How does it works

«How it works?» vs «How does it work?»

What is the difference between:

4 Answers 4

Short answer

Your first example, how it works, is a free relative clause which cannot be used as a question. Your second, How does it work?, is an ordinary question.

Longer answer

Two sorts of clause employ IPs: questions and free relative clauses. In both types of clause the IP represents a constituent of an ordinary declarative clause, ‘moved’ to the beginning of the clause from the place where the constituent would normally stand:

But the two sorts of clause play very different roles, and have different syntactic structures:

A question asks the hearer to supply the value for the variable named by the IP and defined by the remainder of the clause. A question is an independent clause—it can stand on its own.

The first syntactic rule is that first constituent 1 after the IP must be a tensed verb. If the IP stands for the subject of the clause, nothing has to move, because the IP and the verb are already in these positions:

But if the IP stands for some other constituent, the tensed verb must fall before the Subject, and a second rule comes into play: the tensed verb must be an Auxiliary. (Grammarians call this subject-auxiliary inversion.) If the ‘canonical’ statement version of the clause does not have an Auxiliary verb, the appropriate form of DO is pressed into service. (Grammarians call this DO-support)

Thus the proper form for a question using how is this, with both subject-auxiliary inversion and DO-support:

1 Note that an adjunct—a non-essential syntactic component—is allowed to fall between the IP and the tensed verb: Who recently wrote an app?

A free relative clause does not ask for the value of the IP but designates it—hearers may fill it in from their knowledge, but the actual value is not required.

A free relative clause does not call for either inversion or DO-support, regardless of which constituent the IP stands for. After the IP at the beginning, the ‘natural’ order of a declarative sentence is maintained, Subject-Verb-Objects/Complements; the only thing that signals that this is not an ordinary declarative sentence is that something is missing where a constituent was ‘replaced’ by the IP and ‘moved’ to the front.

A free relative clause is always a dependent clause—it is embedded inside a ‘head’ clause and acts as a noun phrase. In these three examples, the head clause is in ordinary black type; the free relative acts as Direct Object, as Subject, and as the Object of the preposition about.
_{(Since DO-support is not in play here the tensed verbs are not distinguished.)} How it works, then, with the subject before the verb, is a free relative clause. Here are some examples of how it might be used:

“Does it work” vs “Is it working”: 12 examples on when to use each of them

When you want to find out about the functionality of a particular item, two of the most common questions you’ll hear are “does it work?” or “is it working?”. And although both of these are grammatically correct, when you should say which one depends on the situation. Today, we’ll look at some of the critical differences between “does it work” and “is it working”, and by the end of this article, you’ll never get it wrong again.

When to use “does it work” and “is it working?”

“Is it working?” is for when something is being used right now.

“Does it work?” is for when you want to know if something works in general, say,

Let’s say you tell me about a TV powered by potatoes. To find out if potatoes can power a TV, I might ask, “Does it work?”. When you show me, but I can’t see anything, I might ask, “Is it working?”.

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When to use “Is it working?”

“Is it working?” is written in the present continuous. This refers to actions that are happening right at this very moment. For example, if I say, “I am walking to work”, I am describing my current actions.

If the answer to “Is it working” is yes, you still don’t know if it will still work in the future, so you should ask this question when you need to use something.

5 examples of “Is it working?”

“First, is it working? Does that change have to take place? These are important questions with no standard answers.”

“Minister, what is the Installed capacity and at what rate is it working?

“Does the bathroom have a ground fault interrupter and is it working?

“Is it working well because it is producing ruin with some rapidity in this particular Colony?

“So let us ask ourselves a question: is it working, because if isn’t working then we should just change track.”

Synonyms for “Is it working?”

There are plenty of other alternatives, but these were the first ones that came to my mind.

When to use “Does it work?”

“Does it work” is written in the present perfect. This refers to actions that happen regularly. For example, if I say “I walk to work”, I am not describing my current actions. I am, however, explaining how I regularly get to work. However, this is still the present tense because I’m talking about a fact about me that still applies at the moment.

“Does it work” should be used when asking if something works all the time? Or asking if something works in general.

So, if I tell you that I always boil my potatoes in stock, you can ask, “does it work?”.

7 examples of “Does it work?”

“does it work on the old iPhone?”

“Firstly, YouTube algorithm already flags copyright content. How does it work?”

“If they keep trying, the other guy (BSV) will win so… how does it work out in that context?”

“”How does it work then?” She stood up and stood in front of him. She looked at him closely and smiled”

“Does it work even if just one dose is taken?”

“How does it work for folk with no mobiles?”

“How the heck does it work only from your side and not hers?”

Synonyms for “Does it work?”

Interestingly, all of the “Does it work” synonyms is that we can create them by taking the “Is it working” synonyms and changing some of the tenses.

“Does it work” and “is it working” kind of mean the same thing, but at the same time, kind of don’t. If you want to know about right now, you need to ask, “is it working?” If you want to know about general, ask, “does it work?”.

Martin is the founder of Grammarhow.com. With top grades in English and teaching experience at university level, he is on a mission to share all of his knowledge about the English language. Having written thousands of articles, he is an expert at explaining difficult topics in a simple language.

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How Does It Work?

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For example, hundreds of thousands of skilled foreign workers each year move to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States and other top destinations for expat workers to live, work and enjoy the many opportunities available there.

Employers Need Workers

While existing businesses expand and new companies are created, the world’s population is also growing older and more people are retiring from the labor force, making it a challenge for many employers to find suitable employees to hire.

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How does email work?

An email is an electronic text message constructed and sent through an email client (such as Microsoft Outlook). Once written, the sending process begins, with the email client connecting to a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) server via the internet and through a DSL or line modem. The client then communicates with the SMTP part of your designated email server (for instance, GoogleMail) through a dedicated port.

During the transmission between your email client and server, your email client relays the header information of your email – in particular the recipient’s address and the contents within the email body. At this point the SMTP converts the information to a TXT file to send across the web.

Based on the header information within your email, the SMTP server then contacts the recipient’s correct email server. Using the ‘@’ sign as a divider, the SMTP takes the second part of the address to determine the location of the recipient’s server. If the domain name is the same as the sender’s, the SMTP simply transfers the email information across. If the domain name is different, the SMTP contacts a DNS (domain name system) server and requests the exact IP address for the relating domain name’s hosted email server, such as those provided by Fasthosts.

Once the IP address has been obtained, the sender’s SMTP server sends out a signal message to the recipient’s SMTP over the web and all its gateways informing them that they have received a message. From then, the two servers converse with each other and the email is transferred.

The TXT file converts back into its original form, dropping the message into the bottom of the addressee’s mailbox. Finally, when the recipient logs in to their email client, it connects to the internet and commands the recipient’s POP3/IMAP (post office protocol/internet message access protocol) server to download all pending messages for viewing on the local machine.

How email works

Email jargon buster

Email client

An application used to view, compose and send emails. Examples include Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Exchange or web-based ones such as www.mail.com.

Email server

A remote machine hosting your email, perhaps sourced from a freemail provider or a web-hosting company such as Fasthosts. The server is split into an SMTP server and a POP3/IMAP server.

Email address

Your unique online site for emailed material that uses a domain name, either individual to you or shared by a company/institution, etc.

DNS (domain name system)

A remote server used to convert domain names to IP addresses (unique 32-bit numbers).

SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol)

The part of the email server that starts the process for outgoing mail and receiving mail into the correct server.

POP3 (post office protocol)/IMAP (internet message access protocol)

These parts of an email server store and download incoming mail for each user account.

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What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

By Jen Clark | 4 minute read | November 17, 2016

There’s a lot of noise at the moment about the Internet of Things (or IoT) and its impact on everything from the way we travel and do our shopping to the way manufacturers keep track of inventory. But what is the Internet of Things? How does it work? And is it really that important?

What is the Internet of Things?

In a nutshell, the Internet of Things is the concept of connecting any device (so long as it has an on/off switch) to the Internet and to other connected devices. The IoT is a giant network of connected things and people – all of which collect and share data about the way they are used and about the environment around them.

That includes an extraordinary number of objects of all shapes and sizes – from smart microwaves, which automatically cook your food for the right length of time, to self-driving cars, whose complex sensors detect objects in their path, to wearable fitness devices that measure your heart rate and the number of steps you’ve taken that day, then use that information to suggest exercise plans tailored to you. There are even connected footballs that can track how far and fast they are thrown and record those statistics via an app for future training purposes.

How does it work?

Devices and objects with built in sensors are connected to an Internet of Things platform, which integrates data from the different devices and applies analytics to share the most valuable information with applications built to address specific needs.

These powerful IoT platforms can pinpoint exactly what information is useful and what can safely be ignored. This information can be used to detect patterns, make recommendations, and detect possible problems before they occur.

For example, if I own a car manufacturing business, I might want to know which optional components (leather seats or alloy wheels, for example) are the most popular. Using Internet of Things technology, I can:

The information picked up by connected devices enables me to make smart decisions about which components to stock up on, based on real-time information, which helps me save time and money.

With the insight provided by advanced analytics comes the power to make processes more efficient. Smart objects and systems mean you can automate certain tasks, particularly when these are repetitive, mundane, time-consuming or even dangerous. Let’s look at some examples to see what this looks like in real life.

Scenario #1: IoT in your home

Imagine you wake up at 7am every day to go to work. Your alarm clock does the job of waking you just fine. That is, until something goes wrong. Your train’s cancelled and you have to drive to work instead. The only problem is that it takes longer to drive, and you would have needed to get up at 6.45am to avoid being late. Oh, and it’s pouring with rain, so you’ll need to drive slower than usual. A connected or IoT-enabled alarm clock would reset itself based on all these factors, to ensure you got to work on time. It could recognize that your usual train is cancelled, calculate the driving distance and travel time for your alternative route to work, check the weather and factor in slower travelling speed because of heavy rain, and calculate when it needs to wake you up so you’re not late. If it’s super-smart, if might even sync with your IoT-enabled coffee maker, to ensure your morning caffeine’s ready to go when you get up.

Scenario #2: IoT in transport

Having been woken by your smart alarm, you’re now driving to work. On comes the engine light. You’d rather not head straight to the garage, but what if it’s something urgent? In a connected car, the sensor that triggered the check engine light would communicate with others in the car. A component called the diagnostic bus collects data from these sensors and passes it to a gateway in the car, which sends the most relevant information to the manufacturer’s platform. The manufacturer can use data from the car to offer you an appointment to get the part fixed, send you directions to the nearest dealer, and make sure the correct replacement part is ordered so it’s ready for you when you show up.

Find out more

We’ve got lots of examples that show the Internet of Things in action. Check out Olli, the self-driving car, or Candy, the cognitive sweet dispenser that will only dish out the sugar when you ask nicely. Got questions? We’d love to hear them! Let us know in the comments below.