LoginWh- Questions
In this lesson we learn about wh- questions, exploring advanced structures, nuances, and their use in both formal and informal contexts. Clear explanations and practice exercises to help you learn.
What Are Wh- Questions?
Wh- questions are a type of question that start with wh-words. Wh- questions are used to gather information about a topic or situation, so you cannot answer them with 'yes' or 'no.'
Interrogative Words
There are three groups of interrogative words in English that are used in formation of wh-questions:
Interrogative adverbs: when (time), where (place), why (reason), and how (manner)
Interrogative determiners: what, which, and whose
Who is your favorite author?
"who" is an interrogative pronoun
Where do you live?
"where" is an interrogative adverb
Whose book did you borrow?
"whose" is an interrogative determiner, followed by a noun
Wh- Questions: Structure
Wh-questions are mostly formed with an auxiliary. However, there are some cases where they can be formed without an auxiliary.
1. With an Auxiliary Verb
When there is an auxiliary or modal verb in the sentence, the structure of wh- questions can be as follows:
wh- word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb
When are you moving out?
Where do you live?
What have you done?
or
wh- word + modal verb + subject + main verb
Who would you like to talk to?
What should I do?
2. Without an Auxiliary Verb
Some interrogative pronouns and determiners can function as the subject of the question in the simple present and simple past tenses. When this is the case, no auxiliary verb is needed. The interrogative words that can function as subject are:
what
who
which
whose
In such cases, the structure of the question would be as follows:
wh-word + main verb + rest of the sentence
What fell off the wall?
Who bought this?
Whose phone rang?
Answering Wh- Questions
Wh- questions are asked to gather information. Thus, they cannot be answered with a simple 'yes' or 'no'; rather, some relevant information must be provided in the answer. Pay attention to the examples:
- 'Where is that book you were reading last night?' + 'It is in the bedroom.'
- 'How old is your son?' + 'He's 12.'
Negative Wh- Questions
To form negative wh- questions, the interrogative word remains unchanged and the auxiliary verb 'be,' 'do', or 'have' is negated using "not". For example:
Why are you surprised? → Why aren't you surprised?
When do you want to leave? → When don't you want to leave?
When the interrogative word is the subject of the clause and there is no auxiliary, negative questions are formed by adding the negated form of "do" to the questions. For example:
Who wants chocolate? → Who doesn't want chocolate?
Which door opened? → Which door didn't open?
Wh- Questions: Intonation
Wh- questions are typically expressed with a falling (↘) intonation, which emphasizes the most important syllable.
Review
Wh- questions are used to ask for information about something. The answers to these questions are not 'yes' or 'no.'
Here are some wh-words that are used to ask wh-questions.
what | when | where |
who | whom | which |
whose | why | how |
The general structure for wh-questions is to put the wh-word at the beginning of a sentence followed by a yes/no question. Look at the following examples:
What are you doing?
Who eats chicken?
Quiz:
Complete the sentence with the correct interrogative word. (There are two extra options.)
did you leave the party so early?
won the chess competition last year?
do you go after work?
house was on fire last night?
book did you borrow from the library?
Which of the following sentences correctly forms a negative wh-question with an auxiliary verb?
Why don't you like pizza?
When you don't go to the gym?
Who hasn't you invited to the party?
Where does she live not?
Choose the correct wh-question for the following statement: "She painted a beautiful mural on the wall".
Who did paint the mural on the wall?
Who painted the mural on the wall?
Who was painting the mural on the wall?
Who does paint the mural on the wall?
Match each word or sentence fragment with the correct ending to form a wh- question.
Arrange the words to form a negative wh-question.
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