Wh - Questions

 Wh- Questions

Wh- Questions allow a speaker to find out more information about topics. They are as follows:

When? Where? Who? Why? How? What?

Time Place Person Reason Manner Object/Idea/Action

Other words can also be used to inquire about specific information:

Which (one)? Whose? Whom? How much? How many? How long? How often? How far? What kind (of)?

Choice of alternatives Possession Person (objective formal) Price, amount (non-count) Quantity (count) Duration Frequency Distance Description

The "grammar" used with wh- questions depends on whether the topic being asked about is the "subject" or "predicate" of a sentence. For the subject pattern, simply replace the person or thing being asked about with the appropriate wh-word. 

(Someone has my baseball.) (Something is bothering you.)

Who has my baseball? What is bothering you?

For the predicate pattern, wh- question formation depends on whether there is an "auxiliary" verb in the original sentence. Auxiliary or "helping" verbs are verbs that precede main verbs. Auxiliary verbs are italicized in the following sentences.

I can do it. They are leaving. I have eaten my lunch. I should have finished my homework. 

 

To make a question using the predicate pattern, first form a yes/no question by inverting the subject and (first) auxiliary verb. Then, add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.

(You will leave some time.)	? will you leave When will you leave?
(He is doing something.)	? is he doing What is he doing?
(They have been somewhere.)	? have they been Where have they been?

If there is no auxiliary and the verb is "be," invert the subject and verb, then add the appropriate wh- word to the beginning of the sentence.

(He is someone.)	? is he Who is he?
(The meeting was some time.)	? was the meeting When was the meeting?

If there is no auxiliary and the verb is not "be," add do to the beginning of the sentence. Then add the appropriate wh-question word. Be sure to "transfer" the tense and number from the main verb to the word do.

(You want something.)	? do you want What do you want?
(You went somewhere.)	? did you go (past tense) Where did you go?
(She likes something.)	? does she like (third person -s) What does she like?

Questions with question words - be

Question word	Verb	Rest	Answer
Where	are	you from?	I'm from Stuttgart.
What	is	your name?	My name is Peter.
How	are	Pat and Sue?	They're fine.

Questions with question words - have

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Where	have	you	got	your ruler?	I've got it in my pencil case.
Where	do	you	have	your ruler?	I have it in my pencil case.

Questions with question words in the Simple Present

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	do	you	play	on your computer?	I play games on my computer.
When	does	your mother	go	to work?	She goes to work at 6 o'clock.
Where	do	you	meet	your friends?	I meet them at the bus stop.

Questions with question words in the Simple Past

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
What	did	you	do	yesterday evening?	I did my homework.
When	did	she	meet	her boyfriend?	She met him yesterday.
Where	did	they	go	after the match?	They went to a café.

Where

were

you

yesterday?

I was at the cinema.

Subject question

Question word	Verb	Rest	Subject	Verb	Object - Place - Time
Who	runs	to the shop?	Peter	runs	to the shop.

Object question

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb	Rest	Answer
Who	do	you	like?		I like my mum.
Who	did	Mandy	phone	last Monday?	Mandy phoned her uncle.

Subject question			Object question
Who	phoned	John?	Who	did	John	phone?

Who do you love?

Funny Game

For practice Exercise 1

                Exercise 2

                Exercise 3

You can see http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/frage.htm

                 http://esl.about.com/od/grammar/a/a_questionword.htm

                 http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/how-use-wh-questions