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Unit 15
Wh- Questions
Asking for specific information
What are Wh- Questions?
We use Wh- words to ask for specific information — not just yes or no. Each Wh- word asks about a different type of information.
Examples: What is your name? / Where do you live? / When does the class start? / Why are you late?
The Wh- Words
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | person | Who is your teacher? |
| What | thing / activity | What do you do? |
| Where | place | Where do you live? |
| When | time | When is your birthday? |
| Why | reason | Why are you late? |
| Which | choice from a set | Which color do you prefer? |
| Whose | possession (who owns) | Whose bag is this? |
| How | manner / condition | How do you go to work? |
Question Structures
⚠ Never mix "do" and "be":
❌ Where do you are? ✅ Where are you?
❌ What does she is doing? ✅ What is she doing?
| Verb Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "Be" verb | Wh- + am/is/are + subject? | Where are the keys? |
| Other verbs (Present Simple) | Wh- + do/does + subject + base verb? | Where do you live? |
| Modal (can/will) | Wh- + modal + subject + verb? | Where can we park? |
Who / What as the Subject: No do/does
When who or what is the subject (the doer), the question has normal word order and no do/does. The verb takes -s, like with he/she/it:
| Asking about the subject (no do) | Asking about the object (with do) |
|---|---|
| Who lives next door? — Mr. Kaya lives next door. | Who do you live with? — I live with my sister. |
| What happens next? | What do you want? |
| Who knows the answer? | Who does she know here? |
Which vs. What
Tip: If you can imagine saying "pick one from these options" → use which. If it's open → use what.
| Word | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What | Open, unlimited choice | What food do you like? |
| Which | Limited, specific choice | Which color do you prefer, red or blue? |
How + Expressions
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| How old | age | How old are you? |
| How many | countable quantity | How many students are there? |
| How much | uncountable quantity / price | How much money do you have? |
| How long | duration | How long is the class? |
| How far | distance | How far is your office? |
| How often | frequency | How often do you exercise? |
| How about | suggestion | How about dinner tonight? |
Questions with Prepositions at the End
In English, prepositions often come at the END of a question — not at the beginning:
- Who do you work with? (not: "With who do you work?")
- What are you looking for?
- Who are you waiting for?
- Which city do you come from?
Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
adverbWhereauxiliarydosubjectyouverblive?
↳ Place question — "do" for Present Simple
objectWhatverbissubjectyour name?
↳ "Be" question — no "do" needed
adverbHow oftenauxiliarydoessubjectsheverbexercise?
↳ Frequency — "does" + base verb
Whosesubjectbagverbisobjectthis?
↳ Possession — "Whose"
adverbWhyverbaresubjectyouadjectivelate?
↳ "Be" question — verb before subject
Common Mistakes
Where you live?
→
Where do you live?
Need "do" for Present Simple questions (other than "be").
What time it is?
→
What time is it?
In "be" questions, the verb comes BEFORE the subject.
Why you are sad?
→
Why are you sad?
After Wh- word, verb comes before subject in "be" questions.
How much money you have?
→
How much money do you have?
Need "do" with "you have".
What does this word means?
→
What does this word mean?
After "does", use BASE form (no -s).
Who do your teacher?
→
Who is your teacher?
"Teacher" is the subject; use "is" not "do".
When does starts the meeting?
→
When does the meeting start?
After "does", subject comes BEFORE the verb.
Who does live here?
→
Who lives here?
When "who" is the subject, don't use do/does.
What are you doing? (asking about someone's job)
→
What do you do?
"What do you do?" asks about a job; "What are you doing?" asks about right now.