Постановка вопросов к предложению с глаголом «to be».

Существует 5 типов вопросов: общий, специальный, альтернативный, разделительный и вопрос к подлежащему.

1. Общий вопрос - это вопрос ко всему предложению, который требует ответа «да» или «нет». Если мы задаем общий вопрос к предложению, то нам необходимо поставить глагол to be (am, are, is, was, were) перед подлежащим, т.е. на первое место. Больше в предложении ничего не меняется.

We are at school now. – Are we at school now?

Краткий ответ: Yes, we are / No, we are not.

2. Специальный вопрос – это вопрос к какому-либо члену предложения. На первое место ставится вопросительное слово + глагол to be (am, are, is, was, were) + подлежащее + все остальные члены предложения, за исключением того слова, к которому задается вопрос.

Вопросительные слова:

what? - чей?

what (+ сущ) - какой

what kind of (+ сущ) - какой?

who? - кто?

whom? - кого? кому?

about whom? - о ком?

with whom? - с кем?

for whom? - для кого?

when? - когда?

where? - где? куда?

why? - почему?

how? - как?

how long? - как долго?

how often? - как часто?

whose? - чей?

how many / much? - сколько?

Where are you now? – I am at work.

3. Альтернативный вопрос – это вопрос, предлагающий какой-либо выбор. Его структура такова: общий вопрос + союз or (или) + альтернатива.

I am at school now.

Are you at school or at home now?

4. Разделительный вопрос – это вопрос типа «не так ли»?

Его структура такова: повествовательное предложение + глагол to be (am, are, is, was, were) + личное местоимение, заменяющее подлежащие.

Если в первой части предложения глагол to be (am, are, is, was, were) стоит в положительной форме, то во второй части предложения он должен стоять в отрицательной форме и наоборот:

She is a good teacher, isn’t she?

He wasn’t in Moscow last summer, was he?

5. Вопрос к подлежащему – начинается с вопросительного слова who? (what?) + глагол to be (am, are, is, was, were) + второстепенные члены предложения.

My mother is a teacher of history.

Who is a teacher of history?

Exercises

Exercise 1. Answer the questions.

1. Where is the students hostel? 2. Is it far from the Institute? 3. How old is your friend? 4. Is he a student? 5. Was the lesson interesting? 6. Is your group preparing for the winter session? 7. Are you reading or writing now? 8. Were the students of your group invited to the conference? 9. Are you to finish this work by Monday? 10. Were you to meet your friends at the station? 11. Were there any mistakes in your grammar test? 12. What is there on your desk? 13. Will there be any new guests at your birthday party?

Exercise 2. Make the sentences negative.

1. I shall be at home tonight. 2. My friend will be a lawyer in two years. 3. My parents are teachers at the University. 4. At two o'clock our family is having dinner. 5. The decision will be passed on Monday. 6. He is working in the library now. 7. They are to meet at 5. 8. There is a TV set in this room. 9. There were many new words in the dictation. 10. There will be a stadium near our school.

Exercise 3. Read and translate the sentences with the verb «to be».

1. Our work will be completed next week. 2. He is to deliver a lecture on International Law. 3. Hard work is a guarantee of success. 4. The students of group No 4 are having a seminar now. 5. The train was to come at 5, but it was late. 6. A for­eign delegation was to visit the exhibition. 7. He is not at home now. 8. Which party is in power now in Great Britain? 9. My aim is to master two foreign languages. 10. The report was in­teresting.

Exercise 4. Translate into English.

1. Все студенты на лекции. 2. Мой друг - первокурсник. 3. Моя мечта - выучить английский язык. 4. Мой друг готовит­ся поступать в университет. 5. Декан будет ждать тебя в два ча­са. 6. Эти книги переведены на различные языки мира. 7. Бе­лорусский государственный университет был основан в 1921 г. 8. Мне нужно окончить работу к понедельнику. 9. Студентам нашей группы нужно подготовиться к конференции. 10. Деле­гация должна прибыть завтра вечером. 11. Наша задача - овла­деть иностранным языком в течение года. 12. В вашем городе есть университет? 13. В этом районе будет кинотеатр, кафе и несколько школ в следующем году.

Exercise 5. Point our to be as an auxiliary verb or a full verb.

1. We weren’t talking to James about his exam.

2. Lots of trees were blown down.

3. Where were you yesterday?

4. Why are you leaving so early?

5. John is not sure where Jill is.

6. She is feeding the dog. It is always fed at 6 o’clock.

7. It isn’t working at all.

8. Your English is really improving but mine isn’t.

9. I am to take my exams in June.

10)I’ll help you when I am free.

Exercise 6. Put am, is, are into each gap.

A: Hello. 778954.

B: Hello. ____ that Rita?

A: Yes. Who ____ is calling?

B: This _____ Gary, from New York. Do you remembering me?

A: Of course I do. What _____ are you doing in England?

B: I ____ having a holiday.

A: ____ you on your own?

B: No. I ____ here with my wife. I ____ married now.

A: Oh! What does your wife do?

B: She _____ a dentist.

A: How interesting!

B: Anyway. How ____ you?

A: I ____ fine. I _____ still studying. Listen. Where ____ you?

B: Well, we ____ staying in a hotel very near to you. If ____ called The Mayfair. Do you

know it?

A: Yes, of course. It _____ a lovely hotel – very expensive! Does you wife like it?

B: Yes, she does. Rita, what you doing tonight? ____ you free? We’d like to have dinner

with us, here in the hotel.

A: That ____ lovely! What time?

B: About 8.00?

A: That ____ fine. See you at 8 o’clock. Bye, Gary.

B: Bye Rita.

Exercise 7. What are these things?

1. an ant? It is an insect.

2. ants? bees? They are insects.

3. a cauliflower? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. chess? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5. a violin? a trumpet? a flute? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

6. a skyscraper? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

7. Earth? Mars? Venus? Jupiter? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8. a tulip? _ _ _ _ _ _ _

9. the Rhine? The Nile? The Mississippi? _ _ _ _

10. a pigeon? an eagle? a crow? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Who were these people?

1. Beethoven? He was a composer.

2. Shakespeare? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3. Albert Einstein? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4. Washington? Lincoln? John Kennedy? _ _ _ _ _ _

5. Marilyn Monroe? _ _ _ _ _ _ _

6. Elvis Presley? John Lennon? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

7. Van Gogh? Renoir? Gauguin? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Exercise 8. Read about what these people do and say what their jobs are. Choose one of

these jobs:

driving instructor interpreter journalist nurse pilot plumber travel agent waiter

1. Hella looks after patients in hospitals. She is …..

2. George works in a restaurant. He brings the food to the tables. He …..

3. Mary arranges people’s holidays for them. She…..

4. Ron works for an airline. He flies airplanes …..

5. Linda teaches people how to drive ……

6. Dave fits and repairs water pipes ………

7. Jenny writes articles for a newspaper ………

8. John translates what people are saying from one language into another, so that they can understand each other…………….