questions 1: basic rules

These rules apply to most written and spoken questions. For ‘declarative questions’ like This is your car? (in which the subject comes before the verb), see questions 2: declarative questions.
auxiliary verb before subject: Have you …?
In a question, an auxiliary verb normally comes before the subject.
When is Oliver leaving? (NOT When Oliver is leaving?)
Have you received my letter of June 17? (NOT Ґeu-have receivedr…?)
Why are you laughing? (NOT Why you are laughing?)
What are all those people looking at? (NOT What all those people are looking
Ort?)
How much does the room cost? (not HOW much the room costs?)
do: Do you like …?
If there is no other auxiliary verb, we use do, does or did to form a question. Do you like Mozart? (NOT Like you Mozart?)
What does ‘periphrastic’ mean? (NOT What means ‘periphrastic’?)
Did you wash the car today?
do
not used with other auxiliaries
Do is not used together with other auxiliary verbs or with be.
Can you tell me the time? (NOT Do you can tell me the time?)
Have you seen John? (NOT Do you have seen John?)
Are you ready?
infinitive after do: What does he want?
After do, we use the infinitive (without to).
Wlmt does the boss want? (NOT What does the boss wants?)
Did you go climbing last weekend? (NOT Did you ivent…? OR Did you to go …?)
only auxiliary verb before subject
Only the auxiliary verb goes before the subject, not the whole of the verb.
Is your mother coming tomorrow? (NOT Is-mming your-tnot-her tomorrow?) Is your daughter having a lesson today? (NOT -fs-hamng-yotir-daughter …?) When was your reservation made? (NOT When was made your reservation?) This happens even if the subject is very long.
Where are the President and his family staying? (NOT Where are staying the President…?) ?
Who phoned? / Who did you phone?
When who, which, what or whose is the subject (or part of the subject), do is not normally used. Compare:
Who phoned? (Who is the subject.)
Who did you phone? (Who is the object.)
What happened?
(What is the subject.)
What did she say? (What is the object.)
More examples:
Which costs more – the blue one or the grey one? (NOT Which does-eost- more-…?)
Which type of battery lasts longest? (NOT Which type of battery does last
How many people work in your office?
(not HOW many people dework…?) But do can be used after a subject question word for emphasis, to insist on an answer.
Well, tell us – what did happen when your father found you?
So who did marry the Princess in the end?
indirect questions: Tell me when you are leaving
In an indirect question, we do not put an auxiliary before the subject, and we do not use a question mark. For details, see indirect speech 3: questions and answers.
Tell me when you are leaving, (NOT Tell me when are you leaving?)
prepositions: What are you talking about?
Prepositions often come at the end of wh-questions, separated from their objects. (For details, see prepositions 5: at the ends of clauses.)
What are you talking about? (NOT About what-are-you talking?)
Who did you buy the ticket from?
What did you clean the floor with?
For negative questions, see negative structures 2: negative questions.
For ellipsis in questions (e.g. Seen John? Coming tonight?), see ellipsis 3: at the beginning of a sentence.