Communicative English – Questions and Answers

Communicative English – Questions and Answers:-

You know the word of English is a fun and exiting place to be. I’m so glad you could join me for another lesson.

Learning English with Misterduncan. Lesson Thirty Three

Hi everybody, this is Misterduncan in English. How are you today? Are you OK? I hope so! Are you happy? I hope so!

Did you miss me? No, we didn’t. That’s not very nice.

In this lesson, we will take a look at the process of asking and answering questions. Are you ready?

Questions and Answers.

A Question is a sentence that generally needs a reply. When we ask a question, it means that we are trying to find out more about something and we need extra information. Sometimes we ask a question because we want to expand our knowledge of a particular subject. Sometimes we put forward a question because we need a decision about something, or an answer to a difficult situation.

“Asking a question”.

There are many words related to asking questions, such as:

Conundrum.
Difficulty.
Poser.
Predicament.
Problem.
Puzzle.
Quandary.
Query.
Request.
Riddle.
Teaser.

Before asking a question, we normally begin with a prefix sentence, such as:

“I have a question for you.”
“I want to put a question to you.”
“I need your expertise with a problem I have.”
“There is something I have been meaning to ask.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Could I …pick your Brain?”
“Would it be OK for you to answer a question?”

Sometimes before asking a question we ask the person if we can ask them a question, which is itself a question. So the first question is about whether or not I can ask a question. Well, you get the general idea.

It may sound a little strange, but not all questions need an answer. Sometimes we ask questions as a way of expressing the way we feel, or as a way of showing our frustration. We call this “Rhetorical Question.” For example:

“Could my day get any worse?”
“How am I going to pay the money back?”
“Am I going crazy?”
“Could you make any more noise?”
“Do you think I’m going to stand here and listen to you?”

There is another type of question that cannot be answered because there is no answer to it. We call this type of question a “Paradox”. The most famous paradoxical question is:

“What came first? The chicken … or an egg?”

“Answering a Question”

There are many words connected to giving an answer to question. Such as:

Comeback.
Counter.
React.
Reply.
Response.
Retort.
Solution.

You are such a beautiful plan. Yes you are.

Fortunately, answering a question is not so complicated or difficult to do. You only have two choices when responding. You either know the answer, or you don’t. If you don’t know the answer, you simply say:

“I don’t know.”
“I have no idea.”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“It beats me.”
“You have me there.”
“I’m stumped.”
“Don’t ask me.”
“I dunno.”

There is a situation where you may not want to answer the question. Maybe you feel that the question is rude or too personal. So you refuse to give an answer. You can say:

“I’m sorry I don’t want to answer that.”
“That is not a good question to ask.”
“You should not ask me that.”
“I cannot tell you.”
“No comment.”
“That is for me to know and for you to find out.”
“Mind your own business!”

So next time, before you ask a question, think carefully about whether it is good to ask it, and if the other person will be willing to give a reply.

Listen to Audio Treasure Today !

Before I finish my lesson today, I would like to say a special “Hello” to my new friends watching in Canada, Egypt, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Poland, and The United Arab Emirates.

I have a question for you: Will you join me next time for another lesson? I hope so.

This is Misterduncan in England saying, thanks for watching and Ta-ta for now.

Presented by Misterduncan. Enjoy English! Thanks for watching.