Learn assertive to interrogative sentence transformation with all the rules and examples: the affirmative-negative flip, never/ever, nobody/who, and more, plus a 20-sentence exercise for SSC, HSC, admission, and job exams.
“Who does not love their country?” Everyone does, of course, and that is exactly the point. This is the clever trick behind turning a statement into a question: you ask a question whose answer everybody already knows, so the meaning does not change at all. “Everybody loves their country” and “Who does not love their country?” say the very same thing, one as a plain statement, the other as a question.
Learning to switch between the two, without changing the meaning, is what assertive to interrogative transformation is all about, and it is a regular source of marks in SSC, HSC, admission, and job exams.
“Who does not love their country?” সবাই তো ভালোবাসে, আর এটাই মূল কথা। একটি বিবৃতিকে প্রশ্নে পরিণত করার পেছনের চতুর কৌশলটি এই: তুমি এমন একটি প্রশ্ন করো যার উত্তর সবাই আগে থেকেই জানে, তাই অর্থ একটুও বদলায় না। “Everybody loves their country” আর “Who does not love their country?” হুবহু একই কথা বলে, একটি সাধারণ বিবৃতি হিসেবে, অন্যটি একটি প্রশ্ন হিসেবে। অর্থ না বদলে দুটির মধ্যে বদল করা শেখাই হলো assertive to interrogative transformation, আর এটি SSC, HSC, ভর্তি ও চাকরির পরীক্ষায় নিয়মিত নম্বরের একটি উৎস। তাহলে চলো, শুরু করা যাক।
What is an Assertive Sentence?
An assertive sentence, also called a declarative sentence, simply states something: a fact, an event, a habit, or an opinion. It can be affirmative (positive) or negative, and both kinds count as assertive.
Assertive sentence, যাকে declarative sentence ও বলা হয়, কেবল কিছু একটা বর্ণনা করে: একটি তথ্য, একটি ঘটনা, একটি অভ্যাস বা একটি মত। এটি হাঁ-বোধক (positive) বা না-বোধক হতে পারে, আর দুই ধরনই assertive হিসেবে গণ্য হয়।
Structure: Subject + verb + object + adjunct (for the negative, a ‘not’ is added with the auxiliary).
গঠন: Subject + verb + object + adjunct (না-বোধকের জন্য auxiliary এর সাথে একটি ‘not’ যোগ হয়)।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Honesty is the best policy.
- Negative: He does not tell a lie.
What is an Interrogative Sentence?
An interrogative sentence asks a question. It begins either with a WH-word (who, what, which, when, where, why, how) or with an auxiliary verb (do, does, did, is, are, was, were, have, has, can, will, and so on), and it always ends with a question mark.
Interrogative sentence একটি প্রশ্ন করে। এটি শুরু হয় হয় একটি WH-word (who, what, which, when, where, why, how) দিয়ে, নয়তো একটি auxiliary verb (do, does, did, is, are, was, were, have, has, can, will, ইত্যাদি) দিয়ে, আর সবসময় একটি প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন দিয়ে শেষ হয়।
Structure: WH-word / auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object?
গঠন: WH-word / auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object?
Notice the big change: an assertive sentence starts with the subject, but an interrogative sentence starts with a WH-word or an auxiliary verb, and only then comes the subject. To revise sentence parts, see our lesson on the analysis of sentences.
বড় পরিবর্তনটি লক্ষ্য করো: একটি assertive বাক্য subject দিয়ে শুরু হয়, কিন্তু একটি interrogative বাক্য একটি WH-word বা auxiliary verb দিয়ে শুরু হয়, তারপরই subject আসে।
The Golden Rule: Flip the Meaning, Keep the Sense
This is the single principle that runs through the whole lesson. When you turn an affirmative assertive sentence into a question, the question becomes negative. When you turn a negative assertive sentence into a question, the question becomes positive. The words flip, but the overall sense stays exactly the same.
এটাই সেই একটি নীতি যা পুরো পাঠ জুড়ে চলে। যখন তুমি একটি হাঁ-বোধক assertive বাক্যকে প্রশ্নে পরিণত করো, প্রশ্নটি না-বোধক হয়ে যায়। যখন তুমি একটি না-বোধক assertive বাক্যকে প্রশ্নে পরিণত করো, প্রশ্নটি হাঁ-বোধক হয়ে যায়। শব্দ উল্টে যায়, কিন্তু সামগ্রিক ভাব হুবহু একই থাকে।
Why does flipping keep the meaning? Because a negative question like “Is honesty not the best policy?” expects the answer ‘yes’, so it means the same as the positive statement “Honesty is the best policy.” That is the magic behind every rule below.
উল্টে দিলে অর্থ একই থাকে কেন? কারণ “Is honesty not the best policy?” এর মতো একটি না-বোধক প্রশ্ন ‘হ্যাঁ’ উত্তর আশা করে, তাই এটি “Honesty is the best policy” এই হাঁ-বোধক বিবৃতির সমান অর্থ দেয়। নিচের প্রতিটি নিয়মের পেছনে এই জাদুই কাজ করে।
The Transformation Chart
Here is the full chart. Match each row with its rule below. The wonderful thing about it is that you can often transform a sentence just by changing a few marked words, without even understanding the whole meaning.
এই হলো পূর্ণ chart। প্রতিটি সারি নিচের নিয়মের সাথে মেলাও। এর চমৎকার দিক হলো, তুমি প্রায়ই পুরো অর্থ না বুঝেই কয়েকটি চিহ্নিত শব্দ বদলে একটি বাক্য পরিবর্তন করতে পারো।
| Assertive | Interrogative |
|---|---|
| General (affirmative): Subject + verb + object | Aux. verb + subject + not + main verb + object? |
| General (negative): Subject + aux. + not + verb + object | Aux. verb + subject + main verb + object? |
| Never | Ever (Aux. + subject + ever + verb + object?) |
| Nothing | Anything (Aux. + subject + anything + verb + object?) |
| Everybody / Everyone / All | Who + aux. + not + verb + object? |
| Nobody / None / No one | Who + aux. + verb + object? |
| Every + noun | Which/What + noun + aux. + not + verb + object? |
| There is no + noun | Is there any + noun …? |
Chart note: Aux. = auxiliary verb, main verb = principal verb.
Rule 1: General Sentences
When a sentence has none of the special words (never, nothing, everybody, nobody, and so on), treat it as general. Move the auxiliary verb to the front, place the subject after it, and flip the meaning: a positive sentence becomes a negative question, and a negative sentence becomes a positive question. If there is no auxiliary, bring in ‘do’, ‘does’, or ‘did’ according to the tense.
যখন একটি বাক্যে কোনো বিশেষ শব্দ (never, nothing, everybody, nobody, ইত্যাদি) থাকে না, তখন এটিকে general হিসেবে ধরো। auxiliary verb কে সামনে আনো, তার পরে subject বসাও, আর অর্থ উল্টে দাও: একটি হাঁ-বোধক বাক্য না-বোধক প্রশ্ন হয়, আর একটি না-বোধক বাক্য হাঁ-বোধক প্রশ্ন হয়। auxiliary না থাকলে, tense অনুযায়ী ‘do’, ‘does’, বা ‘did’ আনো।
Examples:
- Affirmative: Honesty is the best policy.
- Interrogative: Is honesty not the best policy? (positive becomes negative)
- Negative: He does not obey his parents.
- Interrogative: Does he obey his parents? (negative becomes positive)
Rule 2: Never becomes Ever
When the assertive sentence contains ‘never’, change ‘never’ to ‘ever’ and turn the sentence into a question. Everything else stays the same.
যখন assertive বাক্যে ‘never’ থাকে, ‘never’ কে ‘ever’ এ পরিবর্তন করো এবং বাক্যটিকে একটি প্রশ্নে পরিণত করো। বাকি সব একই থাকে।
Examples:
- Assertive: She has never broken a promise.
- Interrogative: Has she ever broken a promise?
Rule 3: Nothing becomes Anything
When the assertive sentence contains ‘nothing’, change ‘nothing’ to ‘anything’ and turn the sentence into a question.
যখন assertive বাক্যে ‘nothing’ থাকে, ‘nothing’ কে ‘anything’ এ পরিবর্তন করো এবং বাক্যটিকে একটি প্রশ্নে পরিণত করো।
Examples:
- Assertive: He has nothing to lose.
- Interrogative: Has he anything to lose?
Rule 4: Everybody / Everyone / All becomes Who … not
When the sentence begins with ‘Everybody’, ‘Everyone’, or ‘All’, start the question with ‘Who’ and add ‘not’, because these words carry a positive sense that becomes a negative question.
যখন বাক্যটি ‘Everybody’, ‘Everyone’, বা ‘All’ দিয়ে শুরু হয়, প্রশ্নটি ‘Who’ দিয়ে শুরু করো এবং ‘not’ যোগ করো, কারণ এই শব্দগুলো একটি হাঁ-বোধক ভাব বহন করে যা একটি না-বোধক প্রশ্ন হয়ে যায়।
Examples:
- Assertive: Everybody wishes to be happy.
- Interrogative: Who does not wish to be happy?
- Assertive: All were surprised at the news.
- Interrogative: Who was not surprised at the news?
Rule 5: Nobody / None / No one becomes Who
When the sentence begins with ‘Nobody’, ‘None’, or ‘No one’, start the question with ‘Who’, but keep it positive, because these words carry a negative sense that becomes a positive question.
যখন বাক্যটি ‘Nobody’, ‘None’, বা ‘No one’ দিয়ে শুরু হয়, প্রশ্নটি ‘Who’ দিয়ে শুরু করো, কিন্তু হাঁ-বোধক রাখো, কারণ এই শব্দগুলো একটি না-বোধক ভাব বহন করে যা একটি হাঁ-বোধক প্রশ্ন হয়ে যায়।
Examples:
- Assertive: Nobody can deny his talent.
- Interrogative: Who can deny his talent?
- Assertive: None can escape death.
- Interrogative: Who can escape death?
Rule 6: Every + Noun becomes Which/What + Noun … not
When the sentence begins with ‘Every’ plus a noun (every man, every mother), start the question with ‘Which’ (or ‘What’) plus that noun, and add ‘not’, since ‘every’ carries a positive sense.
যখন বাক্যটি ‘Every’ এবং একটি noun (every man, every mother) দিয়ে শুরু হয়, প্রশ্নটি ‘Which’ (বা ‘What’) এবং সেই noun দিয়ে শুরু করো, আর ‘not’ যোগ করো, যেহেতু ‘every’ একটি হাঁ-বোধক ভাব বহন করে।
Examples:
- Assertive: Every man desires happiness.
- Interrogative: Which man does not desire happiness?
- Assertive: Every mother loves her child.
- Interrogative: Which mother does not love her child?
Rule 7: There is no + Noun becomes Is there any + Noun
When the sentence says ‘There is no’ plus a noun, turn it into ‘Is there any’ plus that noun, and add a question mark.
যখন বাক্যটি ‘There is no’ এবং একটি noun বলে, এটিকে ‘Is there any’ এবং সেই noun এ পরিণত করো, আর একটি প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন যোগ করো।
Examples:
- Assertive: There is no use crying over spilt milk.
- Interrogative: Is there any use crying over spilt milk?
- Assertive: There is no doubt about his honesty.
- Interrogative: Is there any doubt about his honesty?
The Reverse: Interrogative to Assertive
Exams also ask you to change an interrogative sentence back into an assertive one. Simply run the chart in reverse and flip the meaning back: ‘ever’ becomes ‘never’, ‘anything’ becomes ‘nothing’, ‘Who … not’ becomes ‘Everybody’, and ‘Who …’ becomes ‘Nobody’.
পরীক্ষা তোমাকে একটি interrogative বাক্যকে আবার assertive এ পরিণত করতেও বলে। শুধু chart টি উল্টোভাবে চালাও এবং অর্থ আবার উল্টে দাও: ‘ever’ হয় ‘never’, ‘anything’ হয় ‘nothing’, ‘Who … not’ হয় ‘Everybody’, আর ‘Who …’ হয় ‘Nobody’।
Examples:
- Interrogative: Who does not love flowers?
- Assertive: Everybody loves flowers.
- Interrogative: Has he ever helped the poor?
- Assertive: He has never helped the poor.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting to flip the meaning: a positive sentence must become a negative question, and the other way round. (অর্থ উল্টাতে ভুলো না।)
- Forgetting the question mark at the end. (প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন ভুলো না।)
- Using the wrong auxiliary: use do/does for the present, did for the past. (সঠিক auxiliary ব্যবহার করো।)
- Changing the meaning: only the structure changes, never the sense. (অর্থ বদলিও না।)
Practice Exercise with Answers
Part A: Change each assertive sentence into interrogative. Part B: Change each interrogative sentence into assertive.
নিজে চেষ্টা করার পরে নিচের উত্তরগুলো মিলিয়ে নাও।
Part A (Assertive to Interrogative):
- Honesty is the best policy.
- He does not obey his parents.
- She has never broken a promise.
- I have nothing to say in this matter.
- Everybody wishes to be happy.
- All were surprised at the news.
- Nobody can stop the sunrise.
- None was absent yesterday.
- Every man must die one day.
- There is no use worrying about it.
- Water is life.
- He is not a dishonest man.
- The rich are not always happy.
- Everyone respects a truthful person.
Part B (Interrogative to Assertive): 15. Who does not love flowers? 16. Can anybody deny this truth? 17. Is health not the greatest wealth? 18. Who can count the stars? 19. Has he ever helped the poor? 20. Which student does not want to pass?
Answers
Part A:
- Is honesty not the best policy?
- Does he obey his parents?
- Has she ever broken a promise?
- Have I anything to say in this matter?
- Who does not wish to be happy?
- Who was not surprised at the news?
- Who can stop the sunrise?
- Who was absent yesterday?
- Which man must not die one day?
- Is there any use worrying about it?
- Is water not life?
- Is he a dishonest man?
- Are the rich always happy?
- Who does not respect a truthful person?
Part B: 15. Everybody loves flowers. 16. Nobody can deny this truth. 17. Health is the greatest wealth. 18. Nobody can count the stars. 19. He has never helped the poor. 20. Every student wants to pass.
A Tip for the Exam
Approach every question in two quick steps. First, look for a special word, never, nothing, everybody, nobody, every, or ‘there is no’, and apply its rule from the chart. If there is none, treat it as a general sentence. Second, remember the golden rule: flip the meaning, positive to negative or negative to positive, move the auxiliary to the front, and add the question mark. Keep the sense unchanged, and these marks are yours every time.
প্রতিটি প্রশ্নে দুটি দ্রুত ধাপে এগোও। প্রথমে, একটি বিশেষ শব্দ খোঁজো, never, nothing, everybody, nobody, every, বা ‘there is no’, আর chart থেকে তার নিয়ম প্রয়োগ করো। কোনোটি না থাকলে, এটিকে general বাক্য হিসেবে ধরো। দ্বিতীয়ত, সোনালি নিয়মটি মনে রেখো: অর্থ উল্টাও, হাঁ-বোধক থেকে না-বোধক বা উল্টো, auxiliary কে সামনে আনো, আর প্রশ্নবোধক চিহ্ন যোগ করো। ভাব অপরিবর্তিত রাখো, তাহলে এই নম্বরগুলো প্রতিবারই তোমার।
Related Lessons
Keep learning transformation with these lessons:
- Transformation of Sentences: All Rules in One Guide
- Assertive to Imperative Sentence Transformation
- Assertive to Exclamatory Sentence Transformation
- Affirmative to Negative Sentence Transformation
- Degree Change: Positive, Comparative, Superlative
- Voice Changing Theory in English Grammar
- Kinds of Sentences in English Grammar
- Simple, Complex & Compound Sentences: How to Identify
- Simple to Complex & Complex to Simple Sentence Transformation
- Complex to Compound & Compound to Complex Sentence Transformation
- Simple to Compound & Compound to Simple Sentence Transformation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is assertive to interrogative transformation?
It is changing a statement (an assertive sentence) into a question (an interrogative sentence) without changing the meaning, such as “Everybody loves flowers” into “Who does not love flowers?”.
What is the main rule of this transformation?
Flip the meaning. If the assertive sentence is positive, the question becomes negative; if it is negative, the question becomes positive. Then move the auxiliary verb to the front and add a question mark.
How do ‘never’ and ‘nothing’ change?
‘Never’ becomes ‘ever’ and ‘nothing’ becomes ‘anything’, and the sentence turns into a question, as in “He has never lied” to “Has he ever lied?”.
How do ‘everybody’ and ‘nobody’ change?
‘Everybody’, ‘everyone’, and ‘all’ become “Who … not” (Who does not…?). ‘Nobody’, ‘none’, and ‘no one’ become “Who …” in the positive (Who can…?).
Why does the question keep the same meaning?
Because a negative question expects the answer ‘yes’. “Is honesty not the best policy?” expects ‘yes’, so it means the same as the statement “Honesty is the best policy.”