Question words
what, where, who, whose, when, how, how many.
Question words help us ask for specific information. In English, the most common question words at this level are: What (asks about a thing or idea), Where (asks about a place), Who (asks about a person), Whose (asks about ownership or possession), When (asks about time), How (asks about manner or condition), and How many (asks about a number of countable things). Each question word is matched to the type of answer you expect. If you want to know about a person, use Who; if you want to know about a place, use Where. Questions with these words usually follow the pattern: Question word + auxiliary verb (do/does/is/are) + subject + main verb. Short answers use the same auxiliary. For example: 'Where is your school?' — 'It is near the park.'
Key terms
| Question word | Asks about | Example question | Example answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| What | a thing or idea | What is this? | It is a pen. |
| Where | a place | Where is the school? | It is on Green Street. |
| Who | a person | Who is she? | She is my teacher. |
| Whose | possession (owner) | Whose bag is this? | It is Ali's bag. |
| When | a time | When is your birthday? | It is in April. |
| How | manner or condition | How are you? | Fine, thanks. |
| How many | a number (countable) | How many cats do you have? | I have three. |
Match the question word to the type of answer you expect.
| Question word | Auxiliary verb | Subject | Main verb | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What | is | your name | — | What is your name? |
| Where | is | the library | — | Where is the library? |
| Who | is | Sara | — | Who is Sara? |
| When | does | the lesson | start | When does the lesson start? |
| How | do | you | go to school | How do you go to school? |
| How many | are | there | on the shelf | How many books are there on the shelf? |
Pattern: Question word + auxiliary (is/are/do/does) + subject + verb.
| Word | Asks about | Example question | Example answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | a person (identity or action) | Who is that? | That is my friend. |
| Whose | the owner of something | Whose coat is this? | It is Leyla's coat. |
Use 'Whose' when the answer shows who something belongs to.
- 1Step 1: Look at the answer: Read the answer first. For example: 'I walk to school.'
- 2Step 2: What type of information is it?: 'I walk' describes HOW I travel — it is a manner, not a place, person, or time.
- 3Step 3: Choose the matching question word: Manner → How. So the question is: 'How do you go to school?'
- 4Step 4: Check the word order: Question word + auxiliary + subject + verb: How + do + you + go to school?
- 1Step 1: Decide you need a number: The answer is 'There are four pencils.' — this is a count.
- 2Step 2: Use 'How many' + plural noun: How many + pencils (NOT 'pencil') — the noun must be plural after 'How many'.
- 3Step 3: Add the rest of the question: How many pencils are in your bag? ✓
The answer tells you which question word to use. A place answer (in the garden, at school) → Where. A time answer (at 8 o'clock, in April) → When. A person answer (my teacher, Ali) → Who. A number answer (three, four) → How many.
Common mistake: using 'What many' instead of 'How many'. 'What many books do you have?' is WRONG. Always say 'How many books do you have?' — 'How many' is the fixed phrase for counting.
Common mistake: confusing 'Who' and 'Whose'. 'Who' asks about a person (Who is she?). 'Whose' asks about the owner (Whose bag is this?). Do NOT say 'Who bag is this?' — use 'Whose' when asking who something belongs to.
Word order in questions: the auxiliary verb (is/are/do/does) must come BEFORE the subject. Say 'How many books are there?' NOT 'How many books there are?' The question needs the verb before the noun/subject.
Rules
- 1Use 'What' to ask about a thing or object: What is this? — It is a pen.
- 2Use 'Where' to ask about a place: Where are you? — I am at school.
- 3Use 'Who' to ask about a person, and 'Whose' to ask about possession: Who is she? — She is my teacher. Whose bag is this? — It is Ali's bag.
- 4Use 'When' to ask about time: When is the lesson? — It is at nine o'clock.
- 5Use 'How' to ask about manner or condition, and 'How many' to ask about the number of countable nouns: How are you? — Fine, thanks. How many cats do you have? — I have three.
Practice
10 easy · 10 medium · 10 hard
10 random questions per test