The Communicative Grammar of English Workbook - Edward Woods, Rudy Coppieters 2002
13.1. Questions and answers 1
Unit thirteen. Information, reality and belief
Sections 240-242; 536-541; 609-612; 681-683
Questions are sentences by which someone asks the hearer to give information. The most natural response to a question is an answer, giving the information needed. The commonest types of questions are:
• yes-no questions: — limited to only one of two answers (’yes’ or ’no’)
- subject-operator inversion and usually rising intonation
• wh-questions: — unlimited number of answers
- initial wh-word, subject-operator inversion (except when the wh-word is subject) and usually falling intonation
• alternative
- limited to one of two or more alternatives questions:
- similar in form to yes-no or wh-questions.
Wh-questions are introduced by
- interrogative determiners/pronouns (personal only): who(m) and whose
- interrogative determiners/pronouns (personal and non-personal): what (indefinite reference) and which (definite reference)
- interrogative adverbs: where, when, why, how.
Task one *
Turn the following statements into corresponding yes-no questions.
1. They are going to build a new bridge across the river.
2. Motorists can park in the town square on Sundays.
3. Arthur has lived in South Africa all his life.
4. Two gunmen were killed by the security forces yesterday.
5. Inflation will start rising again in the next few months.
6. Charlotte caught pneumonia last winter.
7. Skin-diving is Uncle Toby’s favourite pastime.
8. Patients had been waiting for hours before seeing a doctor.
9. These measures should have been taken years ago.
10. The postman always rings twice.
11. Susan was disappointed after the job interview.
12. The principal has a fourteen-year-old daughter.
Task two **
Complete the following questions, adding the most appropriate wh-word.
1. ... was the first man to walk on the moon?
2. ... form of English do you like best: British, American or Australian?
3. ... criminals should serve life sentences?
4. ... did the CIA suspect of terrorism?
5. ... is your cousin, a fashion model?
6. ... of you are going to take early retirement?
7. ... caused the hurricane to change course all of a sudden?
8. ... motorbike did you borrow, your dad’s?
9. ... were you talking to in that dark corner of the library?
10. ... leg hurts most, Mr Sillitoe?
11. ... on earth are people prepared to risk their lives climbing Mount Everest?
12. ... can you possibly expect me to forgive you?
13. ... is the most wanted man in the world hiding?
14. ... will humans visit the planet Mars?
15. ... often have you been abroad?
Task three **
Respond to the following questions in an appropriate way. Where possible, give both a complete and a shortened answer.
Examples: Q: “Are you going on holiday this summer?”
→ A1: “Yes, we ’re going to the Maldives. ” / “No, we ’re staying at home.”
→ A2: “Yes, we are. ” / “No, we ’re not. ”
Q: “Where did you buy those magazines?”
→ A: “(I bought them) at the newsagent’s. ”
1. Will Mr Walker try to get in touch with one of our senior staff?
2. What time do you think the first election result will be declared?
3. Shall we buy a new car or a mobile home?
4. Which of the four candidates is most suitable for the job?
5. Did the police catch one of those burglars?
6. What are we going to do now? Sell the house, get rid of the jewellery, or cancel the cruise?
7. How many of these novels do we have to read in fact?
8. Have all the necessary precautions been taken to prevent this from happening again?
9. Did they teach you how to pronounce the word “thoroughly”?
10. Why do so many people eat junk food?
11. Which would you prefer: a flat in a tower block or a house in the country?
12. Who wrote Moby Dick?
Task four ***
Turn the statements in the following text into questions, replacing the underlined parts by corresponding wh-words.
Example: The burglar got into the warehouse by smashing a window.
→ wh-Q1: Who got into the warehouse (by smashing a window)?
→ wh-Q2: How did the burglar get into the warehouse? / How did he get in?
Congo Volcano: The facts
Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of Africa’s most active volcanoes. In all, there are eight volcanoes along the borders of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda. Nyiragongo was last active in 1994, when a lava lake reappeared in its summit crater.
The latest eruption is more serious. Lava from Nyiragongo can travel at 60 kilometres per hour and some of it might reach a nearby lake and do further damage.
Bill Evans of the US Geological Survey said lava could react with gas in the lake, with catastrophic consequences. The gas is composed of carbon dioxide and methane and could suffocate local people living around the lake.
Both Nyiragongo and another active volcano are located in the Virunga mountain range, which straddles the Rwandan border. The pair are responsible for nearly two-fifths of Africa’s historical eruptions.
(adapted from www.news.bbc.co.uk, 18 January 2002)
Task five ***
Add the missing questions (neutral yes-no or wh-) addressed to Pat by the recruitment officer in the following job interview.
R.O.:
Pat: Patricia Lonsdale.
R.O.:
Pat: In Cape Town, South Africa, on the 23rd of March 1980.
R.O.:
Pat: No, we moved to Durban when I was three.
R.O.:
Pat: Yes, I went to local schools until the age of 18.
R.O.:
Pat: No, my parents sent me to Britain.
R.O.:
Pat: Because they thought the tuition system at British universities would suit me better.
R.O.:
Pat: Manchester. I got a BA in accounting and finance there.
R.O.
Pat: Oh, yes, I also studied two foreign languages, Spanish and Russian. After my BA, that is.
R.O.:
Pat: Well, by taking odd jobs, serving food in restaurants, teaching English to foreigners, etc.
R.O.:
Pat: Yes, I would really like to be employed full-time.
R.O.:
Pat: Something in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 pounds a month.
R.O.
Pat: Yes, I’ve got two references here, but these were both part-time jobs.
R.O.: Thank you. Well, that will do for the time being. You will be hearing from us soon.