Apostila wh- questions

Wh- Questions Booklet

Summary

Definition 3
Grammar 4
Dictionary 6
Fun! – Lyrics 15
Fun! – Comics 16

Definition

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

You use You want to know 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:

You use You want to know Which (one)? Choice of alternatives Whose? Possession Whom? Person (formal) How much? Price, amount (uncountable) How many? Quantity (countable) How long? Duration How often? Frequency How far? Distance What kind (of)? Description

Grammar

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. 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.

• You will leave some time.
…will you leave
When will you leave?

• He is doing something.
…is he doing
What is he doing?

• They have been somewhere.
…have they been
Where have they been?

If there is no auxiliary and the verb is to be, invert the subject and verb, then add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.

• He is someone.
…is he
Who is he?

• The meeting