We use question words to ask certain types of questions. We often refer to them as WH words/questions because they include the letters WH (for example WHy, WHen).
1. WH QUESTIONS
WHO : We use WHO to ask about people (subject).
Who are you going to invite? My new neighbour.
WHOM : We use WHOM to ask about people (object).
Whom did you see? The former president of the club.
WHAT : We use WHAT and WHICH to ask about things.
What did do when you were in London? Oh! many things.
WHICH : We use WHICH when there is a small number of possible answers.
Which newspaper do you prefer The Times or The Guardian ? The Guardian.
WHEN : We use WHEN to ask about times and dates.
When will you see him? Tomorrow morning.
WHERE : We use WHERE to ask about places.
Where do you live? In Manchester.
WHOSE : We use WHOSE to ask about possession.
Whose car is it? It is mine.
WHY : We use WHY to ask about the reason for something.
Why was he arrested? Because he robbed a bank.
WHAT TIME : We use WHAT TIME to ask about the time.
What time did his train leave? At half past nine.
WHAT… FOR : We use WHAT ... FOR to ask about the reason for something.
What did you go to the chemist's for? To buy some sleeping pills.
WHAT… LIKE : We use WHAT ... LIKE to ask about the aspect of something.
What is the weather like ? It's very sunny today.
2. HOW QUESTIONS
HOW : We use HOW to ask « in what way ».
How did he get here? He came by train, I think.
HOW : We use HOW to ask about people's health or happiness.
How are you? I'm very well, thank you.
HOW OLD : We use HOW OLD to ask about the age.
How old will you be next month? I'll be 25.
HOW OFTEN : We use HOW OFTEN to ask about the frequency.
How often does she go to Paris? She goes to Paris twice a month.
HOW MUCH + uncountable : We use HOW MUCH to ask about the price.
How much did they pay for it? They paid £ 55 for it.
HOW MANY + countable : We use HOW MANY to ask about numbers.
How many people were there? There were 230 people.
HOW LONG : We use HOW LONG to ask about the duration.
How long has he been working? He's been working for 5 years.
HOW FAR : We use HOW FAR to ask about the distance.
How far is it from here? It's about 2 miles and a half.
HOW TALL : We use HOW TALL to ask about the size.
How tall is he? He's 5 feet 6.
HOW DEEP : We use HOW DEEP to ask about the depth.
How deep is the pool? It is two metres deep.
HOW HEAVY : We use HOW HEAVY to ask about the weight.
How heavy is the parcel? The parcel weighs more than 2 kilos, I'm sure.
HOW COME : We use HOW COME to ask for reason, to ask why (Informal).
How come I can't speak to them? Because they are on holiday.
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