Many people try to form questions by memorizing grammar rules.
That does not work for long.
Instead, always ask three simple questions in your mind:
- Am I asking about a state or an action?
- Is it present or past?
- Does the result matter now or not?
This decision tree helps you choose the correct helping verb logically.
A state means:
- no action
- only condition, status, or situation
Examples of states:
- availability
- completion status
- condition
Use: is / am / are
Examples:
- Is the server up?
- Are you free now?
Use: was / were
Examples:
- Was the task completed yesterday?
- Were you available in the morning?
Rule:
If there is no action, do not use do / did / have.
An action means:
- something happens
- someone does something
Now decide time.
Use: is / am / are + verb-ing
Examples:
- Are you working now?
- Is the deployment running?
Use this when the action is currently in progress.
Use: do / does
Examples:
- Do you work on weekends?
- Does this service restart automatically?
Use this for regular or repeated actions.
Now ask one more question.
Use: has / have
Examples:
- Have you completed the assignment?
- Has the build finished?
Use this when the current situation depends on the past action.
Use: did
Examples:
- Did you complete the assignment yesterday?
- Did the server restart last night?
Time is finished; result is not important now.
Use: had
Examples:
- Had you completed the task before the meeting started?
- Had the service failed before the alert came?
This is past before past.
Only ONE helping verb comes in a question.
Wrong:
- Did you are working?
- Does the task is completed?
Correct:
- Were you working?
- Is the task completed?
First decide state or action, then choose only one helping verb.