Tonight, a very old song: it was written in 1926. A man sings to the woman he loves, who has left him. And he asks her one question after another.
Learn from Songs · Unit 3: Questions · A2–B1
Are You Lonesome Tonight?
A famous old song of questions to someone far away: yes/no questions with be, do and does, offers with Shall I…?, short answers, and questions about the past (Did you…?), with Philo, and a lonely old teacher.
SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
Does she answer?
SOPHIA
We never know. That’s what makes it so sad.
MARCOS
Elvis! My grandmother would cry.
Before you listen: the song
Nashville, 1960
“Are You Lonesome Tonight?” was written in 1926, and many singers recorded it. In 1960, Elvis Presley had just come back from two years in the army. His manager suggested the song: it was his wife’s favourite. Elvis recorded it late at night, and asked for the studio lights to be turned off.
In the song, the singer asks the woman he loves whether she is lonely tonight, whether she misses him, whether she is sorry that they drifted apart, and whether her home feels empty without him. He even offers to come back.
In the middle, Elvis stops singing and speaks. His words borrow a famous idea from Shakespeare: that all the world is a stage, and we are all actors playing our parts. His love, he says, was a play in which she acted her part perfectly, but she didn’t mean a word of it.
It went to number one in the USA and Britain.
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. (Shakespeare, As You Like It)
Listen: the questions
PHILO
Listen once. Write down every question he asks. Which are about now, and which are about the past?
SOPHIA
Then listen to the spoken part in the middle: what does he compare their love to? Answer Section A.
🕯️ Listen to the song: “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (Roy Turk and Lou Handman, 1926), sung by Elvis Presley (1960).Listen to the official recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”, Elvis Presley.Read the lyrics →
Be, do and does
DEMETRIA
Are you lonely? Do you miss me? Does your home feel empty?
SOPHIA
Be questions: Are you…? Is she…? Other verbs: Do you…? Does she…? + base verb. Short answers repeat the auxiliary: Yes, I am. No, she doesn’t.
The past and offers
MARCOS
Did you love me? Shall I come back?
SOPHIA
Past questions: Did + subject + base verb? (Did you love…, not Did you loved…). And for offers and suggestions: Shall I…? Shall we…? Shall I open the window?
Sophia’s comparison: the play
SOPHIA
Shakespeare wrote that all the world is a stage. But the idea is older: our Greek actors wear masks, and the word for actor is hypokritēs.
PHILO
Hypocrite! So someone who acts a part in real life…
DEMETRIA
…is exactly what the singer says she was.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Are you…? Is she…? | yes/no questions with be | Are you lonely tonight? |
| Do you…? Does she…? | yes/no questions with other verbs | Do you miss me? |
| Did you…? + base verb | past questions | Did you love me? |
| Shall I…? Shall we…? | offers and suggestions | Shall I come back? |
| Yes, I do. / No, she isn’t. | short answers | Do you miss me? Yes, I do. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. What does the singer ask first?
2. Where is the woman he loves?
3. What does he offer?
4. What happens in the middle of the song?
5. What does he compare their love to?
6. How did Elvis record the song?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. you lonely tonight? (be)
8. she miss him? (does)
9. you love me then? (past)
10. I come back? (offer)
11. Do you miss me? Yes, I .
12. Did she answer? No, she .
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “Did you loved me?”
14. “Shall I open the door?”
15. “Is your house feel empty?”
16. “Are you sorry?”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Interview. In pairs, interview each other about last weekend with Did you…? questions, and about now with Are you…? Do you…?
Discuss. 1. Who might be lonely in your town? 2. What questions help someone talk about their feelings? 3. Do you agree that “all the world’s a stage”?
Write (80–100 words). A letter of questions. Write to someone you miss, asking at least eight questions about now and the past, and offering something with Shall I…?
Now play the gamebook: Philo visits his lonely old teacher.Play the gamebook →