Explanations, Examples, Exercises
Wh- Questions
Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows
| When? | Time |
| Where? | Place |
| Who? | Person |
| Why? | Reason |
| How? | Manner |
| What? | Object/Idea/Action |
Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:
| Which (one)? | Choice of alternatives |
| Whose? | Possession |
| Whom? | Person (objective formal) |
| How much? | Amount (non-count) |
| How many? | Quantity (count) |
| How long? | Duration |
| How often? | Frequency |
| How far? | Distance |
| What kind (of)? | Description |
The “grammar” used with wh- questions depends on whether the topic being asked about is the “subject” or “predicate” of a sentence. For the subject pattern, simply replace the person or thing being asked about with the appropriate wh-word.
| (Someone has my baseball.) | Who has my baseball? |
| (Something is bothering you.) | What is bothering you? |
For the predicate pattern, wh- question formation depends on whether there is an “auxiliary” verb in the original sentence. Auxiliary or “helping” verbs are verbs that precede main verbs. Auxiliary verbs are italicized in the following sentences.
| I can do it. |
| They are leaving. |
| I have eaten my lunch. |
| I should have finished my homework. |
To make a question using the predicate pattern, first form a yes/no question by inverting the subject and (first) auxiliary verb. Then, add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.
Watch the video below for more information.
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