Saint Andrews

Wh- words/Questions
WHO

Use who to ask about a person.

Who is that?

It’s our new teacher.

Who did you invite to your party?

I invited Maria, Lee, and Abdul.

WHAT

Use what to ask about a thing.

What is your favorite movie?

I love The Shawshank Redempti on.

What did you do last night?

I did my homework.

WHERE

Use where to ask about a place.

Where do you live?

I live in California.

Where is your school?

It’s on Somerset Street.

WHEN

Use when to ask about a ti me.

When does the class start?

It starts at 9:00 am.

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When did you wake up?

I woke up at 7:30 am. Seven thirty

WHY

Use why to ask about a reason.

Why do you like reading so much?

I like it because I can learn new things.

Why did you call me?

I called you to invite you to my party.

HOW

Use how to ask about a method/way.

How do you turn on this computer?

You have to hold down the power butt on.

How did your presentati on go?

It went well.

WHICH

Use which to ask about a choice.

Which do you prefer, chicken or steak?

I prefer chicken.

Which dress did you decide to wear?

I decided to wear the black one.

To Dress - verb

A Dress - noun
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WHOSE

Use whose to ask about possession.

Whose book is this?

It’s mine.

Whose car did you borrow?

I borrowed my friend’s car.

Patt erns

There are two basic patt erns for making Wh- questi ons in English.

Be Verb Patt ern 1:

Wh- word + Be + subject

Who is that?

How are you?

Verb Patt ern 2:

Wh- word + aux* + subject + verb

What do you want?

Why did you quit?

*Aux means auxiliary verb. In questi ons, it is usually do, does, or did. It can also
be a modal like can or should. For diff erent tenses, it can be will (future), have
(present perfect), etc.

EXTRA

How
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Questi ons with how oft en involve the way someone is feeling.

Questi on Answer

How are you? I’m fi ne.

How do you feel? I’m nervous.

How are you feeling? Not great. I caught a cold.

How is oft en used with another word such as oft en (to ask about frequency),
much (to ask about cost), or many (to ask about an amount).

Questi on Answer

How oft en do you brush your teeth? I brush my teeth twice a day.

How much does this jacket cost? It costs $75.00.

How many dogs do you have? We have two.

What

What is oft en used with another word such as ti me (to ask about clock ti me).

Questi on Answer

What ti me is it? It’s 4:30.

What ti me does the show start? It starts at 8:00 pm.

What is also used before another noun to ask about a choice. It is usually
interchangeable with which.

Questi on Answer

What movie do you want to watch? Let’s watch the new Star Wars.

Which movie do you want to watch? Let’s watch the new Star Wars.

What kind of ice cream do you want? I would like chocolate, please.

Which kind of ice cream do you want? I would like chocolate, please.
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