Wh- Questions in English Grammar

1 What: Asks about things or actions
2 Who: Asks about people (subject)
3 Whom: Asks about people (object) - formal
4 Which: Asks about choices between specific items
5 Where: Asks about location
6 When: Asks about time
7 Why: Asks for reasons
8 How: Asks about manner or way

1 What is your favorite color? → Red
2 Who is your best friend? → Sarah
3 Where do you live? → In London
4 When did you arrive? → Yesterday
5 Why are you late? → Because of traffic
6 How do you solve this? → Step by step

1 Wh-word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ...?
2 Example: (You are happy) → (How are you?)
3 Example: (She lives here) → (Where does she live?)

1 Subject questions: Who is responsible? (Who = subject)
2 Object questions: Who did you see? (Who = object, needs auxiliary)
3 "Who" and "what" can be subjects or objects

1 Asks about things, objects, or actions
2 Used when asking about unknown information
3 Often followed by a noun: "What kind of music do you like?"

1 What is your name? → My name is Alex.
2 What do you do? → I'm a teacher.
3 What time is it? → It's 3 o'clock.
4 What kind of food do you like? → I like Italian food.

1 Subject: Who wrote this book? (Who = subject, no auxiliary needed)
2 Object: Who did you see? (Who = object, auxiliary needed)
3 Subject: Who is coming? (Who = subject, no auxiliary)
4 Object: Who are you talking to? (Who = object, auxiliary present)

1 Who is your teacher? → Mr. Smith is my teacher.
2 Who did you meet? → I met my friend.
3 Who wants to go? → I want to go.
4 Who did you talk to? → I talked to my mother.

1 Asks about location or place
2 Used for physical locations, positions, or settings
3 Always requires auxiliary verb

1 Where do you live? → I live in New York.
2 Where did you go yesterday? → I went to the park.
3 Where is the nearest restaurant? → It's on the corner.
4 Where were you born? → I was born in London.

1 Asks about time, date, or moment
2 Used for specific times, dates, or periods
3 Always requires auxiliary verb

1 When do you go to school? → I go to school at 8 AM.
2 When did you arrive? → I arrived yesterday.
3 When is your birthday? → My birthday is in March.
4 When were you born? → I was born in 2005.

1 Asks about reasons or causes
2 Used to find out motivations or explanations
3 Always requires auxiliary verb

1 Why are you late? → Because of traffic.
2 Why did you choose this job? → Because I love teaching.
3 Why is the sky blue? → Because of light scattering.
4 Why were you crying? → Because I was sad.

1 How are you? → I'm fine.
2 How do you solve this? → Step by step.
3 How much does it cost? → It costs 10 euros.
4 How many people came? → About 50 people came.
5 How long did it take? → It took 2 hours.
6 How far is it? → It's 5 kilometers away.

1 You live in Paris. → Where do you live?
2 She is a doctor. → What is she? / What does she do?
3 The meeting starts at 3 PM. → When does the meeting start?
4 He drives carefully. → How does he drive?
5 They bought this car last week. → When did they buy this car?

Check your answers against the examples provided above.

1 ___ is your name? (What)
2 ___ is your teacher? (Who)
3 ___ do you live? (Where)
4 ___ did you arrive? (When)
5 ___ are you late? (Why)
6 ___ do you solve this problem? (How)

1. What, 2. Who, 3. Where, 4. When, 5. Why, 6. How

1 What is your favorite hobby? → My favorite hobby is reading books because it helps me relax and learn new things.
2 Where do you want to travel? → I want to travel to Japan to experience the culture and see Mount Fuji.
3 When did you start learning English? → I started learning English when I was 10 years old in primary school.
4 Why do you like this subject? → I like this subject because it helps me communicate with people from different countries.

1 ❌ "What you are doing?" → ✅ "What are you doing?" (Auxiliary verb comes after Wh-word)
2 ❌ "Where you live?" → ✅ "Where do you live?" (Missing auxiliary verb)
3 ❌ "Who are you talking?" → ✅ "Who are you talking to?" (Missing preposition)
4 ❌ "Why you are late?" → ✅ "Why are you late?" (Missing auxiliary verb)

1 ❌ "Who did go to the party?" → ✅ "Who went to the party?" (Subject question, no auxiliary)
2 ❌ "Who did see?" → ✅ "Who did you see?" (Object question, needs auxiliary)

A: Hello! What's your name?
B: My name is Emma. What about yours?
A: I'm John. Where do you come from?
B: I come from London. Where are you from?
A: I'm from Paris. How long have you been here?
B: I've been here for two weeks. Why did you choose this school?
A: I chose it because of the excellent teachers. What do you think of the classes so far?
B: I think they're great! How do you like the city?

• 1 Pay attention to auxiliary verb placement
• 2 Give detailed answers to Wh- questions
• 3 Practice with a partner if possible
• 4 Focus on natural rhythm and intonation

Which Wh-word would you use to ask about someone's profession?
A) Where
B) What
C) Who
Answer: B) What (What do you do? / What is your job?)

How would you correctly ask "Where do you live?" in English?
A) Where you live?
B) Where do you live?
C) Do you live where?
Answer: B) Where do you live?

Is "Who is responsible for this project?" a subject or object question?
A) Subject question
B) Object question
Answer: A) Subject question (Who is the subject)

• Wh-word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb
• Subject questions (Who is...?) don't need auxiliary verbs
• Object questions (Who did you see?) need auxiliary verbs

• What: Things/Objects
• Who: People (subject/object)
• Where: Location
• When: Time
• Why: Reason
• How: Manner/Way