Basics. Common Questions.

Common Questions

In English, there are various types of questions that can be formed depending on the purpose and the information required. The following categories provide an overview of common questions and their subtypes.

Simple present and simple past questions

These questions are used to ask about habits, routines, or past events. They typically involve the simple present or simple past tense.

Simple present questions:
- Do they play basketball on weekends?
- How often do you visit your cousins?
- Does she own a car?
- What time does the concert start?
Simple past questions:
- Did they travel to Asia last year?
- What did you eat for lunch?
- What time did the conference end?

"Why + negative" questions

These questions are used to ask about the reasons for a negative situation or action.

Why isn't he attending the event?
Why don't you enjoy this movie?
Why can't I open this window?

Questions with "Who" as the subject

These questions seek information about the subject of a sentence, often involving the pronoun "who".

Who resides in that apartment?
What occurred during the meeting?
What's happening at the mall?
Who's got my umbrella?

Questions with "who" as the object

These questions ask about the object of a sentence, often involving the pronoun "who" as well.

Who did you encounter yesterday?
What did Laura mention about the assignment?
Who are you inviting to the party?
What was James wearing at the ceremony?

Now that you have a better understanding of common questions, why not put your knowledge to the test? Complete the quiz to practice and reinforce your learning.

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Subject

✅ The list of items is wrong. — subject = list (singular), not items
❌ The list of items are wrong. — trapped by nearest noun
✅ Running is good exercise. — gerund as subject
✅ What he said surprised me. — clause as subject

The subject is the noun/pronoun/phrase before the verb that controls its number and person. Finding the true subject — especially through prepositional phrases — is the key to subject-verb agreement.

Rule: strip away prepositional phrases between subject and verb. Whatever's left is the true subject. The list (of items) is wrong.

Predicate

Frank = subject — likes cake = predicate
The tall man in the hat = subject — sat quietly on the bench = predicate
❌ The man on the train with the umbrella. — no predicate = fragment
✅ The man on the train read a book. — predicate added = complete sentence

The predicate = verb + everything that comes with it (objects, complements, modifiers). It's what the subject does or is. Every complete clause needs a subject + predicate.

Test: find the subject (who/what?). Everything else = predicate. If there's no verb-containing predicate, it's a fragment, not a sentence.

Preposition

✅ interested in — ❌ interested on
✅ good at football — ❌ good in football
✅ depend on — ❌ depend of
✅ arrive at the station — ❌ arrive to the station

Prepositions link nouns to the rest of the sentence: time (at 5pm), place (in London), manner (with care), abstract (afraid of). Most are idiomatic — the "correct" preposition must be memorised with each verb/adjective combination.

Rule: there is no universal rule. English prepositions are learned by combination: interested IN, good AT, depend ON, afraid OF. Your native language's equivalent will often mislead.

Pronoun

✅ between you and me — ❌ between you and I (objective case after preposition)
✅ its colour — ❌ it's colour (it's = it is)
✅ She did it herself. — reflexive pronoun
✅ The person who called… — relative pronoun

Pronouns replace nouns: personal (I/me/my), demonstrative (this/that), relative (who/which/that), interrogative (who?/what?), reflexive (myself), indefinite (everyone/nobody). They carry case that nouns have lost.

Trap: pronouns are where English case still matters: I vs me, who vs whom, its vs it's. Get these wrong and it's instantly noticeable.

Noun

The cat sat on the mat. — concrete nouns (things you can touch)
Happiness is important. — abstract noun (idea/quality)
London is beautiful. — proper noun (specific name, capitalised)
I need some information. — uncountable noun (no a/an, no plural)

A noun names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. Nouns determine article choice, verb agreement, and pronoun reference. Types: common/proper, concrete/abstract, countable/uncountable.

Test: can you put the or a before it? Can you make it plural? If yes to either → it's functioning as a noun.

Negation

✅ I don't see anything. — ❌ I don't see nothing. (double negative in standard English)
✅ She never goes out. — never already negates (no doesn't needed)
✅ He doesn't like coffee. — do-support for negation
✅ Nobody came. — negative subject (no auxiliary needed)

Negation uses not after an auxiliary/modal, or do-support when there's no auxiliary. One negative per clause in standard English — never, nobody, nothing already negate without adding not.

Rule: one negative element per clause. I don't see anything or I see nothing — never both together in standard English.

Questions

✅ Do you like coffee? — do-support (no existing auxiliary)
✅ Can she swim? — inversion (auxiliary before subject)
✅ Where does he live? — wh-question
✅ You're coming, aren't you? — tag question

Questions require inversion (auxiliary before subject) or do-support (add do/does/did). Types: yes/no (Do you…?), wh- (What/Where/When…?), negative (Don't you…?), tag (…isn't it?).

Rule: find the auxiliary. Move it before the subject. No auxiliary? Add do/does/did. Never use just intonation in written English (You like coffee? is not standard).

Complement

She is a doctor. — subject complement (describes "she" via linking verb)
We elected her chair. — object complement (describes "her" after transitive verb)
He seems tired. — subject complement (adjective after seem)
They called him a genius. — object complement (noun phrase after call)

A complement completes the meaning of a verb or expression. After linking verbs (be, seem, become) it describes the subject; after certain transitive verbs (call, elect, consider) it describes the object.

Test: remove the suspected complement. If the sentence collapses or changes meaning fundamentally, it's a complement, not a modifier.

Progressive tense

✅ I am working in London. — temporary, happening now
✅ I work in London. — permanent/habitual (simple)
❌ I am knowing the answer. — stative verb, can't be progressive
✅ She was reading when I arrived. — past progressive (in progress at that moment)

The progressive = be + -ing. Marks actions as ongoing, temporary, or in-progress at a reference time. NOT used with stative verbs (know, believe, own, want, like) unless meaning shifts.

Rule: is the action temporary/in-progress right now? → progressive. Is it a permanent fact, habit, or schedule? → simple. Is it a stative verb? → almost never progressive.

Past tense

I walked home. — simple past (completed action)
I was walking when it rained. — past progressive (in progress)
I had already left when she arrived. — past perfect (earlier past)
I had been waiting for an hour. — past perfect progressive (duration up to a past point)

Four past tense forms: simple past (done), past progressive (was happening), past perfect (had already happened), past perfect progressive (had been happening). Each encodes different timing relative to other past events.

Pattern: simple past = the story's main timeline. Past progressive = background action. Past perfect = flashback to something even earlier.

Present tense

I work here. — simple present (habit/permanent)
I am working now. — present progressive (happening right now)
I have lived here for 10 years. — present perfect (started past, still true)
I have been waiting for an hour. — present perfect progressive (duration up to now)

Four present tense forms: simple (habits/facts), progressive (now/temporary), perfect (past → present relevance), perfect progressive (ongoing duration). Each encodes a different relationship between the action and the present moment.

Trap: "I am living here for 10 years" ❌ — started in the past + still true = present PERFECT (have lived/have been living), not progressive.

Auxiliary verb

✅ Do you know? — ❌ Know you? (English requires do-support for questions)
✅ She has finished. — ❌ She finished has. (auxiliary before main verb)
✅ They are leaving. — ❌ They leaving. (progressive needs be)
✅ He doesn't smoke. — ❌ He smokes not. (negation needs do)

Auxiliary verbs (be, have, do, and the modals) combine with main verbs to build questions, negatives, tenses, aspects, and passive voice.

Pattern: if you need to ask a question, negate, or stack tense/aspect — you need an auxiliary. The main verb carries meaning; the auxiliary carries grammar.

Verb

walk → walk / walks / walked / walked / walking (5 forms, regular)
go → go / goes / went / gone / going (5 forms, irregular)
be → am/is/are/was/were/be/being/been (8 forms)
can → can / could (modal: only 2 forms, no -s, no -ing)

A verb is the one word class every English sentence requires. Carries tense (when), aspect (duration), mood (attitude), and voice (active/passive). Regular verbs add -ed; ~200 irregular verbs have unpredictable past forms.

Key insight: fix your verbs and most grammar problems disappear. Wrong tense, wrong agreement, wrong form — verb errors account for the majority of grammatical mistakes.

Simple tense

✅ I go to work every day. — present simple (habit)
✅ She went home yesterday. — past simple (completed action)
✅ I will call you later. — future simple (promise/decision)
✅ Water boils at 100°C. — present simple (general truth)

The simple aspect is the default, unmarked verb form. Present simple = habits, facts, schedules. Past simple = completed actions. Future simple = predictions, promises, decisions. No auxiliary needed (except will for future and do for questions/negatives).

Rule: if the action is a fact, habit, completed event, or scheduled future — and you don't need to emphasise it being in-progress or connected to now → simple tense.

Adjunct

John helped Bill in Central Park. → Remove in Central Park → John helped Bill. ✅ Still works.
She left yesterday. → Remove yesterday → She left. ✅ Still works.
He spoke with confidence. → Remove with confidence → He spoke. ✅ Still works.
They eat slowly. → Remove slowly → They eat. ✅ Still works.

The removable phrases are adjuncts — optional elements that add information about when, where, how, or why, but aren't required by the verb.

Test: delete the phrase. If the sentence stays grammatical, it's an adjunct.

Argument

She slept. ✅ (one argument: subject) — She slept the bed. ❌ (too many)
He kicked the ball. ✅ (two arguments) — He kicked. ❌ (missing required object)
She gave him a book. ✅ (three arguments) — She gave. ❌ (missing two)
She slept yesterday. ✅ (yesterday is optional — not an argument)

An argument is an expression a verb requires to form a complete sentence. Different verbs demand different numbers of arguments — sleep needs only a subject; give needs subject + recipient + thing.

Rule: if removing a phrase makes the sentence incomplete, it's an argument. If removing it leaves the sentence intact, it's an adjunct.

Object

Sam fed the dogs. — direct object (what was fed)
She sent him a present. — indirect object (who received it)
She waited for Lucy. — prepositional object (after preposition)
I gave her a book. — indirect + direct object together

An object is what a verb acts on or directs its action toward. Direct = the thing affected. Indirect = the recipient. Prepositional = after a preposition.

Test: Verb + what/whom? = direct object. Verb + to/for whom? = indirect object. After a preposition? = prepositional object.

English Grammar Basics

She is a teacher. — verb be + noun complement
He runs every day. — present simple, third-person -s
They don't like coffee. — negation with do-support
I have two cats. — possession, countable noun, no article before plurals

These sentences demonstrate English Grammar Basics — the foundational patterns every other topic builds on: parts of speech, basic tenses, articles, and simple sentence structure.

If you can identify the verb, the subject, and count the noun correctly, you've nailed the basics that make everything else click.

A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate

✅ I went to the cinema yesterday. — past simple
✅ I have visited Paris twice. — present perfect (life experience)
✅ If it rains, I'll take an umbrella. — first conditional
✅ You should see a doctor. — modal for advice

These patterns are A2 — the second CEFR level. At A2 you move past survival phrases into real grammar: past tenses, the present perfect, basic conditionals, and modals for advice/obligation.

Marker: if you can describe yesterday and give simple advice, but struggle with abstractions or nuance, you're at A2.

A1 | Elementary | Beginners

✅ My name is Anna. — present simple of be
✅ Where is the station? — basic *wh-*question
✅ I have two brothers. — possession with have
✅ She likes coffee. — third-person -s

These are A1 sentences — the starting level of the CEFR framework. At A1 you can introduce yourself, ask and answer simple personal questions, and handle basic everyday transactions using present tense, be/have/do, and core vocabulary.

If you can say these but freeze at normal speaking speed, you're solidly A1 — and that's exactly where to start.

Easy

She is a teacher. — one verb form, one rule
I have two cats. — basic possession, short sentence
He doesn't like coffee. — simple negation with do-support
Only one answer is clearly correct; distractors are obviously wrong.

Easy marks beginner-level challenges: A1–early A2, one rule at a time, everyday vocabulary, no trick questions.

Use "Easy" when you want to build confidence on a specific rule without interference from other grammar or tricky contexts.