How can you make your question more specific?

1 answer

Answer

1119751

2026-05-11 21:20

+ Follow

When asking a question, first think about your listener or reader. The listener or reader cannot see what is in your mind.
An example of a poorly written question: When was he born?
Readers will not know who "he" is unless you tell them.

So, second, think about your TOPIC. And think about what, specifically, that you want to know.

An example of a poorly written question: How far is Washington DC from here?
Readers cannot know where "here" is unless you specifically name the city and state.

Third and further, think about the structure of your writing when thinking about what you want to know.

An example of poorly written structure, though it gives most of what is needed:
What was his first song -- Justin Bieber?
or
Justin Bieber - what was his first song?

Both of these poorly structured questions makes it sound like you aren't thinking clearly about what you want. A teacher should circle this as an error in writing. On this website, it means a Supervisor will delete your question, or fix it so it can be answered.

Fourth, spelling really does matter! Do not use texting language. Spell out every Word.

An example of a poorly written and badly spelled question:
When he was preziden Gorege Wahsinton what he done?

Fifth, use a Question Word (Who, What, When, Where, or Why), followed by a subject Word and the proper tense verb.

An example of a poorly written and badly spelled question with no possibility of being answered:
bf don allott bad I don no wat do did were can? (This example would be deleted from this site.)

Sixth, review your question before you hit submit. Is your topic clearly named and is what you want to know specific? Did you tell everything that might be needed to get the right answer?

An example that may seem clear and specific, but is not:
Where does this bird live and what country does it migrate to?
-- WHAT specific kind of bird?
Where to buy this coat?
-- We cannot see the coat. Also has no subject: Where can you buy...
Would I look good in this haircut mysitepretty-hair.jpg?
-- We don't go out to any website to look at images.
Should I cut my hair short?
-- Opinion questions don't fare too well. You'll get a yes and a no.

Lastly, seventh, READ your own question a second time before you submit it. FIX any problems BEFORE you submit.



ReportLike(0ShareFavorite

Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.