How to answer wh questions in English?

Responding to wh-questions Wh-questions ask for information and we do not expect a yes-no answer to a wh-question. We expect an answer which gives information : A: Where's the coffee machine?

What are the 7 WH questions?

These words are often used when we want to request information from someone. The most common Wh- question words in English are: “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” “which,” “whose,” and “how.”

What is an example of a WH type question?

What are some examples of 5 W questions? When When is dinner? Where did she leave her shoes? Where Where did they go on holiday? Where was the play? What What did he say? What happened yesterday? Why Why did the tree fall Why are the chairs missing? Who Who was at the door? Who stole the car?

What are the rules for the 20 questions in ESL?

The students have to guess of what thing the person who is it is thinking by asking him or her at most 20 yes/no type questions. If no one guesses the answer after 20 tries, the answer is revealed. A "yes" answer earns the questioner another chance to ask, a "no" passes the asking on to the next player.

How to teach children to ask WH questions?

Interrupt stories and ask a series of questions related to the story topic. Ask your child to create questions about the story with Who, What, When, Where, or Why as the first word of his/her question. Children learn from these prompts and will begin using these comprehension strategies while reading on their own.

How do you teach ESL students to ask questions?

5 Ways to Improve ESL Student Questions Model Standard Questions. When teaching beginners to ask questions, the best way to start is by modeling the questions and having them repeat. ... Emphasize Word Order. ... Practice Question Words. ... Use Prompts/Context Clues. ... Give Them Greater Freedom.

How do you teach speaking skills to ESL students?

ESL teachers can vary the interaction patterns by using different formats, such as pair work, group work, role plays, simulations, debates, or presentations . Varying the interaction patterns helps the students develop different speaking skills, such as fluency, accuracy, coherence, pronunciation, or pragmatics.

WH Questions in English with Examples

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We use some specific words to ask questions. Wh-words are some of such words that usually begin with “W” and “H.” The questions that we produce with wh-words are called wh-questions. They are very commonly used in our everyday conversation. In this post, I’ll share the structure of wh-questions and how you can respond to such questions.

Interrogative sentences or questions that begin with wh-words: what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why, and how are called wh-questions. We use wh-questions to ask about specific qualities, manners, reasons, processes, things, times, places, choices, possessions, people, etc. Here are some examples of such sentences:

What do you want?
Where do you come from?
When will you go to bed?
Who is that man?
Whose book is this?
Why are you crying?
Whom do you like most?
Which dress do you prefer?
How are you?

Note: Although “How” does not begin with “W” and “H,” it is considered to be a wh-word. The letters “W” and “H” are present in “How” but in a different order.

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There are nine wh-words in English. Each of them has its specific use in interrogative sentences. In this part, I’ll discuss the structure of wh-questions and provide examples of all the nine wh-words in sentences. Moreover, later in this post, I‘ll show how to respond to wh questions. Let’s go!

Structure of WH Questions
- Structure 1: Wh-word + Helping verb + Subject + Main verb + …?
- Structure 2: Wh-word + Main verb + …?
What: Used to Ask for Information about Things or Actions
Where: Used to Ask about Places
When: Used to Ask about Time
Who: Used to Ask about People
Whose: Used to Ask about Possession
Why: Used to Ask for Reasons
Whom: Used to Ask about People
Which: Used to Ask for any Specific Information
How: Used to Ask about Manners or Quantity
How to Respond to WH-questions
In Conclusion

Structure of WH Questions

We can make wh-questions in two ways. One is with a helping verb, and another is without any helping verb.

Structure 1: Wh-word + Helping verb + Subject + Main verb + …?

Whatdo you prefer for dinner?
Whyshould they go there too early?
When will they leave for the station?

Structure 2: Wh-word + Main verb + …?

Whathappened to Samuel?
Whocalled you?
Whobought you this car?

Now, let’s look at the uses of all the wh-words in wh-questions.

What: Used to Ask for Information about Things or Actions

The word “What” is one of the common wh-words used to ask for information about something or any action. For example:

What are you doing now? (Action)
What are you looking for? (Thing)

Remember! “What” is also used in indirect questions. For example:

The teacher asked the students what their preferences regarding the exam date were.
Jim wonders what his brother does nowadays.

Where: Used to Ask about Places

“Where” is used to ask for information about places. For example:

Where did you get this?
Where have you been for the last couple of years?
Where do you find such beautiful showpieces?

Note: “Where” is also used in indirect questions. For example:

I asked my students where they wanted to go for an excursion.
He called me to know where I was yesterday morning.

When: Used to Ask about Time

We use the word “when” to ask for information about the time of any action. Let’s see some examples.

When will you go to the gym?
When did they meet you?
When do you wake up?

Remember! “When” is also used in indirect questions. For example:

John asked us when we would be there.
The client wonders when we will be able to

Who: Used to Ask about People

“Who” is a wh-word used to ask for information about people.

Who is the captain of the team?
Who do you talk to about your problems?
Who helps you most?

Note: We also use “Who” in indirect questions & statements.

Whose: Used to Ask about Possession

We use “Whose” to ask for information about one’s possession. For example:

Whose car is this?
Whose computer is ok?
Whose are these books?

Remember! We can use “Whose” in indirect questions.

The stranger wondered whose the phone was.
He asked me whose flat is this.

Why: Used to Ask for Reasons

The wh-word “Why” is used to ask for reasons or explanations. Let’s see some examples.

Why do you like this place most?
Why are they so weak?
Why did he call you?

Note: “Why” is also used to make indirect questions & statements.

They asked me why I missed the last class.
I don’t know why he did it.

Whom: Used to Ask about People

“Whom” is also used to ask for information about people as we use “Who.” However, we use “Whom” as the object of “Who.”

Whom do you work with?
Whom did they finally hire for the project?
Whom will you select for the job?

Remember! We also use “Whom” in indirect questions or statements.

He didn’t meet the man whomI sent.
They asked me withwhom I visited India.

Which: Used to Ask for any Specific Information

We use “Which” to ask for any specific information about anything. Some examples can be:

Which one is yours?
Which bike would you like to buy?
Which teacher is your favorite?

Note: We also use “Which” in indirect questions & statements.

Let them decide which one to buy.
She knows which machine is not working.

How: Used to Ask about Manners or Quantity

“How” is a wh-word used to ask for information about the manner, degree, or quantity of anything. Examples are:

How do you go to the office?
How hot is the coffee?
How old are you?

Remember! “How” is also used to make indirect questions or statements.

I have no clue how fit he is now.
Did you know how difficult the situation was?

How to Respond to WH-questions

WH Questions in English with Examples - ESL Advice (1)

As we use wh-questions to ask for information about people, things, places, etc., we cannot answer them with “Yes” or “No.” We are expected to provide specific information in response to wh-questions. Let’s see some examples.

Wh-word	Question	Response
What	What is your favorite meat?	My favorite meat is beef.
Where	Where did you go yesterday?	I went to my hometown.
When	When will you arrive?	I will arrive by 6 pm.
Who	Who is your favorite poet?	Tennyson is my favorite poet.
Whose	Whose movie do you like most?	I like Satyajit Ray’s films.
Why	Why are you here?	I’m here to give you the file.
Whom	Whom do you like most in school?	I like my English teacher most.
Which	Which tea do you think is better?	I think green tea is better.
How	How much do you pay for the flat?	I pay $1000 every month.

In Conclusion

We talk to friends, colleagues, family members, or strangers every day. We look for information regarding many things. At the same time, we need to respond to the different questions from the people surrounding us.

There are different kinds of questions, such as yes/no, tag, wh, indirect, etc. I have discussed wh-questions in detail in this post.

Thanks for reading.

Happy learning!

WH Questions in English with Examples - ESL Advice (2024)

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