Wh- Questions
Wh- questions ask for specific information — a person, place, time, reason, or thing. They begin with a question word and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
The wh- question words
| Question word | Asks about | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| What | Things, ideas, information | What is your name? What happened? |
| Who | People (subject) | Who called you? Who is she? |
| Whom | People (object) — formal | Whom did you see? To whom did she speak? |
| Where | Place or location | Where do you live? Where is the station? |
| When | Time | When does it start? When were you born? |
| Why | Reason or cause | Why are you late? Why did she leave? |
| How | Manner, method, degree | How do you do that? How far is it? |
| Which | Choice between options | Which dress do you prefer? Which bus goes to the centre? |
| Whose | Ownership / possession | Whose bag is this? Whose turn is it? |
Structure of wh- questions
The structure is: question word + auxiliary + subject + base verb?
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Wh- + do/does + subject + base verb? | Where do you work? |
| Present continuous | Wh- + am/is/are + subject + verb-ing? | What are you doing? |
| Past simple | Wh- + did + subject + base verb? | When did she arrive? |
| Present perfect | Wh- + have/has + subject + past participle? | How long have you lived here? |
| Future simple | Wh- + will + subject + base verb? | Where will you stay? |
| Modal | Wh- + modal + subject + base verb? | What should I do? |
Subject questions — no inversion needed
When who or what is asking about the subject of the sentence, no inversion or auxiliary is needed. The question word takes the place of the subject directly.
| Object question (inversion) | Subject question (no inversion) |
|---|---|
| Who did Maria call? (we know Maria called someone) | Who called Maria? (we don't know who called) |
| What did he break? (we know he broke something) | What broke the window? (what was the cause) |
| Who do you love? | Who loves you? |
How + adjective/adverb combinations
How combines with adjectives and adverbs to ask about degree, quantity, or measurement.
| Combination | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How much | Quantity (uncountable) | How much does it cost? |
| How many | Quantity (countable) | How many people were there? |
| How long | Duration or length | How long have you waited? |
| How far | Distance | How far is the station? |
| How often | Frequency | How often do you exercise? |
| How old | Age | How old are you? |
| How tall | Height | How tall is she? |
What do you do? (present simple — job/habit)
What are you doing? (present continuous — right now)
Where did they go last night? (past simple)
How long have you been waiting? (present perfect continuous)
Why will she be late? (future simple)
Common error — statement word order in questions: Never use statement word order in wh- questions: Where you live? ✗ → Where do you live? ✓. The auxiliary must come before the subject. The only exception is subject questions (Who called?) where the wh- word is itself the subject.
Tip: To form a wh- question, start with a yes/no question and add the question word at the front. Does she work here? → Where does she work? Did he arrive late? → When did he arrive?