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An open question (also called a variable question, [1] non-polar question, or special question [4]) admits indefinitely many possible answers. For example: Where should we go for lunch? In English, these are typically embodied in a closed interrogative clause, which uses an interrogative word such as when, who, or what.
An interrogative word or question word is a function word used to ask a question, such as what, which, when, where, who, whom, whose, why, whether and how. They are sometimes called wh-words , because in English most of them start with wh- (compare Five Ws ).
English tag questions, when they have the grammatical form of a question, are atypically complex, because they vary according to at least three factors: the choice of auxiliary, the negation and the intonation pattern. This is unique among the Germanic languages, but the Celtic languages operate in a very similar way.
Wh-movement typically occurs when forming questions in English. There are certain forms of questions in which wh-movement does not occur (aside from when the question word serves as the subject and so is already fronted): Echo questions: Confirming what you thought you heard. You bought what? Quiz questions or specific questions: Asking for ...
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Interrogative sentences are generally divided between yes–no questions, which ask whether or not something is the case (and invite an answer of the yes/no type), and wh-questions, which specify the information being asked about using a word like which, who, how, etc.
In the 1580s, English printer Henry Denham invented a "rhetorical question mark" (βΈ®) for use at the end of a rhetorical question; however, it fell out of use in the 17th century. It was the reverse of an ordinary question mark, so that instead of the main opening pointing back into the sentence, it opened away from it. [7]
Here, as is common with wh-questions, there is a rising intonation on the question word, and a falling intonation at the end of the question. In many descriptions of English, the following intonation patterns are distinguished: Rising Intonation means the pitch of the voice rises over time. Falling Intonation means that the pitch falls with time.