Wh- Questions Exercises (What, Where, Who, When...)
Do more with this exercise
Wh- questions: what, where, who, when, why, how
A wh- question asks for information. The answer is not yes or no. The question word comes first.
- Question words:
- What asks about a thing, where about a place, who about a person, when about a time, why about a reason and how about the way.
- More question words:
- How old asks about age, how many about a number, what time about the time on a clock, and which about one thing from a small group.
- With am, is, are:
- Question word + am/is/are + subject: Where is the station? How old are you?
- With other verbs:
- Question word + do/does + subject + verb: Where do you live? What time does she get up?
- Does + verb with no -s:
- With he, she and it, use does, and the verb has no -s: Where does he work? Not Where does he works?
- Answers:
- Answer with the information, not with yes or no: Where do you live? In Madrid.
Examples
Where do you live?
Where asks about a place. Use do with you.
What time does she get up?
What time asks about the time on a clock. Use does with she.
How old is your brother?
How old asks about age. With the verb to be, is comes after the question word.
Who is your English teacher?
Who asks about a person.
How many students are there in your class?
How many asks about a number. Use a plural noun after it.
Why are you tired? Because I get up at six.
Why asks for a reason. The answer often starts with because.
How do you go to school? By bus.
How asks about the way. The answer here is by bus.
Practice exercises
Choose the Correct Word
Choose the correct word to complete the question.
1.___ do you live? In London.
2.___ is your birthday? In May.
3.___ is that man? He's my uncle.
4.What time ___ the lesson start?
5.How ___ brothers have you got?
6.Where ___ your parents work?
Fill in the Blank
Type the missing word.
Put the Words in Order
Click the words in the correct order to build the question.
14. Build the sentence:
15. Build the sentence:
16. Build the sentence:
17. Build the sentence:
True or False
Decide if each statement is true or false.
18.'Where does he works?' is a correct question.
19.In 'How do you go to school? By bus.', how asks about the way.
20.'Where you live?' is a correct question.
21.'It's quarter past three' means 3:15.
22.The answer to 'What time is it?' is 'Yes, it is.'
Wh- Questions: How to Ask for Information
Some questions have a yes or no answer: Are you tired? Yes, I am. Wh- questions are different. They ask for information, like a place, a time or a name: Where do you live? In Rome. The question word comes first.
Each question word asks about one thing. What is for things, where is for places, who is for people, when is for times, why is for reasons and how is for the way. How old asks about age, how many asks about a number, and what time asks about the clock.
With the verb to be, put am, is or are after the question word: Where is the station? How old are you? With other verbs, put do or does after the question word, then the subject, then the verb: Where do you live? What time does she get up? With does, the verb has no -s.
Questions about time are very common. Ask What time is it? and answer It's half past seven or It's quarter to eight. You can also ask about the time of an event: What time does the bus leave? The exercises above practice all of these question words in short, real questions.
Frequently asked questions
What are the wh- question words?
The main ones are what, where, who, when, why and how. Most of them start with wh, so we call them wh- questions. We also use how old, how many, what time and which.
What is the word order in a wh- question?
The question word comes first. With the verb to be: question word + am/is/are + subject, for example Where is the bank? With other verbs: question word + do/does + subject + verb, for example Where do you work?
When do I use do or does in a wh- question?
Use do or does with verbs like live, work and play, but not with the verb to be. Use does with he, she and it, and do with I, you, we and they. After does, the verb has no -s: What does she eat for breakfast?
What's the difference between what and which?
Use which when there is a small group to choose from: Which is your bag, the red one or the blue one? Use what when the answer can be anything: What is your name?
How do I ask and say the time in English?
Ask What time is it? Answer with It's and the time: It's seven o'clock. It's half past seven (7:30). It's quarter past seven (7:15). It's quarter to eight (7:45). To ask about an event, say What time does the film start?
Answer key
1. ___ do you live? In London.
Answer: Where
The answer is a place (in London), so we use where.
2. ___ is your birthday? In May.
Answer: When
The answer is a time (in May), so we use when.
3. ___ is that man? He's my uncle.
Answer: Who
The answer is a person (my uncle), so we use who.
4. What time ___ the lesson start?
Answer: does
The lesson is one thing (it), so we use does. Start is not the verb to be, so we do not use is.
5. How ___ brothers have you got?
Answer: many
The question is about a number of brothers, so we use how many. How often asks about frequency, not a number.
6. Where ___ your parents work?
Answer: do
Your parents means they, so we use do. Work is not the verb to be, so we do not use are.
7. ___ old are you? I'm twelve.
Answer: How
We ask about age with how old.
8. ___ time is it? It's half past seven.
Answer: What
We ask about the time with what time.
9. Where ___ your sister live?
Answer: does
Your sister is one person (she), so we use does. After does, the verb has no -s: live.
10. ___ do you get up early? Because school starts at eight.
Answer: Why
The answer is a reason and starts with because, so we use why.
11. ___ is your bag, the red one or the blue one?
Answer: Which
There are two bags, and the question asks about one of them, so we use which.
12. When ___ you play football? On Saturdays.
Answer: do
With you we use do. Play is not the verb to be, so we need do.
13. ___ is in your bag? A book and a pen.
Answer: What
The answer is things (a book and a pen), so we use what.
14. live / you / where / ? / do
Answer: Where do you live?
The order is question word + do + you + verb.
15. she / what / up / does / ? / get / time
Answer: What time does she get up?
The order is what time + does + she + get up.
16. sister / is / old / your / ? / how
Answer: How old is your sister?
With the verb to be, the order is how old + is + your sister.
17. there / in / students / class / how / your / are / ? / many
Answer: How many students are there in your class?
The order is how many + students + are there + in your class.
18. 'Where does he works?' is a correct question.
Answer: False
After does, the verb has no -s: Where does he work?
19. In 'How do you go to school? By bus.', how asks about the way.
Answer: True
How asks about the way: by bus, by car, on foot.
20. 'Where you live?' is a correct question.
Answer: False
Live is not the verb to be, so we need do: Where do you live?
21. 'It's quarter past three' means 3:15.
Answer: True
Quarter past three is fifteen minutes after three, so it is 3:15.
22. The answer to 'What time is it?' is 'Yes, it is.'
Answer: False
A wh- question asks for information, so the answer is a time, for example It's two o'clock.