About this activity
Twelve statements turned into yes-or-no questions: he is happy becomes is he happy; she can swim becomes can she swim; they have a cat becomes do they have a cat; you went to the store becomes did you go to the store; she wants juice becomes does she want juice. Where there is an auxiliary, it moves to the front; where there is none, do has to be supplied.
How to use it in a session
Sort the twelve by whether an auxiliary exists. Is, can, was, will and has can simply move; have, like, went and wants need do, does or did inserted, and the main verb goes back to its base form. That second group is where the errors are, and separating them makes the rule teachable rather than mysterious. Eight minutes covers the twelve.
What to listen for
Listen for the main verb keeping its tense after did. Did you went to the store is double marking — did already carries the past, so the verb returns to go. Watch the rising intonation strategy: a student who says you went to the store with a question intonation has communicated a question without forming one, which is a legitimate spoken form and not what the task is for.
Carrying it home
Turning a statement into a question is a game that works in a car. Saying she is reading and asking for the question takes five seconds and can go both ways.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- First through third, and older students learning English as an additional language.
- Do I need to sign in?
- No, all twelve items play free in the browser.
- Why do some questions need 'do'?
- Because English inverts an auxiliary to form a question, and if the sentence has none, do is supplied to carry the tense. That is why she wants becomes does she want with the verb back in its base form.