A: What's giving me this pain in my shoulder?
B: We'll do some tests and find out.
Inversion: Auxiliary Before Subject
Normally, the auxiliary verb (or modal verb) goes before the subject in questions. This word order is called "inversion".
| They have seen the movie. | |
|---|---|
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Have they seen the movie? |
| She is staying with her sister until tomorrow. | |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Is she staying with her sister until tomorrow? |
| We can use his car. | |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Can we use his car? |
| You are doing homework. | |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Are you doing homework? |
| She has already gone home. | |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Has she already gone home? |
| It will rain tomorrow. | |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | Will it rain tomorrow? |
| Inversion Word Order in Questions | |
|---|---|
| They have seen the movie. | Have they seen the movie? |
| She is staying with her sister until tomorrow. | Is she staying with her sister until tomorrow? |
| We can use his car. | Can we use his car? |
| You are doing homework. | Are you doing homework? |
| She has already gone home. | Has she already gone home? |
| It will rain tomorrow. | Will it rain tomorrow? |
If there is no other auxiliary verb, we use do, does, or did to form a question:
You like soccer.
- Do you like soccer?
He had a great time last night.
- Did he have a great time last night?
It rains a lot in this city.
- Does it rain a lot in this city?
Subject Questions: No Inversion
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