An interrogative sentence is a type of sentence that is used to ask a question. It typically starts with a word like "who," "what," "when," "where," "why," or "how," and it ends with a question mark. The purpose of an interrogative sentence is to gather information or to clarify something that is not understood.
Here are some examples of interrogative sentences:
- "What is your name?"
- "Where do you live?"
- "When is your birthday?"
- "Why did you do that?"
- "How did you get here?"
- "Who is your favorite musician?"
Interrogative sentences can be used to ask for specific pieces of information, or they can be used to seek a general understanding of something. They can also be used to express surprise or confusion, or to request further explanation.
In English, the word order for an interrogative sentence is typically reversed compared to a statement. For example, in a statement, the subject comes before the verb, as in "I am eating lunch." In an interrogative sentence, the verb comes before the subject, as in "Am I eating lunch?" This helps to clearly indicate that the sentence is a question rather than a statement.
There are several different types of interrogative sentences, including yes/no questions, alternative questions, and wh-questions. Yes/no questions are those that can be answered with either a "yes" or a "no" response. Alternative questions offer a choice between two or more options. Wh-questions are those that begin with a word like "who," "what," "when," "where," or "why," and they are used to gather more specific or detailed information.
Overall, interrogative sentences are an important tool for communication, as they allow us to ask questions and seek answers in order to better understand the world around us.