Study the rules, look at the examples, then do the exercises.
You have been asking questions in English since your very first lesson: What is your name? Where do you live? Did you sleep well? These are direct questions, and you know them well. At B1, you learn to ask questions that are more polite, more precise and more natural — the way real speakers do.
This unit covers three tools. First, indirect questions (Could you tell me where the station is?) — the polite, softer way to ask. Second, the difference between subject and object questions (Who called you? vs Who did you call?). Third, question tags (It's cold, isn't it?) — the little endings that turn a statement into a question.
A direct question inverts the subject and the auxiliary verb (be, do, have, can, will...). The pattern is: (question word) + auxiliary + subject + main verb.
| Question word | Auxiliary | Subject | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | do | you | live? |
| What | has | she | done? |
| — | Can | they | swim? |
When we want to be polite — with a teacher you don't know well, in a shop, or in a message to someone older — we often "wrap" the question inside a longer, gentler phrase. This is an indirect question.
The golden rule: after the opening phrase, use statement word order (subject + verb) and drop do / does / did. There is no inversion.
| Direct question | Indirect question |
|---|---|
| Where is the station? | Could you tell me where the station is? |
| What time does it start? | Do you know what time it starts? |
| Why did she leave? | I wonder why she left. |
Common polite openers: Could you tell me...? · Do you know...? · Do you have any idea...? · I wonder...? · Can I ask...?
Some questions ask about the subject (the doer of the action); others ask about the object (the person or thing that receives the action). English treats them very differently.
| Type | We ask about... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject question | who / what does the action → NO do/did | Who called you? (Someone called you.) |
| Object question | who / what receives the action → USE do/did | Who did you call? (You called someone.) |
A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement, usually to check information or invite agreement. The rule is a mirror: a positive statement takes a negative tag, and a negative statement takes a positive tag. Use the same auxiliary as the statement.
| Statement | Tag | Full sentence |
|---|---|---|
| You are tired, | aren't you? | You are tired, aren't you? |
| She doesn't drive, | does she? | She doesn't drive, does she? |
| They have arrived, | haven't they? | They have arrived, haven't they? |
| He will help, | won't he? | He will help, won't he? |
These are the errors B1 students make most often with question forms. Check your own speaking and writing against this list.
| Wrong ✗ | Right ✓ | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Could you tell me where is the bank? | Could you tell me where the bank is? | Indirect question → statement word order, no inversion. |
| Do you know what time does it start? | Do you know what time it starts? | Drop "do/does" in indirect questions. |
| Do you know that the shop is open? | Do you know if the shop is open? | Yes/No indirect question needs "if" or "whether". |
| Who did paint this picture? | Who painted this picture? | Subject question → no "did". |
| You are Turkish, aren't you not? | You are Turkish, aren't you? | Positive statement → simple negative tag. |
A new student asks for help on their first day at school. Read it twice and notice the polite indirect questions and the friendly question tags.
Choose the correct answer. — 10 questions, each one is marked instantly. Questions get harder as you go.
Learn the words, then use them to ask your own questions.
Imagine you are interviewing a new classmate or a friend for your school podcast. Write 8 questions and short answers (8 sentences in total). Use at least 8 of the words above.
Sentence starters (you can begin with these):
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will review your task.)
Read the text, then answer the questions.
Good readers prepare before they start. Before you read, think about these three questions (you do not need to write the answers):
Words to spot (from the Speaking section): ask · wonder · curious · polite · interview · information · clarify · confirm
Elif is sixteen, and she runs the podcast at her school in Izmir. Among her classmates, she is famous for her interviews, because she knows exactly what to ask and how to ask it politely. 'A good question can change a whole conversation,' she often says.
Elif was not always so confident. When she started secondary school, she was a shy child, and she rarely asked questions in class. However, everything changed when she was thirteen. She joined the school newspaper, and her first interview was with the head teacher. Although she was nervous, she prepared twenty questions the night before, so the interview went smoothly.
That first interview taught Elif something surprising about herself. As she read her questions aloud, her hands were shaking and her voice was quiet, but the head teacher answered kindly and even laughed at one of her jokes. Afterwards, her best friend Deniz told her that the finished article sounded 'really professional', and several classmates asked how she had thought of such clever questions. For the first time, the shy girl who usually sat at the back of the classroom felt that people actually wanted to hear what she had to say. That small moment gave her the courage to carry on.
Since then, Elif has interviewed dozens of people. She has spoken to talented young musicians, local sports stars and ordinary students. While she was on a student exchange in Britain, she also learned an important lesson: indirect questions, such as 'Could you tell me why you made that decision?', sound more polite and often get better answers.
Her trip to Britain was a turning point too. For three weeks she stayed with a host family in a small town near Manchester and went to a local secondary school. At first she was too nervous to speak, but her new classmates were friendly and full of questions about life in Turkey. She noticed that they often began their questions with polite phrases instead of asking directly, and she slowly started to copy them. By the end of the exchange, she had filled half a notebook with useful expressions and made two friends she still messages online today.
Back home, that experience helped Elif turn the school newspaper into a proper podcast. Today it is her favourite hobby, and she works on it with a small team of friends. Every Friday afternoon, they meet in the empty music room and record a new episode. Deniz looks after the microphones, another friend edits the sound, and Elif leads the conversation. They talk about the things that matter most to teenagers: exam stress, weekend football matches, new songs, popular video games and school trips. Because she listens carefully and rarely interrupts, her guests relax quickly and speak honestly.
Some episodes have become small legends at school. Once, Elif interviewed a fifteen-year-old student who had just won a regional swimming medal. Instead of asking the obvious question, 'How does it feel to win?', she asked what he thought about during his hardest training mornings. His honest answer about fear and hard work surprised everyone and became the most popular episode of the year. Another time, she invited a shy boy who wrote his own songs, and after the interview he finally found the confidence to perform at the school concert. Elif was very proud of both of them.
The team also shares short clips of each episode on social media, and slowly the podcast has found a loyal audience. Some clips have been watched hundreds of times, and younger students now stop Elif in the corridor to suggest new ideas. However, she is careful about what she posts online. She never shares a guest's words without permission, and she always reads the comments before she replies. 'The internet can be unkind,' she admits, 'so I try to make our channel a place where people feel safe and respected.' Her teachers believe this is exactly why classmates trust her with their stories.
Preparing for an interview is harder than it looks. The night before, Elif writes her questions in a small blue notebook and reads them out loud to her cat. She crosses out anything that sounds boring or rude, and she always plans one surprising question to keep the conversation lively. She has also learned to wait quietly after each answer, because the most interesting details often appear in the silence. When younger students ask her for advice, she gives them the same simple tip: 'Listen more than you speak, and be truly interested in the person in front of you.'
Of course, running a podcast while studying for exams is not always easy. There are weeks when Elif feels tired, and there are guests who give short, one-word answers no matter what she asks. On those days she reminds herself that every interview, good or bad, teaches her something new. She still gets butterflies in her stomach before pressing the record button, but she has decided that a little nervousness is a good sign. To her, it simply means that she still cares about doing a great job.
Elif believes that curiosity is a skill. 'People think good interviewers are born with it, but that is not true,' she explains. 'I improved my questions because I practised every day.' She still gets nervous before a big interview, but she has never lost her love of asking questions. Her main goal has not changed: to help people share their stories.
Choose the correct answer.
Are these sentences true or false, according to the text?
Complete each sentence with ONE word from the text. Mind the tense.
Write your answer in your own words. These questions are not marked automatically.
1. What was Elif like when she was a school child, and how did she change?
2. What lesson did Elif learn while she was on her exchange in Britain?
3. Do you agree with Elif that curiosity is a skill that can be learned? Why?
Find these connectors in the text — each one appears at least once: and, but, so, because, when, while, however, although, also. (You will use these same connectors in the Writing section.) Note them down, then check.
Todd wants a government job abroad, and Sarah gives him advice.
You will hear Todd and Sarah. Todd wants to apply for a job at the U.S. State Department, and Sarah, who knows the process, gives him advice. You will listen TWICE. First listen: answer questions 1-5. Second listen: answer questions 6-10. (Kaydı İKİ kez dinleyeceksin: ilk dinlemede 1-5, ikinci dinlemede 6-10.)
Write and submit your paragraph; your teacher will review it.
A list of short, separate sentences is not real writing. What connects your ideas is linking words. At A2 you used and, but, so, because. At B1 you add four more powerful connectors: also, when, while, although and however. These let you show contrast, background events and extra information like a confident writer.
| Connector | Use it to... | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | add information | I am curious about her life, and I have many questions. |
| but | show a small contrast | The question is personal, but I would ask it politely. |
| so | show a result | I admire her work, so I would love to interview her. |
| because | give a reason | I would ask that because I want to understand her choice. |
| also | add an extra point | I would ask about her career. I would also ask about her family. |
| when | say at what past time | When she was young, what did she dream of? |
| while | two things at the same time | While she worked abroad, did she feel homesick? |
| although | show a strong contrast | Although I am shy, I would enjoy the interview. |
| however | contrast between two sentences | I have never interviewed anyone. However, I would try my best. |
This is a writing task about questions, so show off this unit's grammar. Instead of only writing direct questions, wrap some of them in polite, indirect forms — they sound more natural in writing.
| Direct (simple) ✗ | Indirect (better in writing) ✓ |
|---|---|
| What was your childhood like? | I would ask her what her childhood was like. |
| Did you ever feel afraid? | I would like to know whether she ever felt afraid. |
| Do you have any regrets? | I wonder if she has any regrets. |
Write about a person you would like to interview (real or famous, alive or from history) and the questions you would ask them.
Değerlendirme öğretmenin tarafından yapılacak. (Your teacher will evaluate your writing.)
Mixed questions from the whole unit, then check what you can do.
14 questions: grammar + vocabulary + reading + listening. Each question is marked instantly.
Tick what you can do now. Honest answers help your teacher.
İşaretlemediğin madde varsa ilgili bölüme dönüp tekrar çalış — soldaki menüden her bölüme geri dönebilirsin.
Oturum kontrol ediliyor...