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
Usages ExamplesExamples
words

- What are you doing?

What Used to ask about things
- What do you think about the movie?

- When will the meeting start?

When Used to ask about time
- When are you leaving?

- Where’s my bag?
Where Used to ask about places
- Where do you live?

- Who do you love the most in your family?

Who Used to ask about people
- Who told you that story?

- Whom did you see in the morning? I saw

Used to ask about people Mr. Mark, my English teacher.
Whom
(object of verb) - Whom was Jim talking to? He was talking
to Jack, his new roommate.

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

Which Used to ask about choices - Of all the drinks in the menu, which one
would you like?

Used to ask about - Whose pencil is this? Is it yours?

Whose
possession - Whose books are these?

Used to ask about - Why did it happen? I didn’t understand.

Why
reasons/ causes - Why is he crying?
 Question
Usages ExamplesExamples
words

- How can you explain this problem? Please

Used to ask about
How tell us.
manner/ process
- 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.