What you learned
An asking sentence asks for an answer. Older students call it a question.
It starts with a capital letter and ends with a question mark.
Two ways to build one
| Way | Example |
|---|---|
| Start with a question word. | Where are my boots? |
| Move a word like is or can or did to the front. | Can you swim? |
Both are real questions. The second kind is the one people forget.
Three things to keep straight
| What people think | What is true |
|---|---|
| Every question starts with a question word. | Many do not. “Is the soup hot?” has none. |
| A sentence with the word where is a question. | Not always. “I know where my boots are.” tells something. |
| A question mark goes after the period. | It takes the place of the period. One mark only. |
The one question that decides the mark
Does this sentence want an answer? Yes means a question mark. No means a period.
Quick warm-up before the check
Add the right end mark.
- “Are you cold”
- “The door is open”
- “Who took my pencil”
Answers
- “Are you cold?”
- “The door is open.”
- “Who took my pencil?”
Now take the final check below.
Where to go next
- Exclamations and Exclamation Points: sentences that show strong feeling
- Capital Letters and End Marks: choosing among all three end marks
- Word Order in Sentences: more on how moving words changes a sentence
- Using I and Me: the words you will need for asking about yourself