What is a question?
A question is a request for information or action.
We ask questions all the time.
It is like a key 🗝️ that unlocks new information or ideas. It's a sentence that asks for information or clarification, often starting with words like "who," "what," "where," "when," "why," or "how", like a friendly nudge, to prompt someone to share their thoughts; what they know or think.
Questions end with a curious little squiggle called a question mark (?) that's the written language's way of saying, "Hey, your turn to talk!"
There are several different kinds of question (see above). Knowing which ones to use in the right situation can be useful.
However, there is an art to knowing which questions to ask! Here are a few to avoid:
- Too Personal, Too Soon: Asking someone about super personal stuff right off the bat can be as awkward as wearing socks with sandals.
- The Non-Question Question: You know, the ones that sound like questions but are really just opinions in disguise. Like, "Don't you think that movie was terrible?"
- The Impossible-to-Answer Ones: Loved by all five-year-olds, like asking someone, "Why is the sky blue". Fine if you are speaking to your physics professor, just keep in mind that some questions are just too broad or complex to answer simply.
- The Loaded Question: These are the sneaky ones that have an assumption built-in, like asking, "Why are you always late?" when someone is not always late.
- None of Your Business: If it's something that doesn't concern you and is private for others, it's probably best left unasked.
It may be a surprise to learn that with the right tone of voice any sentence can be turned into a question, but when writing any question you should always end the sentence with a question mark (?), and not a full stop (.) . Got it?
Remember, the key to great questioning is a mix of genuine curiosity and a dash of tact. Keep it light, relevant, and respectful, so your questions do not turn into an interrogation, and you'll be a question-asking champion. 🏆
As an English learner asking questions is probably one of the most important skills for you to master. If you don't know the right question, you'll never get the right answer.
Note! You can practise asking and answering questions on our Live Chat page, or Discord Server. Or maybe log into a Chat AI program and ask it some questions, just be careful of the answer you get.