Unit 6 'Wh'-questions

Main points

• You use `who', `whom', and `whose' to ask about people, and `which' to ask about people or things.
• You use `what' to ask about things, and `what for' to ask about reasons and purposes.
• You use `how' to ask about the way something happens.
• You use `when' to ask about times, `why' to ask about reasons, and `where' to ask about places and directions.

1 You use `who', `whom', or `whose' in questions about people. `Who' is used to ask questions about the subject or object of the verb, or about the object of a preposition.

• Who discovered this?
• Who did he marry?
• Who did you dance with?

In formal English, `whom' is used as the object of a verb or preposition. The preposition always comes in front of `whom'.

• Whom did you see?
• For whom were they supposed to do it?

You use `whose' to ask which person something belongs to or is related to. `Whose' can be the subject or the object.

• Whose is nearer?
• Whose did you prefer, hers or mine?

2 You use `which' to ask about one person or thing, out of a number of people or things. `Which' can be the subject or object.

• Which is your son?
• Which does she want?

3 You use `what' to ask about things, for example about actions and events. `What' can be the subject or object.

• What has happened to him?
• What is he selling?
• What will you talk about?

You use `what...for' to ask about the reason for an action, or the purpose of an object.

• What are you going there for?
• What are those lights for?

4 You use `how' to ask about the way in which something happens or is done.

• How did you know we were coming?
• How are you going to get home?

You also use `how' to ask about the way a person or thing feels or looks.

• `How are you?' - `Well, how do I look?'

5 `How' is also used:

* with adjectives to ask about the degree of quality that someone or something has

• How good are you at Maths?
• How hot shall I make the curry?

* with adjectives such as `big', `old', and `far' to ask about size, age, and distance

• How old are your children?
• How far is it to Montreal from here?

Note that you do not normally use `How small', `How young', or `How near'.

* with adverbs such as `long' and `often' to ask about time, or `well' to ask about abilities

• How long have you lived here?
• How well can you read?

* with `many' and `much' to ask about the number or amount of something

• How many were there?
• How much did he tell you?

6 You use `when' to ask about points in time or periods of time, `why' to ask about the reason for an action, and `where' to ask about place and direction.

• When are you coming home?
• When were you in London?
• Why are you here?
• Where is the station?
• Where are you going?

You can also ask about direction using `which direction...in' or `which way'.

• Which direction did he go in?
• Which way did he go?