Who – this question word is used to ask about the identity of a person.
- Who is the captain of the netball team? If Mary is the answer then Mary answers the question of who as Mary shows the identity of the captain.
- Who’s that weird guy by the counter? The name of the weird guy, say Ben would answer the question of who
Where – this question word is used to ask about the location or place.
- Where’s the kitchen? If the answer is to your right, then to your right answers the question of Where.
- Where is the post office?
When – this question word is used to ask about the time
- When are going to finish? Soon my friend. Soon answers the question of when.
- When is your birthday?
Why – to ask for the reason or explanation of something
- Why is he so loud? Because he thinks everyone around him is deaf! This is the possible reason as to why someone was screaming.
- Why won’t you listen to me? I would have. It’s just that I was rushing to office and that’s why I couldn’t pay attention.
What – this question word is used to know a specific information.
- What is your name? Maria. Maria is a specific information that someone asked for.
- What is the use of doing that? Oh it’s for fun.
Which – this question word is used in order to make a choice on something.
- Which drink did you order, the Vodka or wine? Two options are given and a person is required to make a choice.
- Which day do you prefer to go to the mall? Out of the seven days in a week, someone might choose Sunday as the perfect day to visit the mall.
How – this word is used to find out the manner, method or way of something being done. There are certain words used with how to specify the query such as:-
How much – this question would relate to the quantity or price of uncountable nouns.
- How much does the ring cost? $300.00.
- How much time do we have to complete the project? Two hours.
How many – this question would relate to the quantity or price of countable nouns.
- How many siblings do you have? I have one sibling.
- How many sweets do you have in your pocket? Two
How often –this question would relate to the frequency of something occurring.
- How often do you visit him? Every day.
- How often do you take your medication? Three times a day.
How far – this question would relate to the distance covered.
- How far is your workplace? Three miles from here.
- How far is the bus stop? It’s about 20 minutes’ walk from here.
We hope this English Grammar lesson has helped you to learn the WH question words. We are sure you have cleared your doubts about using question words correctly to improve your English speaking.