WH-Questions: Learn How to Ask and Respond

In English, there are two main types of questions: Yes/No questions and WH-questions. WH-questions begin with question words such as what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why, and how.

Question Words and Their Usages:

What

Used to ask about things:
What are you doing?
Used to ask about opinions:
What do you think about the movie?

When

Used to ask about time:
When will the meeting start?
Used to ask about plans or schedules:
When are you leaving?

Where

Used to ask about places:
Where's my bag?
Used to ask about locations:
Where do you live?

Who

Used to ask about people:
Who do you love the most in your family?
Used to ask about the subject of an action:
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.
Used to ask about the recipient of an action:
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?
Used to ask about preferences:
Of all the drinks on the menu, which one would you like?

Whose

Used to ask about possession:
Whose pencil is this? Is it yours?
Used to ask about ownership:
Whose books are these?

Why

Used to ask about reasons/causes:
Why did it happen? I didn't understand.
Used to ask about motivations:
< b>Why is he crying?

How

Used to ask about manner/process:
How can you explain this problem? Please tell us.
Used to ask about means or methods:
How can you get here?

How to Form WH-Questions

With an auxiliary

Wh-word + auxiliary + subject + main verb ... ?

What do you do for a living?
What do you do for a living?
Why should we read books?
Why should we read books?
When is she coming?
When is she coming?

Without any auxiliary

(when WH-words replace subjects already)

What happened to Peter?
What happened to Peter?
Who won the game?
Who won the game?
Who gave you this present?
Who gave you this present?

Responding to WH-Questions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.