The question words (WH words or interrogative words) in English are used to make the questions. These are also call wh words as these words start from letters ‘w’ or ‘h’.
All these words are narrated here with the help of examples.
WHO
“Who” is only used when referring to people. When you say, Iwant to know the person.
WHO Examples
- Who is the best football player in the world?
- Who are your best friends?
- Who is that strange guy over there?
WHERE
“Where” is used when referring to a place or location. When you
WHERE Examples
- Where is the library?
- Where do you live?
- Where are my shoes?
WHEN
“When” is used to refer to a time or an occasion. In other words, it is used when someone want to know the time.
WHEN Examples
- When do the shops open?
- When is his birthday?
- When are we going to finish?
WHY
“Why” is used to obtain an explanation or a
WHY Examples
- Why do we need a nanny?
- Why are they always late?
- Why does he complain all the time?
Normally the response begins with “because”.
WHAT
“What” is used to refer to specific information or the thing.
WHAT Examples
- What is your name?
- What her favorite color?
- What is the time?
WHICH
“Which” is used when a choice needs to be made or you want to know the thing between alternatives.
WHICH Examples
- Which drink did you order – juice or cola?
- Which day do you prefer for a meeting – today or day after tomorrow?
- Which is better – this one or that one?
WHOSE
“Whose” is used when asking about to whom some thing belongs to.
WHOSE Examples
- Whose shoes are these?
- Whose bike is this?
HOW
“How” is used to describe the manner that something is done or want to know the way.
HOW Example
- How do you cook chicken?
- How does she know the answer?
- How can I learn French?
With “how” there are a number of other expressions that are used in questions. For example, how much, how many, how often.
Other expressions of “How”
- How much (uncountable nouns)
- How many (countable nouns)
- How often (frequency)
- How far (distance)
“How much” refers to a quantity or a price (uncountable nouns).
“How much” Examples
- How much time do you have to finish the test?
- How much is the jacket on display in the window?
- How much money will I need for dinner?
“How many” refers to a quantity (countable nouns).
“How many” Examples
- How many days are there in June?
- How many people live in this town?
- How many brothers and sisters do you have?
“How often” refers to frequency.
“How often” Examples
- How often do you visit your home town?
- How often does she study?
- How often are you sick?
“How far” refers to distance
“How far” Examples
- How far is the park from your house?
- How far is the bus stop from here?