Asking well

A question has a tune. The same words, said with a different tune, can ask something different. The rise and fall of your voice is called intonation.

Two patterns:

• a yes/no question rises at the end: 'Are you coming home?' ↗ The rise invites a yes or no.
• a wh- question falls at the end: 'When will you come home?' ↘ The question word at the front has already done the asking.

Practise in pairs:

• 'Is this your cat?' ↗ / 'What is the name of your cat?' ↘
• 'Is this where you live?' ↗ / 'Where do you live?' ↘

Get it backwards and you sound odd. A falling yes/no question can sound like an order; a rising wh- question can sound doubtful or impatient.

The question words and what each asks for:

• What → a thing;
• Why → a reason;
• When → a time;
• How → the way something is done;
• Where → a place;
• Who → a person.

Word order matters. In a question, the verb comes before the subject:

• ✓ 'Who is the cleverest character in the story?'
• ✗ 'Who the cleverest character is in the story?'

Try it. Planning a trip uses all six: Where are we going? Why are we going? How will we travel? When will we leave? Who is coming? What shall we do there? Say each one with a falling tune.