Most communication experts suggest asking questions to engage others in conversation.

But the
type of question you ask can make a BIG difference.
There are two types of questions: Close-ended and Open-ended
Both have their place in conversation. But many people, especially those who are shy or not the best
talkers, rely heavily on the close-ended variety.
This is a problem for two reasons:
It promotes an interrogation-type conversation and it draws out less free-information from your
conversational partner.

Close-Ended Questions
Sally: How long have you been running?

Bob: I’d say about 10 years.

Sally: Wow, you must like it, huh?

Bob: Oh I love it.

Sally: Do you run often?

Bob: Fairly often.

Sally: That’s great…Do you do any other kind of workouts?

Bob: Yes, I go to the gym.

Sally: Oh really, where?

Bob: Mid-city.

This conversation is going nowhere because Sally is asking ALL close-ended questions. This is the
interrogator version of a conversation because it’s just question after question after question.
It gets old real quick. But Bob isn’t giving Sally much to comment on is he? Is that his fault? Well
maybe. Thing is, Sally isn’t asking questions that encourage him to talk in detail. Close-ended
questions are kind of like true/false or multiple-choice questions. They lead to only one or two
word answers. This can be useful, but only if it’s used together with open-ended questions.

Open-Ended Questions
If close-ended questions are true/false, open-ended questions are essay (I know, you loved those in
school right?). Open-ended questions encourage longer, more thought out answers. They ask for
elaboration and more information.
For example, in the above conversation, when Bob said he loved running, Sally could’ve followed
with:“That’s really awesome! What makes you love it so much?” Or What got you into running?”
Or “How do you find the motivation to run so often?”
See how these questions can’t be easily answered with only one or two words? They let the other
person fill in the blanks and talk more extensively. Sally could’ve also asked for opinions or
feelings:
“Tell me this, because I’m curious what a true runner thinks. How do you feel about
those extreme competitions where people run 50 miles or more?”

The Inversion Method

The trick is to form a basic sentence, then invert the word order to create a question.
Here’s a very basic example:
Sentence: It is windy today.
Question: Is it windy today?

Form a Five W Question

We’ll need to replace part of the sentence with a wh- word. When you’re asking about the
subject You just replace the subject with a wh- word.

Who is playing basketball in the park?

If you’re not asking about the subject, there’ll be some word order inversion.

What is Nathan playing in the park?

Using Indirect Questions for Polite English

Could you please tell me where the bookstore is?
Do you know where the bookstore is?
In the indirect question, the verb is moved to the end.

Asking Tag Questions

A tag question is simply a sentence with a question tag at the end. It’s used to check or confirm
that you’ve understood something correctly. For example:
The train leaves at 9 a.m., doesn’t it?
You will bring the cake, won’t you?

Contractions are usually used in negative tags. Notice also how the subject pronoun is used
instead of the subject itself in the tag.

Asking Negative Questions for Confirmation

Wouldn’t you like another cup of coffee?
Has she not handed in her assignment?