Chapter LI: The Interrogative Form of the Indicative Mode

=196.= The indicative mode is used not only in stating facts, but also in asking questions. In interrogative sentences the order of the words that make up the verb is changed somewhat. In a simple statement we say, _I have paid_. In a question we say, _Have I paid?_ putting the auxiliary before the subject.

=197.= Conjugation of _be_ in the indicative mode, interrogative form:—

PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE

am I are we was I were we
art thou are you wast thou were you
is he are they was he were they

FUTURE TENSE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

shall I be shall we be have I been have we been
wilt thou be will you be hast thou been have you been
will he be will they be has he been have they been

PAST PERFECT TENSE

had I been had we been
hadst thou been had you been
had he been had they been

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

shall I have been shall we have been
wilt thou have been will you have been
will he have been will they have been

=198.= When we use the present and past tenses of any verb except _be_ for asking questions, we do not say _sings she?_ or _sang she?_ but _does she sing?_ _did she sing?_ that is, we use the auxiliaries _do_ and _did_.

Conjugate the verb _see_ in the indicative mode, interrogative form.

=Exercise.=—Conjugate the verbs in Exercise 2, p. 126, in the indicative mode, interrogative form.

=199.= The use of the negative word _not_ after a verb gives rise to many contractions which are permissible in familiar conversation. The contractions for which incorrect forms are often used are the following:—

isn’t
wasn’t
aren’t
weren’t
don’t
doesn’t
haven’t
hasn’t

There is no contraction for _am not_; the word _ain’t_ is incorrect.

Contractions are oftenest misused in questions. Notice the following correct forms:—

Isn’t it too bad?
Isn’t he tall?
Isn’t she pretty?
Aren’t you cold?
Aren’t they coming?
Wasn’t it long?
Weren’t you there?
Weren’t they slow?
Don’t you believe me?
Doesn’t it hurt?
Doesn’t she work hard?
Doesn’t he like it?
Haven’t you been there?
Hasn’t he any friends?

We should be careful never to say, _you was_ or _was you_; for the pronoun _you_, even when it denotes one person, is followed by a verb in the plural form. We should say, “You _were_ late,” “_Were you_ late?” “_Weren’t you_ late?”