We use Question Words to form questions and ask for information.
What do you want? I want a cup of coffee.
Who is he? He is John.
Who is that girl? She’s my sister.
Who We ask about people.
We ask who something belongs Whose ball is that? It’s Peter’s.
Whos to.
What is this? It’s a ball.
We ask about animals, things, What does he do? He’s a doctor.
What actions, professions, etc. What colour is your car? It’s red.
What time is it? It’s nine o’clock.
We ask about people, animals or
Which dress do you like, the
Which things (when we choose from a green or the red one? The green
small group). one.
Wher We ask about places. Where do you live? In Rome.
When We ask about time. When is he coming? On Monday.
We ask about the reason why Why is the baby crying? Because
Why something happens.
he is hungry.
We ask about the way in which How do you go to school? By bus.
How something happens or about How are you? I’m fine.
someone's health.
HOW
We use How + adjective / adverb when we ask for specific information.
How often
We ask about the frequency of an action.
How old How often do you go to the cinema?
Every week.
How much + uncountable nouns
We ask about the age.
How old is she? She’s seventy.
How many + plural countable nouns
We ask about the
quantity or
the price.
Questions which take yes / no for an answer start with auxiliary verbs, not with
Question Words.
Is Betty your friend? No, she isn’t.
Have you got a pet? Yes, I have.
Does he go to the cinema on Fridays? Yes, he does.
Prepositions with Question Words
If the Question Word goes with a preposition, we place the preposition
at the end of the question.
Who
What + with / at / for / of / in / to … ?
Which
Who is this rose for?
Which hospital is he in?
What is he talking about?
from
Where + ?
to
…
Where did he buy the present from?
Where does he send the letter to?
A. Write questions using Question Words and the words below, as in the example.
Then answer them.
1. How many brothers / sisters have you got? ____________________
2. ________________________________ ? ____________________
3. ________________________________ ? ____________________
4. ________________________________ ? ____________________
5. ________________________________ ? ____________________
6. ________________________________ ? ____________________
7. ________________________________ ? ____________________
B. Complete the blanks with the words in the box.
1. ____________ legs has an elephant got? Four.
2. ____________ is ice? Frozen water.
3. ____________ do you go to work? By car.
4. ____________ is your birthday? In July.
5. ____________ is the Queen of England? Queen Elizabeth.
6. ____________ shop is that? It’s Samantha’s.
7. ____________ do birds fly South? Once a year.
8. ____________ are they laughing? Because they are watching a funny film.
9. ____________ milk do you drink? Two glasses every day?
10. ____________ car is new, the blue or the red car? The blue car.
11. ____________ is the Parthenon? In Greece.
12. ____________ are you doing? I’m making a model aeroplane.
C. Complete the blanks with the following Question Words:
what where
when who
whose
Mike: Hello! I 'm Mike. Who are you?
Jack: Hi! I'm Jack, your new roommate. ________ are you?
Mike: Fine, thanks. ________ are you from, Jack?
Jack: I'm from Canada.
Mike: Great! ________ bed do you want?
Jack: The bed near the window.
Mike: Fine. ________ suitcases have you got? Two?
Jack: No, just one.
Mike: Oh! ________ suitcase is that?
Jack: It's my brother's. He's staying here too.
Mike: ________ is he coming?
Jack: In a few minutes. He's downstairs.
Mike: ________ is he doing?
Jack: He's talking to our parents. ________ do you tidy up your room?
Mike: I never tidy up my room. I like it untidy.
Jack: Oh!
D. Complete the blanks with Question Words as in the example. The phrases in bold type are
the answers.
1. What is very hot? The sun is very hot.
2. __________ is Pam going? Pam is going to Africa.
3. __________ does Tom eat dinner? Tom eats dinner at 8 o’clock.
4. __________ is on the phone? Ben is on the phone.
5. __________ do you play the piano? I play the piano every Monday.
6. __________ diary is this? This is Janet’s diary.
E. Complete the questions with a preposition from the box.
from about to
with to at
1. Who are you writing to? My friend Paul.
2. What are you looking _____ ? A painting.
3. Where is Marco _____ ? Italy.
4. What are you waiting _____ ? The bus.
5. Who is your sister playing _____ ? Mary and Rose.
6. What are they listening _____ ? Pop music.
7. Where did Ann send the parcel _____ ? Her mother’s house.
8. Who are you in love _____ ? Peter.
9. What is your book _____ ? History.
