Interrogative sentences
The interrogative sentences are those units of meaning that in principle ask for specific information to the caller. To ask we resort to a special type of statement: interrogative statements. For example: What time is it? o How many siblings did you say you had? In this article we will explain the Interrogative sentences examples.
Otherwise, these types of sentences can be used to make a suggestion or give some advice to the recipient: Shouldn’t you treat your mother better? o Don’t you think you should review more before taking the exam?
Finally, sometimes interrogative sentences are used to pronounce a command:
Why don’t you go help your mother ?
Or
Why don’t you shut up a little bit?
Usage of Interrogative Sentences
Both direct and indirect questions are used when you want to obtain information, the difference is that in the second case the information you want to obtain is specified in a subordinate way to a verb of understanding or speech (such as knowing, understanding, saying, ask, explain, know, advertise, see, etc.) and are generally used when the information is requested from a third party, not from someone who is directly involved in what is being asked.
They are also used as a reflection on one’s actions.
For example, I wonder why I was so naive.
Something that characterizes interrogative sentences is the presence of interrogative pronouns that are written with a diacritical accent, which differentiates them from relative pronouns, typical of relative sentences.
The pronouns, with their declensions in number in certain cases, are:
What
For example: What do you like to do in your free time?
Where
For example: Where did you leave the keys?
When
For example: When will dinner be ready?
How
For example: How does this dress fit me?
Which one
For example: What is your cup?
Who
For example: Who knows this answer?
They usually appear in the interrogative sentence combined with prepositions (for, by, until, in, from, to, etc.), and with it, the value of the question changes.
However, it should be clarified that there is not always a pronoun of this type in the interrogative sentence. Interrogative sentences with Usages and Illustration
For example: Did you go to the meeting yesterday?
Types of interrogative sentences
Direct
They are easily recognized by being enclosed in question marks, which act in place of the period. From the phonic, it is also easy to distinguish them because they have the intonation of the question. For example: Could you tell me your name? o Is it a long way to go?
Indirect
They have an enunciative preposition and a subordinate interrogative. They do not have a question mark (or question intonation) and usually have verbs such as “say”, “ask” or “question”.
For example, I asked him why he didn’t come.
Examples of interrogative sentences
- How much does a kilo of tomatoes cost?
- Do you want to go to the movies with me?
- Where is the museum of fine arts?
- Do you like how this dress fits me?
- Don’t you think you should have apologized for what you did to him?
- Could you close that window?
- Would you mind helping me carry this box to the car?
- How about we go out to dinner tomorrow?
- He asked me why I hadn’t called him for his birthday.
- In what year did Columbus arrive in America?
- What did you think of the play that I recommended?
- How often are you going to visit your grandparents?
- Why didn’t you do the homework they gave you?
- Does it seem right to answer your mother like that?
- How many inhabitants does Denmark have?
