WH Question Words

​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.

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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:

​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.

Multiple Choice

.……..  did you see earlier today?

I saw James, the new football player.

• Who

• Which

• How

Multiple Choice

……….. did you do last weekend?

I watched movies and played hockey.

• Who

• What

• Whom

Multiple Choice

………… will you leave?

After the meeting.

• Who

• Whom

• When

Multiple Choice

…………… is David?

He’s still fine. Thanks for asking.

• Who

• Whom

• How

Multiple Choice

………….. ball is this?

It’s Nick’s.

• Who

• Whose

• Whom

Multiple Choice

…………. gave you this present?

That was my boyfriend, Harry.

• Who

• Whom

• Whose

Multiple Choice

…………. did he not come?

He was busy all day.

• How

• Why

• When

Multiple Choice

…….. suitcase is mine?

The blue one. The other is Jane’s.

• Who

• Whose

• Which

Multiple Choice

……….. long did it take to make such a big cake?

It took 2 hours.

• What

• When

• How