Question Words
Some Suggestions for Asking Questions in English Class
Some General Rules for Questions
- Remember that in English the form a simple question usually takes using just an auxillary verb is:
AUXILLARY + SUBJECT + ROOT VERB + OBJECT.
- Now, for questions using question words, the form doesn't usually change. You just add a question word at the beginning:
QUESTION WORD + AUXILLARY + SUBJECT + ROOT VERB + OBJECT.
- Note that in the case of "who", the structure is a little different when the subject is "who". As in the sentence:
Who is standing at the door?
In this case the structure is similar to the simple SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT form of a statement.
- Also, some question words take an object after them as in the case of "whose":
Whose notebook is that?
- And "which":
Which pen is on the table?
- And sometimes "what":
What time is it?
| Do (Did) you: | Is / Was she, he, it: |
| Do you enjoy traveling? | Is he going home early today? |
| Did you enjoy your trip? | Was Susan with her family? |
| Have you been enjoying the show? | |
| Are / Were you, they, we: | |
| Are you writing an essay? | |
| Were they serious about moving? |
Question Words
| Who: | What: |
| Who Calls from this phone every day? | What do you usually do on Tuesdays? |
| Who did you travel with? | What did you see in Paris? |
| Who hasn't taken their medication yet? | What hasn't been washed yet? |
| When: | Where: |
| When do you leave for Rome? | Where do you usually eat on special occasions? |
| When did you call? | Where did you eat yesterday? |
| When have you ever done what I've asked? | Where has Bob gone? |
| Why: | How + adjective: |
| Why do you always pick me? | How hard is the test? |
| Why did Felipe ask that question? | How deep is my love? |
| Why haven't you called the airline yet? | How long do I have to wait? |
| Whose: | How + adverb: |
| Whose book was on the floor? | How often do you go to the movies? |
| Whose pencil is this? | How late do you stay up? |
| Whose company is going bankrupt? | How soon are you leaving? |
| Which: | |
| Which CD is yours? | |
| Which dog is brown? | |
| Which movie did you wind up seeing? |
Question Words Test
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