question
noun
uk/ˈkwes.tʃən/us/ˈkwes.tʃən/questionnoun(ASKING)
A1[C]
asentenceor phrase used tofindoutinformation:
问题Thepoliceaskedme questions allday.警察盘问了我一整天。
Why won't youanswermy question?你为什么不回答我的问题？
"So where is themissingmoney?" "That's a goodquestion."(= I don'tknowtheanswer.)“那么丢失的钱在哪儿呢？”“问得好。”
There will be a question-and-answersession(= aperiodwhenpeoplecanaskquestions)at the end of thetalk.演讲结束前有一段问答时间。
A2[C]
in anexam, aproblemthattestsa person'sknowledgeorability:
试题，题目Answer/Doas many questions as you can.尽可能多做些题目。
- Sheadroitlyavoidedthe question.
- Sheaskedthe questionexpectinganaffirmative.
- I'mafraidyou'vecompletelymisunderstoodthe question.
- I don'tthinkthat question isrelevant,counselor.
- You canfindtheanswertoalmostany question incyberspace.
Questioning people & asking questions in general
- ask aftersomeone
- ask questions ofsomeone/somethingidiom
- besomeone'sfor the askingidiom
- beat
- beatsomethingout ofsomeone
- bombard
- cross-examine
- doorstep
- inquire withinidiom
- interviewer
- putsomeonetosomethingidiom
- Q, q
- reinterview
- resurvey
- retest
- rhetorical question
- roll
- survey
- the third degreeidiom
- trick question
questionnoun(PROBLEM)
B2[C]
anymatterthatneedsto bedealtwith orconsidered:
问题，事情Thisraisesthe questionofteacherpay.这引出了关于教师薪水的问题。
What areyourviewson theclimatechangequestion?你对气候变迁问题有什么看法？
B2[U]
doubtorconfusion:
怀疑，疑惑，疑问There's no questionabout(= it iscertain)whosefaultit is.关于过错在谁这一点毫无疑问。
Whetherchildrenarereadingfewerbooksisopentoquestion(= there is somedoubtabout it).人们怀疑孩子们是否书读得少了。
Herloyaltyisbeyondquestion(= there is nodoubtabout it).她的忠诚不容置疑。
There's no question that he'sguilty.毫无疑问他是有罪的。
someone/somethingin questionC2formal
thepersonor thing that is beingdiscussed:
正被谈论的…，讨论中的…Istayedathomeon thenightin question.那个晚上我在家里呆着没出去。
- The question ofsecurityis high on theagendafor this afternoon'smeeting.
- Thecommitteehasdeliberatedthe question atgreatlength.
- There is awidediversityofopinionon the question ofunilateraldisarmament.
- Bothprojectsare oniceuntil the question offundingisresolved.
- Leavingasidethe question ofcost, how manypeopledo we need on thejob?
Topics & areas of interest
- angle
- backyard
- bailiwick
- cause célèbre
- centrism
- con
- convention
- demesne
- front
- issue
- kingdom
- leitmotiv
- province
- scene
- score
- specialism
- subject
- talk
- thematic
- topically
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Uncertainty
Grammar
Questions
A question is anything we write or say which requires a response. In writing, questions are usually followed by a question mark:…Responding towh-questions
Wh-questions ask for information and we do not expect a yes-no answer to a wh-question. We expect an answer which gives information:…Adding emphasis towh-questions
We can add emphasis to wh-questions in speaking by stressing the auxiliary verb do. We usually do this when we have not already received the information that we expected from an earlier question, or to show strong interest.…Negativewh-questions
When we ask negative wh-questions, we use the auxiliary verb do when there is no other auxiliary or modal verb, even when the wh-word is the subject of the clause:…Adding awh-word at the end of a statement to make a question
In speaking, we can sometimes turn wh-questions into statement questions:…Intonation andwh-questions
The intonation of wh-questions is normally falling. The falling intonation is on the most important syllable:…Prepositions and particles withwh-questions
We can use wh-words and phrases after prepositions in more formal questions:…Questions: alternative questions (Is it black or grey?)
An alternative question gives a choice of two or more answers in the question and includes or:…Forming alternative questions
We usually form alternative questions with an auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + subject + main verb or with a modal verb + subject + main verb:…Different types of alternative question
We can also ask alternative questions using or not? This is a very direct question and sometimes it can express annoyance or impatience:…Reduced alternative questions (tea or coffee?)
Sometimes in informal speaking, we make alternative questions shorter by just saying the alternatives:…Responding to alternative questions
We can answer an alternative question in different ways, but we do not normally answer yes:…Questions: echo and checking questions
We use echo questions to repeat part of what we have just heard when we don’t fully understand or when we want to confirm what we have heard. We use rising or fall-rising intonation:…Questions: follow-up questions
In conversation, we often ask short questions about something that somebody else has just said. There are a number of types.…Questions: statement questions (you’re over 18?)
We can use statements (declaratives) to ask yes-no questions. In writing we know they are questions because they have question marks. In speaking we know they are questions because of the context, and often because of their intonation:…Questions: two-step questions
In speaking, we sometimes ask two questions together. The first question is just an introduction for the listener. We use these especially when we don’t want to be too direct:…Two-stepyes-noquestions
We sometimes use yes-no questions one after the other. The first question is an introduction to the topic and the speaker usually knows the answer. The second question is more specific.…Pre-questions in two-step questions
Sometimes we ask if we can ask a question. This is very polite:…Two-step questions that suggest the answer
We also use two-step questions to first ask a question and then suggest an answer with a rising or fall-rising intonation. The speaker is quite sure of the answer and wants the listener to confirm it:…Questions: interrogative pronouns (what,who)
We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions. They are: who, which, whom, what and whose. These are also known as wh-words. Questions using these are called wh-questions:…Questions:yes-noquestions (Are you feeling cold?)
Questions that need either a yes or a no answer are called yes-no questions:…Interrogative pronouns: uses
We use who and whom on their own:…Questions: short forms
In informal situations, especially in speaking, we can reduce questions rather than using complete clauses. Short questions can be clauses, phrases or even single words:…Questions: typical errors
In wh-questions, the word order changes from subject + (auxiliary/modal) + main verb to wh-word + auxiliary/modal verb + subject + main verb:…Formingyes-noquestions
We form yes-no questions with an auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + subject + main verb or with a modal verb + subject + main verb:…Responding toyes-noquestions
Other ways of saying yes and no include yeah, yep, mm, okay, and nah, nope. These are informal:…Negativeyes-noquestions
We usually use negative yes-no questions to check or confirm something we believe or expect to be the case, or when we consider that something is the best thing to do:…Intonation andyes-noquestions
The intonation of yes-no questions is normally either rising [ri↗sing arrow] or fall-rising [dow↘n u↗p arrow] intonation depending on the meaning. If we do not know the answer, we use rising intonation. If we more or less know the answer and are looking for confirmation, we use fall-rising intonation:…Questions:wh-questions
Wh-questions begin with what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why and how. We use them to ask for information. The answer cannot be yes or no:…Formingwh-questions
We usually form wh-questions with wh- + an auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + subject + main verb or with wh- + a modal verb + subject + main verb:…You see
We commonly use you see in speaking when we want to share knowledge with our listener or listeners. When we use you see, we assume that the listener or listeners do not have the knowledge that we want them to have:…Idioms
be a question ofdoing something
be out of the question
question
verb[T]
uk/ˈkwes.tʃən/us/ˈkwes.tʃən/B2
toaskapersonabout something,especiallyofficially:
问，盘问，审问Several men were questioned bypoliceyesterdayabout theburglary.警方昨天就盗窃案审问了几个人。
68percentof those questioned in thepollthoughtnoiselevelshadincreased.在这次民意测验中有68%受访者认为噪音增大了。
to ask a question
- askI asked him what time the museum opened, but he didn't know.
- inquireShe called to inquire when her car would be ready.
- consultConsult your doctor if your symptoms don't improve.
- ask aroundI'll ask around and see if anyone knows of a good carpenter.
- questionThe police are questioning him about the robbery.
- interviewAfter the race, she was interviewed by journalists.
B2
toexpressdoubtsabout thevalueortruthof something:
怀疑I questionedthewisdomoftaking so manypills.我怀疑吃这么多药丸是否明智。
[+ question word]Results from astudyquestionedwhethertreatmentwith thedrugreallyimprovedsurvival.一项研究的结果对使用该药进行治疗是否真的提高了病人存活率提出了质疑。
She gave me a questioninglook(= as if shewantedananswerfrom me).她用询问的目光看了我一眼。
- All myattemptsto question theauthoritieson thesubjectweremetbyevasionandprevarication.
- Policehavereleasedapictureof the man theywantto question.
- A man is being questioned inrelationto theattemptedmurderlastnight.
- Under aquarterofpeoplequestioned said that they werehappilymarried.
- When questioned on TV, theministerretractedhisallegations.
Questioning people & asking questions in general
- ask aftersomeone
- ask questions ofsomeone/somethingidiom
- besomeone'sfor the askingidiom
- beat
- beatsomethingout ofsomeone
- bombard
- cross-examine
- doorstep
- inquire withinidiom
- interviewer
- putsomeonetosomethingidiom
- Q, q
- reinterview
- resurvey
- retest
- rhetorical question
- roll
- survey
- the third degreeidiom
- trick question
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Suspecting & questioning
Grammar
You see
We commonly use you see in speaking when we want to share knowledge with our listener or listeners. When we use you see, we assume that the listener or listeners do not have the knowledge that we want them to have:…