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WH- questions (Question Words)

There are two main types of questions: Yes/No questions and WH- question. WH-questions are questions starting with WH-words including: what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why and how.

Question words are used to ask about specific qualities, times, places, people and so on. Below is a list of question words and example sentences:

Question words

Usages

Examples

What

Used to ask about things

- What are you doing?

- What do you think about the movie?

When

Used to ask about time

- When will the meeting start?

 - When are you leaving?

Where

Used to ask about places

- Where’s my bag?

- Where do you live?

Who

Used to ask about people

- Who do you love the most in your family?

- Who told you that story?

Whom

Used to ask about people (object of verb)

- Whom did you see in the morning?  I saw Mr. Mark, my English teacher.

- Whom was Jim talking to? He was talking to Jack, his new roommate.

Which 

Used to ask about choices

- Which one do you choose? The left or right?

- Of all the drinks in the menu, which one would you like?

Whose

Used to ask about possession

- Whose pencil is this? Is it yours?

- Whose books are these?

Why

Used to ask about reasons/ causes

- Why did it happen? I didn’t understand.

- Why is he crying?

How

Used to ask about manner/ process

- How can you explain this problem? Please tell us.

- How can you get here?

I. How to form WH-questions?

1. with an auxiliary

WH-WORD + AUXILIARY + SUBJECT + MAIN VERB …?

  • Auxiliary verbs are helping verbs (not main verbs).
  • Common auxiliary verbs include be, do, have. Others are will, shall, would, can, could, must, should, may, might, etc.
  • What do you do for a living?
  • Why should we read books?
  • When is she coming?
2. without any auxiliary
(when WH-words replace subjects already)

WH-WORD + MAIN VERB …?

  • What happened to Peter?
  • A bad accident happened to him today.
  • Who won the game?
  • Tio won the game.
  • Who gave you this present?
  • My cousin gave me this present.

II. Responding to WH-questions

1. What
  • What is it?
  • It’s a table.
  • What color is your dress?
  • It’s purple.
  • What is your mom doing?
  • She’s cooking in the kitchen.
  • What do you think about the party?
  • Well. It’s fun. I like the music best.
  • What will happen if our team loses this time?
  • We’ll be out of the game.
2. When
  • When will the train arrive?
  • The train will arrive in 30 minutes.
  • When does she get up?
  • She gets up at 6 am.
  • When did the party end?
  • It ended before 8 pm.
  • When are you going to visit James?
  • I’m going to see him tomorrow.
3. Where
  • Where do you live?
  • I live in Washington D.C.
  • Where are you going?
  • I’m going to the zoo.
  • Where’s the coffee bar?
  • It’s between the supermarket and the cinema.
  • Where did you leave my jacket?
  • I left it in my bedroom.
  • Where have you been?
  • I’ve been in the library reading books.
4. Who
  • Who’s this?
  • She’s my new roommate.
  • Who wants to be a scientist in the future?
  • My sister does. I don’t.
  • Who would you like to travel with?
  • I would like to travel with my best friend, Kim.
  • Who told you that secret?
  • Jenny did. She told me everything.
  • Who do you like the most in this class?
  • I like Henry. He’s so friendly.
5. Whom
  • Whom should we talk to?
  • We should talk to the principal. She’s responsible for student issues.
  • Whom did you see yesterday?
  • I saw Kevin and his girlfriend.
  • Whom would you like to interview?
  • I would like to interview Mr.Patrick, the director.
  • Whom do we have to contact?
  • We have to contact the representative of that company.
  • Whom did you meet in front of the building last week?
  • That was Annie, my secretary.
  • Whom do you know in this class?
  • I only know Danny.
  • Whom are you going to invite?
  • I’m going to invite all of my classmates
  • With whom do you agree?
  • I agree with Henry’s team.
6. Which
  • Which shirt do you like?
  • I like the one with the big yellow star on it.
  • Which color do you choose?
  • I choose red.
  • Which part do you like the most in this story?
  • I love the 2nd part when the prince came and proposed to the princess.
  • Which is the longest river in the world?
  • That’s the Nile.
  • Which one is yours?
  • Mine is the biggest one.
7. Whose
  • Whose jacket is this?
  • It’s my mom’s.
  • Whose birthday is today?
  • It’s Jenny’s.
  • Whose pencil is on the floor?
  • That’s mine.
  • Whose team is better?
  • Will’s team is much better.
8. Why
  • Why don’t we visit him now?
  • It’s a good idea.
  • Why did you leave so early?
  • Because I didn’t enjoy the party.
  • Why do you think that he loves you?
  • Because he’s given me lots of chocolate on Valentine’s day.
  • Why do people celebrate Thanksgiving?
  • Because it’s a special day.
  • Why can’t I go to the cinema now?
  • Because you haven’t done your homework.
  • Why are you so late?
  • Sorry, teacher. I missed the bus.
9. How
  • How’s the weather?
  • It’s sunny and hot.
  • How do you feel?
  • I feel much better now.
  • How did you know him?
  • We were old friends.
  • How’s your new job?
  • It’s interesting. I enjoy it.
  • How often do you go to the movie theater?
  • I sometimes go there. I’m quite busy.
  • How far is it from your house to school?
  • Not too far. I walk to school every day.
  • How much did it cost?
  • It cost $4.
  • How many people are there in your class?
  • There are 30 of them.
  • How come you lost the game?
  • I couldn’t answer the first question well enough.

Wh Questions Test

[qsm quiz=1]

 

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