Question Words
Learn to ask questions with What, Where, When, Who, Why, How and more.
5.1 — What are Question Words?
5.2 — Who, What, Which (people & things)
5.3 — Where, When, Why (place, time, reason)
5.4 — How, How many, How much, How often
5.5 — Question Word Order and Short Answers
5.1 What are Question Words?
Question words (also called Wh-words) are used to ask for specific information. They usually come at the beginning of a question. Common question words: what, where, when, who, whose, why, which, how.
Form: Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb? — e.g. "Where do you live?"| Question Word | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What | things / information | "What is your name?" |
| Where | place | "Where is the station?" |
| When | time | "When is your birthday?" |
| Who | people | "Who is your teacher?" |
5.2 Who, What, Which
Who = people. What = things or information. Which = choice between things.
Examples: "Who is that man?" · "What is this?" · "Which color do you like?"5.3 Where, When, Why
Where asks about place, When about time, and Why about reason. These words help us ask for details in everyday conversations.
Examples: "Where is the bank?" · "When does the train leave?" · "Why are you late?"5.4 How, How many, How much, How often
How asks about manner or way. How many (countable), How much (uncountable), and How often ask about frequency.
Examples: "How are you?" · "How many brothers do you have?" · "How often do you exercise?"5.5 Question Word Order and Short Answers
Question word + auxiliary (be, do, can, etc.) + subject + main verb? Short answers: Yes, I am. / No, I don’t. / Yes, he can.
Practice Quiz — A2 Level
20 questions selected from a pool of 50 · Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How & more · Click your answer for instant feedback
Choose the correct question word to complete each sentence. Think about people, place, time, reason, quantity or frequency. Click your answer for immediate feedback.