Base Sentences
A useful strategy for teaching question formation to ELLs is to provide students with a visual formula. Once they write the question, they can verify if the elements in their question coincide with the order of the elements in the formula.
There are 3 basic formulas which apply to all questions types:
- Who/What/Where/When/Why Questions (the “Wh” Questions),
- Yes/No Questions,
- Questions with Who & What functioning as subjects.
*The parenthesis ( ) in the complement or elements to complete means that those elements do not necessarily have to be present in the question.
Who/What Questions
Who/What question patterns asks for the subject of the sentence using the question words who or what.
*Questions with the Verb to BE
The verb to be (am, are, is, was, were) can be a source of confusion for ELLs and can be practiced using the following formula:
