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3. Types of Question
Since questions can be various in forms, according to Quirk and Greenbaum 1973: 191-192, there is a need to classify them according to the type of answer
which is expected. 1.
Questions expecting only affirmation or rejection, or called yes-no questions.
2. Questions expecting information, called wh- questions.
3. Questions that expect as the reply one of two or more options presented in
the questions. This form of questions is called alternative question. In this study, the writer focuses on the formation of yes-no questions and
wh- questions. Thus, it is also needed to know more about the types and the
functions of both yes-no questions and wh- questions in order to be able to analyze the errors that the participants make.
a. The Types and Functions of
Yes-no Question
Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman 1999: 206-209 write the types of yes- no
question: 1 with an auxiliary verb Will they be in Reno on Friday?, 2 with the be copula Was Pamela a graduate student at the time?, and 3 with other
verbs Does Arlene play the organ on Sunday?. The function of yes-no questions can be various. According to Celce-Murcia
and Larsen-Freeman 1999: 218-219, its primary function is to ask for new information or to clarify or confirm shared information. Moreover, yes-no
questions, particularly those using modals, can also be used in requests for assistance Can I get a ride home with you?, in making offers or invitations
19 Would you like to sit for a while?, as commands Would you please stand up
straight? , as reprimands Aren’t you a little old to be doing that?, and as
complaints Have you ever stayed home all day with a two-year-old?. Yes-no questions also have many other functions depending on the context and the
speaker’s intention.
b. The Types and Functions of
Wh- Question
In general, the function of wh- questions is to expect a reply supplying an item of information Quirk and Greenbaum, 1973: 192. They can also be used to
ask for the identification of the subject, object, complement or an adverbial of a sentence. Azar 1989: A10-A11 gives more detailed functions and types of wh-
questions. 1.
When is used to ask a question about time e.g. When will you come?.
2. Where
is used to ask a question about place e.g. Where do you live?. 3.
Why is used to ask a question about reason e.g. Why are you crying?.
4. How
is used to ask a question about manner e.g. How does he drive?. 5.
Who is used as the subject e.g. Who came to visit you? or the object
of a verb or preposition e.g. Who did you see? in a question which refers to people.
6. Whom
is used as the object of a verb or preposition e.g. Whom should I talk to?
. 7.
Whose is used to ask a question about possession e.g. Whose car is
it? .
20 8.
What is used as the subject e.g. What made you angry? or the object
e.g. What do you need? in a question which refers to things. 9.
Which is used when a question concerns choosing from a definite,
known quantity or group e.g. Which pen do you want?.
4. The Formation of Questions
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