Asking questions: mastering subject and object questions

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60 min

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1

Think about these questions before watching. Share your ideas with a partner.

When you meet someone for the first time, what are some of the first questions you usually ask to get to know them?
Think about a time you were lost in a new city. Who did you ask for help, and what questions did you ask to find your way?
What makes a question easy or difficult to answer? Think about questions you like to be asked and questions you don't like to be asked.

2

Watch the video carefully. Pay attention to the main ideas and key details.

Video script103 segments · click a timestamp to jump

Welcome back everybody. This is Mark

again and I'm here to tell you about

some different kinds of questions in

English. If you've watched our other

videos, we've talked about the structure

of questions, how to make questions in

English.

Uh Matt just did a video recently about

questions using be verbs. I've done a

video about using do and does to make

questions.

But today I want to show you two

different kinds of questions we often

see when we're using English. So I'm

just going to start, give you a nice

simple sentence right here.

Mark teaches English.

Right?

Again, my name is Mark. I teach English.

And for a basic a basic English

sentence, right? We have three pieces,

right? Very simple. We have our subject,

we have our verb, and we have our

object.

Right? Subject, Mark. The action, teach.

And then what do I teach? Verb, teaches

what? Teaches

English.

So now, if I have this sentence, what if

the subject disappears?

What if I have this information? I have

the verb information and the object

information, teaches English,

but I don't know the subject.

For this, we can make what's called a

subject question.

And this is actually quite simple. We

keep the verb, keep the object, verb,

object, and we just use a question word.

Like who? Because Mark Mark I am a

person.

I'm a person, so we have to use

who, right?

We use who for people.

So easy. Mark teaches English. Don't

know? Who teaches English? Oh, who

teaches English? Mark teaches English. I

have learned

the important missing information. Now I

know the subject. Subject question.

But how about if I know Mark? Mark's

okay. I know the action, teaches okay,

but I don't know the object. Mark

teaches hm?

I don't know. Right? Mark teaches. So if

I want to know the object, we use an

object question or a non-subject

question, right? For this, we have to

use one of these special words.

Right? If it's If it's English, English

person? No. English is a thing or an

idea. So we do what does Mark teach?

I'll use the what

the question word about English.

Teaches what? What What does Mark teach?

If you see this does, you're like, "What

is this?" This is one of our grammar

words that we use when we make

questions. It's called an auxiliary

verb.

You'll see these very, very often

because Mark Mark, I'm a I'm a he.

Right? I'm a he. Mark, what does Mark

teach? So because Mark, person, I would

use the he, right? Does with he. Also

woman, right? We could say does she. It,

right? An it, animal or I don't know.

It, we also use does it. Okay? If you

have I, you, we, they, if I wanted to

change, I ask you, right? What do you?

Right? If I said that, what do you

study?

Same idea.

I know you, I know the subject, I know

the action, study. I want to know

the object, right? You study hm? You

study what? What do you study?

So, so now, yeah, that's the basic

overview for you guys.

Again, like most of our videos, if you

liked this, please comment below.

You can think about any sentence, right?

You could say

uh I am from Japan. Who's from Who is

from Japan?

From Japan, right? I'm from Japan. Who

is from Japan? Right? You can try to

make some different questions using

these patterns, okay?

Again, so that's it. I'll see you guys

next video. Hope you have a wonderful

week, and until then, keep speaking

English.

3

Answer these questions in your own words. Support your answers with evidence from the video.

01According to Mark, what information is missing when you need to ask a subject question?

Sample answerYou need to ask a subject question when you don't know the person or thing that is doing the action in a sentence.

02What is the main structural difference Mark shows between making a subject question and an object question?

Sample answerFor a subject question, you just replace the subject with a question word. For an object question, you also need to add a special grammar word, an auxiliary verb like 'do' or 'does'.

03Why does Mark use the word 'does' for the question about himself, but 'do' for the question about the viewer?

Sample answerHe uses 'does' because the subject is 'Mark,' which is a 'he'. He uses 'do' because the subject in the other example is 'you,' and 'do' goes with 'you'.

04Based on the video, how do these two types of questions help you get the information you need in a conversation?

Sample answerThey help you ask for the exact piece of information you are missing. You can ask about the person doing something or about the thing that is being talked about.

4

Key vocabulary for asking questions

Vocabulary

These expressions will help you ask questions and get information more naturally in conversations.

Examples

clear up (something) — to solve a problem or explain something that is confusing

Usage note: This is great for when you think you've misunderstood something. You can say, 'Sorry, could you clear something up for me?'

a follow-up question — a question that you ask to get more details about something that has just been said

Usage note: Very common in any conversation. For example: 'That's interesting. I have a follow-up question: what happened next?'

If you don't mind me asking... — a polite phrase used before asking a question that might be personal or sensitive

Usage note: Use this to show respect before asking about someone's age, job, or personal life. For example: 'If you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up?'

Out of curiosity... — a phrase used to show you are asking a question because you are interested, not for a practical reason

Usage note: This makes your question sound friendly and low-pressure. For example: 'Out of curiosity, is that a new watch?'

get to the point — to say the most important thing directly, without wasting time on details

Usage note: This can sound a little impatient. It's often used when you need information quickly. For example: 'I'm in a hurry, so could you please get to the point?'

5

Decide if each statement is true or false. Correct the false ones.

01According to Mark, you should use the auxiliary verb 'does' when asking a question about 'you'.

02The video explains that a subject question is used when you don't know who performed the action in a sentence.

03To make a subject question, Mark says you must add an auxiliary verb like 'do' or 'does'.

04Mark uses the question word 'what' to ask about the object 'English' because it is a thing, not a person.

05The video presents two types of questions for finding missing information about either the subject or the object.

6

Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

In your country, how important is it to 'get to the point' in a professional setting like a business meeting? Is it better to ask direct questions immediately, or is it more polite to have some small talk first?
Some people think that asking lots of 'follow-up questions' makes a conversation more interesting. Others feel it can be too intense, like an interview. What do you think is the right balance, and why?
Imagine you have a misunderstanding with a colleague about a task. You need to 'clear up' the confusion. Give an example of a polite question you could ask, perhaps using a phrase like 'If you don't mind me asking...'.