite the name, you can also use simple present for things that are about to happen in the near future. We also use the simple present when describing states of being or feeling, even if they are temporary.

We form the simple present tense by using the base form of the verb, ie, the infinitive without the “to.” In the third person, we add “-s” or “-es” to the base form.

 

Subject	Verb (base form or base form + “-s” or “-es”	Rest of Sentence
I/you/we/they	watch	the basketball game.
he/she/it/Matilda	watches	the basketball game.

 

When to use the Simple Present Tense

Habits and Repeated Actions

If something happens repeatedly, including in the present, use the simple present tense.

• The train for Paris leaves at 5:50 am every day.
• I get up at 6:00 am on weekdays.
• Lucy is happier in the summer.
• They go to church every Sunday.

Facts and Generally True Statements

When something is always or generally true, use the simple present tense.

• Ice melts if you leave it on the table.
• John plays basketball well.
• My grandmother comes from England.
• Rabbits eat vegetables.
• The president of the United States lives in the White House.

The Near future

When something is almost certain to happen soon, you can also use the simple present tense:

• I go to college in the fall.
• My flight leaves at 7:00 pm tomorrow.
• When do you arrive?
• I start work next month.

Describing States

We generally use the present continuous (to be + verb-ing) to express things that are temporarily happening right now, but when we want to describe an internal or abstract state, we use simple present tense.

Stative Verbs

Existence: be, exist

Mental States: believe, doubt, think, know, realize, understand

Likes, Dislikes, Desires: like, hate, love, loathe, need, prefer, want

Possession: have, have got, own, belong

Sense: see, hear, touch, taste, smell, sense, feel

Appearance: look, seem, appear

• You look worried.
• The doctor believes in the power of science to heal.
• We need a better car if we want to take a road trip.
• I don’t understand computer languages.

You can find more information about stative verbs here.

Negative Statements

To make the negative with the simple present tense of “to be,” just add “not” after it:

• I am not happy about this.
• She is not going to the party.
• They are not here right now.

To make the negative with the simple present tense of other verbs, add  “do not” (don’t) or (doesn’t) before the verb:

• They don’t look like they’re going to work.
• The rose bush doesn’t get enough sun.

Question Forms

Questions with “To Be”

To make a yes/no question with the simple present tense of “to be,” put the verb before the subject:

• Are you a doctor?
• Am I wrong about this?
• Is she hungry?

To make an open-ended question with the simple present tense of “to be,” put the verb before the subject, and a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the verb:

• Who makes you breakfast?
• When is your flight?
• Where are you?

Questions with Other Verbs (not “To Be”)

Information Questions about the Subject

To make a question about the subject of a sentence, use a question word as the subject. The form is: question word + verb + rest of sentence:

• ??? people shop at this store. –>
• How many people shop at this store?
• ??? knows the answer. –>
• Who knows the answer?
• ???’s sister goes to school here. –>
• Whose sister goes to school here?

Questions about the Verb or Words after the Verb

To make a yes/no question about the verb or words after the verb, with the simple present tense of other verbs, put “do” or “does” before the subject and verb:

• Do you know the answer?
• Does she play basketball with you?

To make an open question about the verb or words after the verb with the simple present tense of other verbs, put a question word before “do” or “does” and the subject.

• You know the answer because ???.
• How do you know the answer?
• She plays basketball at ???.
• Where does she play basketball with you?
• You eat breakfast at ???.
• When do eat breakfast every day?
• You do ??? after school.
• What do you do after school?

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Exercise : Present Tense

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Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present tense.

Example: I (play) play the guitar.

Example: Jessica (play) plays the guitar.

1) I (be) _______ sixteen years old. 2) Tommy (live) _______ at 107 Pine Lane. 3) Juana (cook) _______ dinner for her family. 4) They (eat) _______ lunch at 12:00. 5) Nina (take) _______ medicine when she is sick. 6) I (like) _______ chocolate. 7) He (drive) _______ a nice car. 8) We (want) _______ to see a movie tonight. 9) Mr. Anderson (teach) _______ chemistry at Hill High School. 10) They (study) _______ English at school. 11) I (want) _______ to go home now. 12) Bill and Calicia (drive) _______ to the mountains every year. every year. 13) We (eat) _______ pasta once a week. 14) It (snow) _______ here in December. 15) When Dax (take) _______ a shower, he (wash) _______ his hair with shampoo.

 

Simple Present (interrogative)

1. Write questions as in the example. 1. You / speak English.   Do you speak English? 2. She / work hard. 3. They / have dinner at eight 4. Jill and Tom / study at university 5. You / do your homework every day 6. John / watch TV after dinner. 7. He / wash the car at the weekend. 8. Her friends / live in London. 9. You / have any brothers or sisters. 10. Your friends / go to the cinema very often. 2. Complete the questions with do or does. 1. …… she take her dog for a walk in the morning? 2. …… your friend Paul work in the shop over there? 3. …… they know the answers to the exam? 4. …… your parents know that you smoke? 5. …… Bill teach maths? 6. Where ……. your sister live? 7. What time …… the lessons finish? 8. …… you go to the coast in summer? 9. …… it rain very often in Ireland? 10. Why …… they ask so many questions in class?

3. Write short answers to these questions (yes, I do / no, I don´t / yes, she does / no, she doesn´t, ….)

1. Do you speak French? …………….

2. Does your mother like chocolate? …………

3. Do you study a lot? …………..

4. Do you usually watch TV at night? …………

5. Do you play a musical instrument? ………..

6. Does your father work? ………….

7. Do you go to the cinema? …………

8. Does your best friend study? …….

9. Does it rain a lot in Africa? ………..

10. Do you live in a flat? ………..

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Answers :

Exercise 1: 2. Does she work hard? 3. Do they have dinner at eight? 4. Do Jill and Tom study at university? 5. Do you do your homework every day? 6. Does John watch TV after dinner? 7. Does he wash the car at the weekend? 8. Do her friends live in London? 9. Do you have any brothers or sisters? 10. Do your friends go to the cinema very often? Exercise 2: 1. Does she take her gog for a walk in the morning? 2. Does your friend Paul work in the shop over there? 3. Do they know the answers to the exam? 4. Do your parents know that you smoke? 5. Does Bill teach maths? 6. Where does your sister live? 7. What time do the lessons finish? 8. Do you go to the coast in summer? 9. Does it rain very often in Ireland? 10. Why do they ask so many questions in class? Exercise 3: 1. Yes, I do / No, I don´t 6. Yes, he does / No, he doesn´t 2. Yes, she does / no, she doesn´t 7. Yes, I do / No, I don´t 3. Yes, I do / No, I don´t 8. Yes, she/he does // No, she/he doesn´t 4. Yes, I do / No, I don´t 9. Yes, it does / No, it doesn´t. 5. Yes, I do / No, I don´t 10. Yes, I do / No, I don´t

 

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Learn English tenses -Past Perfect Continuous Tense

 

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The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Tenses

We use different tenses to describe the time that the verb refers to.

 

Past perfect continuous tense  

The past perfect continuous is formed with had been + –ing form: 

She had been battling against cancer for years before she died.  

The past perfect continuous tense is used most often to express that something started in the past and continued until another event in the past.  It can also be used for reasons and explanations for things in the past.

We form the past perfect continuous tense by using had, then been, then the main verb in present participle form.  

 

Subject	Had	Been	Verb   (present participle)	Rest of Sentence
I/you/we/they/he/she/it/Helen	had	been	driving	for six hours.

When to Use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense

An Action that Started in the Past and Continued until another Event or Time in the Past

Use the past perfect continuous to express that one action began and continued until another event (expressed in the past simple) in the past.

• I had been writing the essay for five hours before I noticed it was an optional assignment.
• The actors had been rehearsing since 8:00 am, and everyone wanted to take a break.
• By the time my boss told me to take a break, I had been working continuously for 17 hours.

Note: Words like “for” and “since” are often used to measure how long an action continued until the interrupting action.

To Give a Reason or Explanation for Something in the Past

• It had been snowing a lot, so driving was dangerous.
• Danielle was sweaty because she had been exercising.
• Justin had been baking cookies and was covered in flour.

Note: As with all continuous tenses, you can’t use stative verbs or the stative versions of mixed verbs. 

Negative Statements

The negative of past perfect continuous is very simple –- just add “not” between the “had” and the “been” before the present participle:

• Louise had not been drinking, so she offered to drive everyone home.
• The dog was sick, and had not been eating.  
• The children had not been playing, but they pretended to play when their mother came into the room.

Question Forms

Information Questions about the Subject

To make a question about the subject of a sentence, use a question word as the subject. the form is: question word + “had” + “been” + main verb (present participle) + rest of sentence:

• ??? had been driving the car when it hit the lamp post. –>
• Who had been driving the car when it hit the lamp post?  
• ??? people had been running in the marathon when the storm hit. –>
• How many people had been running in the marathon when the storm hit?
• ???’s cat had been scratching the chair to shreds until we declawed her. –>
• Whose cat had been scratching the chair to shreds until we declawed her?

Questions about the Verb or Words after the Verb

To make a yes/no question about the verb or words after the verb, put the “had” in front of the subject:

• Had you been listening to the radio to find out about the tornado?
• Had he been sleeping when I called?
• Had Alice been staying with you long?

To make an open-ended question about the verb or words after the verb, put a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the “to be” verb in front of the subject:

• Where had you been listening to the radio?
• How long had he been sleeping when I called?
• Where had Alice been traveling when you met?

 

 

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Past Continuous Tense

The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Tenses

We use different tenses to describe the time that the verb refers to.

Past Continuous Tense

We use the past continuous tense (also known as the past progressive) to talk about actions in the past that lasted for some time.

It is formed by using was/were + present participle.

 

Subject	Simple past tense of   “to be”	Present Participle
I/he/she/it/Maggie	was	talking.
They/we/you/you all	were	talking.

 

Note: Stative Verbs

Some verbs, called “stative” or “non-continuous” verbs, can’t be used in continuous tenses. Others can be used in continuous tenses, but their meaning changes. Make sure you understand the difference between stative and non-stative verbs while using past continuous and all continuous tenses. You can find more information here.

When to use the Past Continuous Tense

An Interrupted Continuous Action

When one activity in the past is interrupted by another activity, we use past continuous for the original activity and past simple for the interrupting activity.

• I was cooking when you called.
• John was watching television when the power went off.
• I was doing my homework when I realized I was doing the wrong assignment.
• You weren’t listening when I told you I had plans tonight.

A Specific Time as an Interruption

You can also use the past continuous when the “interruption” is a specific time. In this case, the original action started before the specific time, and continues after it.

• I was still working at 8:00 pm last night.
• Elaine was living in Paris this time last year.

Note: If you use the simple past with a specific time, it means that the action started at that time. If you use past continuous, the action is continuing during the specific time.

• I ate breakfast at 8:00 am. (Meaning: I started eating breakfast at 8:00 am.)
• I was eating breakfast at 8:00 am. (Meaning: At 8:00 am, I was already eating breakfast, and I continued eating it.)  

Setting the Background or Atmosphere

In narratives, the past continuous tense often sets the scene or the mood for further events, which happen in the simple past. 

• When I walked into the daycare, children were running around the hallways and jumping from desk to desk. One little girl was cutting a boy’s hair, and several children were crying loudly while eating birthday cake with their hands. I knew I didn’t want to work there.  
• Rain clouds were gathering in the sky, and thunder was rumbling to the East. The storm would be here soon, so I closed all the windows.

Two Actions Happening at the Same Time

You can use past continuous to talk about two ongoing actions happening simultaneously.

• He was washing dishes and I was drying them.
• The kids were playing in the yard while the adults were talking on the front porch.

Annoying or Repeated Actions in the Past, often with “Always”

To emphasize the repetitiveness of an action (and how the repetitiveness annoys you), use the past continuous tense with an adverb of frequency, usually “always.”

• Mark was always complaining that he didn’t have a girlfriend.
• The little girl was always losing her mittens until her mother sewed them onto the sleeves of her jacket.

Negative Statements

The negative of past continuous is very simple –- just add “not” between the “to be” verb and the present participle:

• Amanda wasn’t driving that night.
• The kids were not lying when they said they saw a dog on rollerskates.
• You weren’t drinking last night, were you?

Question Forms

Information Questions about the Subject:

To make a question about the subject of a sentence, use a question word as the subject. the form is: question word + “was/were” + main verb (present participle) + rest of sentence:

• ??? was riding a horse. –>
• Who was riding a horse?  
• ??? people were playing football. –>
• How many people were playing football?
• ???’s child was eating carrot sticks. –>
• Whose child was eating carrot sticks?

Questions about the Verb or Words after the Verb

To make a yes/no question about the verb or words after the verb, put the “to be” verb in front of the subject:

• Were you listening?
• Was he talking?
• Was Andy playing basketball?

To make an open-ended question about the verb or words after the verb, put a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the “to be” verb in front of the subject:

• What were you listening to?
• Who was he talking to?
• Where was Andy playing basketball?

 

 

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Past Perfect Tense  

Learn English tenses -Past Perfect Tense

 

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The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Tenses

We use different tenses to describe the time that the verb refers to.

 

Past perfect tense  

The past perfect tense is formed with had + past participle. 

The past perfect tense is used most often to emphasize that one event happened before another event, and to show the relationship between them.   

We form the past perfect tense by using had, followed by the main verb in past participle form.  

 

Subject	Had	Verb   (past participle)	Rest of Sentence
I/you/we/they/he/she/it/Daniel	had	eaten	breakfast already.

When to Use the Past Perfect Tense

A Completed Action before Another Event/Time in the Past

Use the past perfect to express that one event began and ended before another event (expressed in the past simple) in the past. It usually indicates a relationship between these two events. It can also express that something happened before a specific time in the past.

• I had already been awake for an hour when the alarm clock went off.
• By the time Oliver showed up for Thanksgiving dinner, most of his family had finished dessert.
• Hector had studied Japanese for six years before he moved to Tokyo.

Note: Sometimes you hear that “Past perfect is used when one past event happens before another past event,” but this isn’t always true. When telling a story or giving details of a past event, it’s quite common to use only simple past if the sequence of events is clear from the context. See “The Simple Past” for more details.

To Give a Reason or Explanation for Something in the Past

• The librarian scowled at Ingrid because she had not paid her late fees.
• Olivia had forgotten to buy screws at the hardware store, so she couldn’t build the shelves for her bedroom.
• Ava went to the dance with Jimmy because he had asked her first.

With Stative Verbs, to Talk about Duration up to an Event in the Past.

Stative verbs are verbs relating to internal states that aren’t used in continuous forms. Some common ones are be, exist, love, want, prefer, believe, and see, but there are many others. You can read more about stative verbs here.

You can use the past perfect with stative verbs to talk about states that started in the past and continued until another past event, described by the simple past:

• Noah had been in school for six years when he graduated.
• Sarah had always believed her marriage was perfect until her husband told her he was having an affair.
• I had never wanted to own a dog, but when my roommate brought home a pug, I changed my mind.

To Talk About “Possibilities that Never Were” with the Third Conditional

The Third Conditional Tense is used to talk about past situations that might have been different if there had been different conditions. We use the past perfect tenses to talk about the these theoretical conditions, and present perfect tenses with a modal verb to describe the result that might have occurred.

• If I had studied harder in school, I might have become a doctor.
• If we had decided to go to Spain, we would have missed my sister’s wedding.
• If you hadn’t missed your flight, we would never have met each other.

Important Note: Specific Times with the Past Perfect.

Unlike the present perfect, you CAN use specific times with the past perfect:

• Melanie had won several karate competitions in high school before she switched to Judo in college.
• Joseph had studied computer science in 1981, before the Internet became popular.

Moreover, if the past perfect actions occurred at a specific time and words like “before,” “and then,” “later,” or “after” make it clear what action happened first, you can use simple past, too, and the meaning is the same:

• Melanie won several karate competitions in high school before she switched to Judo in college.
• Joseph studied computer science in 1981, before the Internet became popular.

However, if the action of the past perfect verb did not occur at a specific time, the past perfect is necessary.

• Incorrect: I never played chess before you showed me how.
• Correct:  I had never played chess before you showed me how.
• Incorrect: The play already started when we arrived at the theatre.
• Correct:  The play had already started when we arrived at the theatre.

Negative Statements

The negative of past continuous is very simple –- just add “not” between the “had” and the past participle:

• Zach had not driven the car before last night.
• I had not been in Seattle long when the rain started to drive me crazy.
• Paul had not needed an alarm clock until he got a job that started at 5:00 am.

Question Forms – Past Perfect Tense

Information Questions about the Subject:

To make a question about the subject of a sentence, use a question word as the subject. the form is: question word + “had” + main verb (past participle participle) + rest of sentence:

• ??? had known this already. –>
• Who had known this already?  
• ??? people had been trapped until the firemen came.–>
• How many people had been trapped until the firemen came?
• ???’s child had eaten all the birthday cake before the guests arrived.–>
• Whose child had eaten all the birthday cake before the guests arrived?

Questions about the Verb or Words after the Verb:

To make a yes/no question about the verb or words after the verb, put the “had” in front of the subject:

• Had you ever met her before that night?
• Had he always loved to solve puzzles?
• Had Grace baked the cake in time for the surprise party?

To make an open-ended question about the verb or words after the verb, put a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the “to be” verb in front of the subject:

• When had you ever met before that night?
• Why had he always loved to solve puzzles?
• How had Grace baked the cake in time for the surprise party?

 

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Simple Past Tense

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The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• • Structure: How do we make the tense?

• • Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Tenses

We use different tenses to describe the time that the verb refers to.

 

Past simple tense

Have you ever wanted to describe a past situation in English and didn’t know how to do it? The past simple is one of the most used verb tenses in English along with the present simple and present continuous, so it’s important to understand how to use it. Once you know the past simple it’s much easier to have a conversation and communicate clearly to the person you’re talking to.

We use simple past when we talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past. Usually, we make the simple past by adding -ed to a base verb. However, many common verbs are irregular, so they change in different ways.

When to Use the Simple Past Tense

A Completed Action in the Past

If you want to talk about an action that was started and completed at a specific time in the past, use the simple past tense. Even if you don’t mention when the action was completed, you have a specific time in mind; otherwise, you would use the present perfect tense.

• Julie wished that she had a million dollars.
• I graded essays all afternoon.
• You finished dinner already, right?

Multiple Past Actions in a List

When multiple actions were started and completed at specific times in the past, also use simple past tense. Although some events necessarily happen before other events, you don’t need to use the past perfect tense unless you really want to emphasize the fact that something happened before something else, or the sequence is unclear.

• John woke up at 6:00, jogged for an hour, and ate breakfast.
• I washed the lettuce, chopped it, and added it to the salad.

Narrative

Simple Past is the tense most often used in fiction and when telling a story. Although it’s common to use the past perfect tenses to talk about something that happened before the main events in the story, the main events and the details surrounding them will be in the simple past (or past continuous).  

• Allen found a table at the cafe and ordered a tall coffee. It was already after midnight, but he was feeling too excited to sleep and didn’t want to try. Just that morning, he had been heartbroken and depressed. But that afternoon, he had met Mona. He pulled out some books and tried to study, but his mind kept drifting away.

The Details of News and Events

When reporting precise details of news and events, use the simple past tense. You can use the present perfect tense when talking about an experience you’ve had:

• I’ve been to Quebec.

But you would never use the present perfect tense to add details:

• I’ve been to Quebec with my French class in high school.

Instead, use the simple past tense:

• I went to Quebec with my French class in high school. The bus ride took 18 hours. We all stayed with different Quebecois families, and met up every day to tour the city. Most of us were surprised that we could communicate with the locals after just two years of classes.

Past Habits, Generalizations, and Facts

When something was a habit, happened many times, or was a generalization that was formerly true, use simple past tense. This is similar in meaning to sentences with “used to.”

• I studied Spanish in high school.
• Jane was shy when she was a child, but she isn’t anymore.
• Einstein invented the theory of relativity.
• Margaret walked home from school every day.
• We played checkers every night last summer.

Duration in the Past

You can use simple past to talk about things that happened for a long time, as long as they started and ended at specific times in the past.

• East Germany was part of the USSR until the Berlin Wall came down.
• We lived in Japan for two years.

Negative Statements

To make the negative with the simple past tense of “to be”, just add “not” after it.

• I was not happy about the decision.
• You were not at home.
• Amanda was not able to pick you up from the airport.

To make the negative with the simple past tense of all other verbs, add “did not” (didn’t) before the base verb. There are no irregular verbs in the negative.

• She didn’t walk to work today.
• We didn’t know the answer to the question.
• The children didn’t play outside because it was raining.

Question Forms

Questions with “To Be”

To make a yes/no question with “to be” in the simple past, put the verb before the subject:

• Were you upset?
• Was I wrong?
• Were you going?

To make an open-ended question, put a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the “was/were” and subject:

• Why were you upset?
• Why was I wrong?
• Where were you going?

Questions with Other Verbs (not “To Be”)

Information Questions about the Subject:

To make a question about the subject of a sentence, use a question word as the subject. The form is: question word + verb + rest of sentence:

• ??? baked the cakes. –>
• Who baked the cakes?
• ??? people ordered flowers today. –>
• How many people ordered flowers today?
• ???’s dog ran away. –>
• Whose dog ran away?

Questions about the Verb or Words after the Verb:

To make a yes/no question about the verb or words after the verb with any other verb, put “did + subject + base form of the verb.”

• Did the children eat already?
• Did you find your keys?
• Did Sarah fail her test?

To make an open-ended question about the verb or words after the verb with the simple past tense, put a question word (who, what, where, when, why, how) before the “did” and subject:

• What did the children eat?
• Where did you find your keys?
• Why did Sarah fail her test?

 

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