Question words

Question words, often called wh- words, are function words that can be used to ask open questions.
Some words, such as who, which or where, can also be used to introduce relative clauses.

The use of question words

How
The adverb how most commonly means ‘in what way’ or ‘to what extent’.
 How in questions
We use how when we introduce direct and indirect questions:
How was the film? Was it as bad as you thought?
I asked her how she was but she didn’t answer me.
 We use how to introduce questions about measurements or amounts:
How old is your girl/boyfriend?
 How in indirect questions
We often use how with verbs such as tell, wonder and know in indirect questions:
I just don’t know how she manages to cook so well in such a small kitchen.
I wonder how teacher Mavulula is teaching us.
 How in exclamations
In exclamations we use how before adjectives, adverbs and verb phrases. In verb phrases the word
order is subject + verb:
They’ve bought her some flowers. How nice of them!
How fantastic!
How beautifully they sang!

What
What is a wh-word. We use what to ask questions and as a pronoun and determiner.
 What as a question word
We can use what to ask for information about things and actions:
What do you want?
What’s she doing? Tell her to stop at once!
  We can also use what in indirect questions:
She asked me what my address was.
I wonder what chief is doing these days.
 What meaning ‘please repeat’
We can use what in informal situations to ask someone to repeat something if we don’t hear it or
understand it:
A: Did you get the paper?
B: sorry, what? (sorry alone would be more polite)
A: Did you get the paper?
B: Oh, yes. It’s in the kitchen.
 Emphatic questions with whatever and what on earth
We can ask emphatic questions using whatever or what on earth to express shock or surprise. We
stress ever and earth:
Georgia, whatever are you doing? You’ll give yourself an electric shock! (Stronger than what are
you doing?)
What on earth is she wearing? She looks awful in that yellow and red dress! (Stronger than what
is she wearing?)
 What as a pronoun
We can use what as a pronoun to mean ‘the thing(s) that’:
I can’t decide what to buy Mum for her birthday.
I haven’t got many Beatles CDs, but you can borrow what I have.
 What as a determiner
We can use what in exclamations to express a strong feeling or opinion. In this case, we use what as
a determiner before a noun or before a/an (+ adjective) + noun:
What a horrible smell!
What a mess!
When
When is a wh-word. We use when to ask questions, as a conjunction and to introduce relative
clauses.
 When as a question word
We can use when to ask for information about what time something happens:
When did you love me?
When will you receive English test?
 We can use when in indirect questions:
She asked me when I would be ready to flirt her.
I wonder when the new computers will arrive.
 When as a conjunction
We use when as a conjunction meaning ‘at the time that’. The clause with when is a subordinate
clause and needs a main clause to complete its meaning. If the when-clause comes before the main
clause, we use a comma.
Talking about the past
When I was young, there were no houses here.
Nobody spoke when she came into the room.
 Talking about the present
When you kiss me, I lick my lips.
 Talking about the future
In references to the future with when, we use the present simple or the present perfect in the when-
clause, not the future with shall and will:
When the new supermarket opens, I’ll go there every day.
When I’ve finished my homework, I’m going to phone listen to music.
 We can use when as a conjunction to mean ‘considering that’:
What’s the point in going out when we have to be at class by eight o’clock?
  When as a relative pronoun
We can use when as a relative pronoun in relative clauses:
That was the week when we booked our holiday.
The parcel arrived in the post at 1pm, when I was still at work.

Where
Where is a wh-word. We use where to ask questions, as a conjunction and to introduce relative
clauses.
 Where as a question word
We can use where to ask for information about place:
Where do you buy your clothes?
Where will you be working next Monday?
 We can use where in indirect questions:
I asked him where I could buy an umbrella.
Can you tell me where she left the keys?
 Emphatic questions with wherever and where on earth
We can ask emphatic questions using wherever or where on earth to express shock or surprise. We
stress ever and earth:
Wherever are you going with such a big bag? (Stronger than “where” are you going?)
Where on earth have I put my wallet? (Stronger than “where” have I put my wallet?)
 Where as a conjunction
We use where as a conjunction meaning ‘in the place that’ or ‘in situations that’. The clause
with where is a subordinate clause and needs a main clause to complete its meaning. If
the where clause comes before the main clause, we use a comma:
Where you find a beautiful girls, you will also find many Judas.
Where you have to pay a deposit, be sure to get a receipt.
 Where as a relative pronoun
We can use where as a relative pronoun:
The hotel where we spent our honeymoon has been demolished.
The place where you’re giving your all love has a really good lover but you.

Which
Which is a wh-word. We use which to ask questions and to introduce relative clauses.
 Which as a question word
We use which in questions as a determiner and interrogative pronoun to ask for specific
information:
‘Which car are we going in?’ he asked Ngulela.
Which do you prefer? Lemon cake or carrot cake?
 We use which in indirect questions and statements:
which famous person would you like to kiss?.
Find out which way they’re going and we’ll follow.
 Which in relative clauses
We use which in relative clauses to refer to animals and to things:
We have seen a lot of changes which are good for business.
 We also use which to introduce a relative clause when it refers to a whole clause or
sentence:
She seemed more talkative than usual, which was because she was nervous.
People think I sit around drinking coffee all day. Which, of course, I do.
 We often use which with prepositions. Some formal styles prefer to use a preposition
before which rather than to leave the preposition ‘hanging’ at the end of the sentence:
There are several small ponds in which a variety of fish live. (or There are several small
ponds which a variety of fish live in.)

Who and whom

Who and whom are wh-words. We use them to ask questions and to introduce relative clauses.
 Who as a question word
We use who as an interrogative pronoun to begin questions about people:
Who is next?
Who makes the decisions here?
 We use who in indirect questions and statements:
The phone rang. She asked me who it was.
Can you tell me who I should talk to?.
 Emphatic questions with whoever and who on earth
We can ask emphatic questions using whoever or who on earth to express shock or surprise. We
stress ever and earth:
Whoever does she think she is, speaking to us like that? (Stronger than “who” does she think she
is?)
Who on earth has left all this rubbish here? (Stronger than “who” has left all this rubbish here?)
 Who in relative clauses
We use who as a relative pronoun to introduce a relative clause about people:
The police officer who came was my friend.
He shared a flat with Celeste, who he married, and eventually they moved to Nampula.
Whom
Whom is the object form of who. We use whom to refer to people in formal styles or in writing,
when the person is the object of the verb. We don’t use it very often and we use it more commonly
in writing than in speaking.
 We use whom commonly with prepositions. Some formal styles prefer to use a preposition
before whom than to leave the preposition ‘hanging’ at the end of the sentence:
Before a job interview it is a good idea, if you can, to find out some background information about
the people for whom you would be working. (Preferred in some formal styles to … about the
people whom you would be working for)
Over 200 people attended the ceremony, many of whom had known Harry as their teacher.
 We use it in relative clauses:
She gave birth in 1970 to a boy whom she named Caleb James.
 We use it in indirect questions and statements:
He didn’t ask for whom I had voted.
He told me where he went and with whom. (Preferred in some formal styles to He told me where
he went and who with.)
Whose
Whose is a wh-word. We use whose to ask questions and to introduce relative clauses.
Whose as a question word
 We use whose to ask a question about possession:
Whose birthday is it today?
Whose are these gloves?
 We use whose in indirect questions:
Juliet wondered whose the sports car was.
 Whose in relative clauses
We use whose to introduce a relative clause indicating possession by people, animals and things:
John works with that other chap whose name I can’t remember.
This is the book whose title I couldn’t remember

Why
Why is a wh-word. We use why to talk about reasons and explanations.
 Why as a question word
We can use why to ask about reasons and explanations:
Why did he leave home when he was 16?
Why didn’t you tell Gemma?
 We can use why in indirect questions:
He asked me why I wanted to leave the job.
I wonder why he told nobody he was getting married.