Learn English with Mr Duncan - Lesson Five / How to ask a question

In everyday speech, there will be moments when you need information.

You will need to ask a question.

The action of asking something is common

when a person needs or requires information fast.

A direct question can be a request or an inquiry.

A request is often made in the form of a question.

“May I open a window?”

“Can I borrow your pen?”

“Is it possible to see you tomorrow?”

All those questions are requests.

One person is asking another for a direct answer

to a request.

A question can be in the form

of asking for information.

A direct form of question is described as interrogative.

For example; asking for a reason why a person did something.

When asking someone where they were at a certain time is interrogative.

“Where were you last night?”

“What have you done with my money?”

“Where did you hide the treasure?”

To demand an answer is to ask an interrogative question.

Any sentence Using ‘What’,

‘Why’, ‘How’, ‘Who’, ‘When’...

‘Where’, can be described as interrogative.

This is very different from a request,

which is seen as non interrogative.

You might say that a request is a polite way of demanding something.

‘May I?’

‘Could you?’ ‘Will you?’

‘Can I?’

‘Is it okay if...?’

Of course,

any question needs an answer.

But sometimes the answer does not come straight away.

You might have to wait for a reply.

The answer is... ‘reply’

‘respond’ (the response) ‘retort’...

Act in response. (To reply)

The person being asked will give their reply.

The words reply and answer can

be used as given or received.

You ask...

I reply.

I reply to your question.

You receive my reply.

The person asking will wait for a reply.

There might be a time

when a question is put forward without needing a response or reply.

This is a rhetorical question.

Something said in the form of a question,

but not requiring an answer is rhetorical.

“Could this day get any worse?”

“Why do bad things always happen to me?”

“Where did my life go wrong?”

“Was my performance really that bad?”

“Where do I go from here?”

The rhetorical statement is normally used

when a moment of annoyance or frustration takes place.

You ask a question, sometimes to yourself.

There is no need for an answer.

It is a rhetorical question.

Before asking a question,

you might say, ‘Can I ask you something?’

Which itself is a request.

Sometimes more than one answer is required or needed.

You might need more information in the answer.

You might need to ask another question.

This is often described as a follow-up question.

A question can be described as a query.

A general question about something is a query.

One problem with asking a question is waiting for the reply.

You might not get the response that you wanted.

The reply might be negative.

“Will you marry me?”

“How well did I do?”

“Have I got the job?”

“Do you still love me?”

So the next time you ask a question,

remember to be ready for the response.

For it might not be the answer...

you were hoping for.