WH Questions

Who, what, where, which, when, how, whom, why and etc… Follow the list for detailed examples;

WH- words - Easy Learning Grammar

The WH- words are also called interrogatives. They are used for WH- questions. They can be determiners, adverbs, or pronouns.

WH- determiners

When used as determiners, what, which, or whose can be used to ask questions:

about nouns

What book are you reading?
Which plane is he catching?
Whose jacket is this?

or about the pronoun one or ones.

Which one would you like?
Which ones did Ruth want?

The determiner which can be used in questions about selecting. It can also be used together with the preposition of for the same purpose.

Which colour shall we use?
Which book sells the most copies?
Which of these colours shall we use?
Of all your novels,which of them did you enjoy writing the most?

The determiner whose asks about possession with reference to a person as the possessor.

Whose mother did you say she was?
Whose bag is this?

WH- adverbs

The adverb WH- words, when, where, how, and why, always make the sentence follow the interrogative word order.

When asks about time.

When will they arrive?
When shall I see you again?

Where asks about place.

Where are you going?
Where have you been?
Where is your coat?

How asks about manner.

How did you get here? – We came by train.
How does this thing work?

Why asks about reasons and purpose. Questions with why are usually answered with a clause containing because to express reason, or with the to infinitive to express purpose.

Why is the baby crying? – Because she’s hungry.
Why are you saving your money? – To buy a bike.

How much implies reference to a quantity; how many implies reference to an amount or a countable number of things but may leave out the noun referred to.

How much money did they take? – All of it.
How much does it cost? – £4.20.
How many packs do you want? – Twelve, please.
How many do you want? – Twelve, please.

How can also be used with adjectives such as old, big, far, or with adverbs such as often, soon, quickly to ask about degree, rate, or timing.

How far is it to the station? – About five kilometres.
How often does he come? – Not very often.

WH- pronouns

The pronouns who, whose, which, and what can be the subject or object of a verb.

Who can help me?
Whose is the new sports car outside?
Which was your best subject at school?
What happened next?
What have you got to take with you to camp?

The interrogative pronoun whose is used when the question is asked about a person as the possessor of something. See also Pronouns on interrogative and relative pronouns.

Whose is the motorbike parked outside?
Whose is this?

The form whom is used as the object of a verb or of a preposition in very formal or old-fashioned English.

Whom did you talk to?
Whom would you rather have as a boss?

Modern English usage prefers who instead of whom in all but the most formal contexts.

Who did you talk to?
Who would you rather have as a boss?

When whom is used as the object of a preposition, it normally follows the preposition.

To whom did you speak?
With whom did she go?

When who is used, the preposition is placed at the end of the clause.

Who did you speak to?
Who did she go with?

The WH- subject pronouns are found in the same sentence order as statements: WH- subject pronoun + the main verb.

Who can help me?
Whose is that motorbike parked outside?
Which was your best subject at school?
What happened next?

The WH- object pronouns make the sentence take the word order of a question: WH- object pronoun + primary or modal auxiliary + subject + base form of the verb.

What do you have to take with you to camp?
What has Jonathan done now?

The exception to this is in informal spoken English, when the speaker wants to show shock or disbelief.

You did what?