Question words
What, where, who, when, why, how, which: what each word asks about, and the order of the words after it.
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A question word goes at the start of a question and shows what information we want. After it, the word order is usually the same as in a yes/no question: be or do comes before the subject.
The words
Word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
what | a thing or an action | What do you do? |
where | a place | Where is the bathroom? |
who | a person | Who is that man? |
when | a time | When is your flight? |
why | a reason | Why are you tired? |
how | the way, or how someone is | How do you get to work? |
which | one from a few | Which seat is free? |
- What is your phone number?
- Where are my glasses?
- When do you finish work?
- Why are you here so early? Because my train is at eight.
(We answer why with because.)
With be: question word + be + subject
With am, is, are, put the verb after the question word and before the subject.
- Where is the station?
- Who are those people?
- How old is your daughter?
- Incorrect: Where the station is?
- Correct: Where is the station?In a question, is comes before the subject.
With other verbs: question word + do/does + subject + verb
With other verbs in the present simple, add do or does after the question word. The main verb has no -s.
Question word | do / does | Subject | Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
Where | do | you | live? |
What time | does | the shop | open? |
- Where do you live?
- What time does the film start?
- Who do you work with?
- Incorrect: Where you live?
- Correct: Where do you live?A question with live needs do before the subject.
- Incorrect: Where does she works?
- Correct: Where does she work?The -s goes on does, so work has no -s.
What and which
Use what when the choice is open. We usually use which when we choose from a small group that we can see or that we know. Both can go before a noun.
- What music do you like?
- What time is it?
- What colour is your car?
- Which platform is the train to York on? Two or three?
- Which size do you need, small or medium?
How, how old, how far, how long
How asks about the way we do something, or how someone is. How + an adjective asks about size, age, distance and so on.
- How are you?
- How do you spell your name?
- How old are your children?
- How far is the airport?
- How long is the film? About two hours.
How much and how many
Use How many with plural nouns. Use How much with nouns we don't count, like money and time, and to ask about a price.
- How many people are there in your office?
- How much time do we have?
- How much is this jacket?
(What is the price?)
- Incorrect: How much costs this lamp?
- Correct: How much does this lamp cost? / How much is this lamp?
Prepositions at the end
When a question needs a preposition (from, with, for), it usually goes at the end.
- Where are you from?
- Who do you live with?
- What is this button for?
- Incorrect: From where are you?
- Correct: Where are you from?In everyday questions, from goes at the end.