MULTIMEDIA-ENGLISH

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  Yes-No
Inversion: Exclamations and Questions - HOW / WHAT
Focus Grammar
Description Questions in English have inversion (the verb goes before the subject), but exclamations have no inversion! Practise the difference.
Instructions For every sentence mark if it is correct (YES) or wrong (NO).
 
Question YES NO
How lucky you are ! - I know.    
How interesting is this book ? - Well, it's boring at first but then it's ok    
How tall you are ! - Thanks    
How big is your house ? - It's 240 square metres    
How tall are you ! - Thanks    
How interesting this book is ! - Yes, you can't stop reading.    
How beautiful the stars are tonight ! - Yea, I was thinking the same    
How beautiful you are ! - Thanks    
What a cool song this is! - Yea, I love it too.    
What nice hair you've got ! - Thanks :)    
How tall are you ? - I'm 1.8 metres    
How old your grandmother is ! - Yes, she's 98.    
How big your house is ! - Yes, it is.    
What a cool song is this ! - Yea, I love it too.    
How big your house is ? - It's 240 square metres    
What a nice river this is ! - Oh yea, it is!    
What nice chairs you have ! - Thanks, they are from Milan    
What nice hair have you got ! - Thanks :)    
How boring it is when you have nothing to do ! - Yes, I agree    
How old is your grandmother ! - Yes, she's 98.    
How lucky are you ! - I know.    
What short stories do you like ? - Traditional fairy tales, they're my favourite    
What strange birds they are? - I don't know, I've never seen them before.    
How old is your grandmother ? - She's 98.    
How big is your house ! - Yes, it is.    
What beautiful eyes you have ! - Thank you    
How beautiful are you ! - Thanks    
What short stories you like ? - Traditional fairy tales, they're my favourite    
What a delicious soup this is ! - Oh yea, it is!    
How fast your car is ! - Yes, I need to control myself    
Total number of items: 30
This is an activity from Multimedia-English www.multimedia-english.com
 

We use inversion for questions. We don't use inversion for exclamations

Questions in English need an inversion, we put the verb before the subject:

- Mike is Scottish   (Mike + is)
- Is Mike Scottish?   (is + Mike)

Modal and auxiliary verbs (special verbs) can do the inversion

- Are you tired?
- Can you see me?
- Will you come with me?
- Have you seen this movie?
- May I come in?

But normal verbs can't, so they use the auxiliary verb DO for the inversion:

- Do you like this?  (Do + you)
- Does she live in Rome?
- Did you go to the party?

Questions can begin with an interrogative word:

- What is your name?
- What do you like?
- How is your mother?
- How do you open this door?
- When do you see your friends?
- Where do you live?

EXCLAMATIONS can also use WHAT and HOW, but they are not questions, so they don't use inversion:

- What a nice car you've got!
- What tall trees these are!
- How fantastic this song is!
- How tall your boyfriend is!

Compare:

How tall is your brother? (question, inversion)
How tall your brother is! (exclamation, no inversion)

- How difficult is that job?
- Oh, it's not very difficult

- How difficult that job is!
- Oh yea, you're right!

Exclamations with WHAT don't usually have an exact equivalent question:

What a nice girl you are!
Are you a nice girl?