Asking and Answer a Why Question
- Asking "why" questions is a way to understand reasons or explanations behind actions or situations.
- Answers to "why" questions often start with "because" / "since" / "as" to provide a reason or cause.
- To answer the question, you can start with a full sentence followed by "because" + another full sentence.
Understanding how to ask "why" questions and how to answer them is essential for clear communication in English. This lesson focuses on the simple structures and common phrases used to inquire about reasons and provide explanations.
Asking "Why" Questions
"Why" questions are used to inquire about the reason or purpose behind an action or situation. These questions can be simple or complex, but at the A2 level, we focus on basic forms.
Grammar Rule: Why + do/does/modal verb + subject + base verb?
Examples:
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Why do you study English?
Why (question word) + do (auxiliary verb for present simple) + you (subject) + study (base form of verb) + English (object).
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Why should I go to the gym?
Why (question word) + should (modal verb) + I (subject) + go (base form of verb) + to the gym (object).
Answering "Why" Questions
Answers to "why" questions usually start with "because" followed by the reason. It's a way to provide a clear and direct response.
Grammar Rule: A full sentence + "because" / "since" / "as" + subject + verb + (object).
Note, "because" is a conjunction, so you can't just start a sentence with "Because ...". However, in spoken English, people often omit the full sentence and just say "Because ..."
After "because", you can put a full sentence. Also, instead of "because", you can also use "since" or "as".
Examples:
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I'm studying English because I want to communicate with people from other countries.
(Main sentence) + because (conjunction) + I (subject) + want (verb) + to communicate with people from other countries (object).
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Since he has a test tomorrow, he has to review for it tonight.
Since (conjunction) + he (subject) + has (verb) + a test (object), ... (main sentence)
Practice forming "why" questions and answering them with your own reasons to enhance your conversational skills in English.
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