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Question Words: What, Where, When, Why, How, Who

1 min
A1
CEFR A1·other

Formula

WH-word
What
thing/info
Where
place
When
time
Why
reason
How
manner/way
Who
person

Examples

Positive
What is your name?
Negative
I don't know who he is.
Question
When does the train leave?

Usage

  • •Ask for specific information (not yes/no answers)
  • •Place WH-word at the start of the question
  • •Follow with auxiliary verb (do/does/did/is/are) + subject + main verb

More Examples

  • What time is it?

    Asking the time

  • Where are you from?

    Asking origin

  • Why are you sad?

    Asking the reason

  • How old are you?

    "How" + adjective for measurement

  • Who is at the door?

    Asking identity

  • How many books do you have?

    "How many" + countable plural

Common Mistakes

  • ✗No auxiliary: "Where you live?" should be "Where do you live?".
  • ✗Wrong word order: "What you want?" should be "What do you want?".
  • ✗Using "How" for reason: "How are you late?" — should be "Why are you late?".

Tips

  • ✓Five Ws + How: WHAT (thing), WHERE (place), WHEN (time), WHY (reason), WHO (person), HOW (way).
  • ✓With "to be", no extra auxiliary: "Where IS the bank?" not "Where do the bank is?".

Advanced Notes

"How" is the most versatile question word — it combines with adjectives and adverbs to form dozens of fixed patterns: "How long", "How far", "How much", "How often", "How soon". When the question word IS the subject, auxiliary do/does is dropped: "Who called?" not "Who did call?" (subject question). Embedded WH-questions (indirect questions) use statement order, not question order: "Can you tell me where the bank is?" — a persistent error even at B2 level.

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Present Simple(A1)Past Simple(A1)