What kind of word do you use to ask a question? A question word! Question words in English include several short words used to fill in the blank when you don’t know the answer.
If you don’t know someone’s name, you ask what their name is. If you’re lost, ask where you can find a map. Use this guide to learn where to put question words in a sentence, the meaning of each word, and how to use them.
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How to use question words in English
Question words in English are used in two primary ways:
- As an interrogative pronoun used to ask questions;
- At the start of a relative clause that provides more information inside a sentence.
Usually, question words used as interrogative pronouns (one of the nine types of English pronouns) are placed at the beginning of a question.
The order of the words in a question are a little different than a typical sentence. A statement is usually in the order of subject, then verb, and then the object (if there is one).
- I am writing.
Questions that start with an interrogative pronoun often include a helper verb (or auxiliary verb) like are. You’ll use the verb conjugation in English that matches the person or object doing the action.
- What are you doing? → I am writing.
You can also use one of the other types of verbs in English instead:
- Who wrote it?
What is a relative clause in English?
English sentences are made of one or more clauses (the basic structure of a sentence), and a relative clause is one part of a bigger sentence that explains part of the previous clause in more detail. Usually, you can’t use a relative clause by itself. It has to be a part of a bigger sentence.
Question words used to start a relative clause are called relative pronouns, and they often appear in the middle of a sentence. For example, look at this sentence that uses the question word “where” to start a relative clause:
- They know where they can find fish.
The first part of the sentence (they know) is a complete clause on its own. However, by adding the relative clause (where they can find fish), the sentence is giving you more information about the thing they know.
Common question words in English
English has nine commonly used question words. Because most of them start with the letters “wh,” some people also call them wh-words. Remember that the last word, how, starts with “h” and not “wh.”
| English | Pronunciation |
| who | hoo |
| whom | hoom |
| whose | hooz |
| what | wuht |
| when | wen |
| where | wair |
| why | wahy |
| which | wich |
| how | hou |
1. Who/whom
The question word who refers to a person. It has the same meaning as which person in a sentence.
| English | Pronunciation |
| Who? | hoo |
| Who is your teacher? | hoo iz yoor TEE-cher |
| Who is walking? | hoo iz WAW-king |
| Who has the books? | hoo haz thuh books |
When a question word like who is used in a relative clause, it can be a question or a statement. In this situation, the word order does not change between the question and statement.
- Do you know who she is?
- No, I don’t know who she is.
What about who vs. whom? Who refers to a person that is the subject of a sentence. Whom refers to a person who is the object of a sentence.
Try this trick to remember the difference. If you can answer (or ask) the question with I, she, he, or they, then who is correct. If you can answer (or ask) the question with me, her, him, or them, then whom is correct.
- Who took this photo? → She took this photo.
- Please help him. → Help whom?
Even some native English speakers think who vs. whom is difficult! If you want to practice, try filling in the blank of these IXL language arts questions with who or whom.
2. Whose
Whose is very similar to who, but whose is the possessive version. In other words, it means the same thing as which person’s.
| English | Pronunciation |
| Whose? | hooz |
| Whose sailboat is this? | hooz SEYL-boht iz this |
| Whose toys are these? | hooz toiz ahr theez |
Be careful about the difference between whose and who’s (both pronounced “hooz”). Whose is a question word to talk about possession. Who’s is a contraction (shortened form) of who is.
- Incorrect: It’s nice to bring flowers to someone whose in the hospital.
- Correct: It’s nice to bring flowers to someone who’s in the hospital.
3. What
What usually goes before a helper verb (like is or do). However, it can also be used as an adjective before a noun. The structure of the sentence word order doesn’t change, but the question will continue after the noun instead of after the question word.
| English | Pronunciation |
| What? | wuht |
| What is this? | wuht iz this |
| What are you eating? | wuht ahr yoo EE-ting |
| What color is your hair? | wuht KUHL-er iz yoor hair |
What can also be used as a pronoun to replace the noun phrase the thing(s) that.
- What we need is some help.
- I know what I’m doing.
4. When
You use when to talk about time. That can mean clock time, a date, or days of the week in English.
| English | Pronunciation |
| When? | wen |
| When did you take this photo? | wen did yoo teyk this FOH-toh |
| When is your assignment due? | wen iz yoor uh-SAHYN-muhnt doo |
| When will it heal? | wen wil it heel |
When is often used in relative clauses to specify the time when something is happening (or happened). Pay attention to English verb tenses to get a clear idea of if something is in the past, present, or future.
- I remember when we met.
- Saturday is when my friend is getting married.
When also has a special use as a conjunction (a word that connects phrases or clauses). This is especially useful if you’re talking about events in the past, or if you’re talking about habits. If you can switch the clauses and the sentence still has the same meaning, you know you’re using when as a conjunction.
- When I was a girl, I played tennis. → I played tennis when I was a girl.
- When I was traveling in the rain forest, I discovered a new plant. → I discovered a new plant when I was traveling in the rain forest.
- She wears gloves when it’s cold outside. → When it’s cold outside, she wears gloves.
5. Where
Where is the question word for places and locations. If you get lost, remember to ask a friendly person where is the… to get the answer you need.
| English | Pronunciation |
| Where? | wair |
| Where do you work? | wair doo yoo wurk |
| Where are the shoes? | wair ahr thuh shooz |
| Excuse me, where is the bank? | ik-SKYOOZ mee wair iz thuh bangk |
In a relative clause, where points out the location of other events or actions.
- This is where your bone was broken.
- He asked me to marry him at the movie theater where we first met.
6. Why
Use the question word why to ask for a reason. As you learn English, people might ask you about the reason (or why) you’re studying!
| English | Pronunciation |
| Why? | wahy |
| Why is it important to study English? | wahy iz it im-PAWR-tnt too STUHD-ee ING-glish |
| Why are you here? | wahy ahr yoo heer |
| Why are you moving to the United States? | wahy ahr yoo MOO-ving too thuh yoo-NAHY-tid STEYTS |
Question words like why can also be inserted in a sentence as an indirect question. In this example, someone wants to know the reason the listener wants to work at a company.
- Tell us why you would like to work at this company.
Even though the sentence isn’t phrased as a question, the speaker is essentially asking Why would you like to work at this company? The meaning is almost the same.
7. Which
Which is very similar to what. In general, what is used for broad questions. Meanwhile, which is more specific and refers to a limited group of things. Like what, you can use which as an adjective right before a noun.
| English | Pronunciation |
| Which? | wich |
| Which is your coat? | wich iz yoor koht |
| Which do you like better, summer or winter? | wich doo yoo lahyk BET-er SUHM-er awr WIN-ter |
| Which painting is yours? | wich PEYN-ting iz yoorz |
Compare these two questions. One uses which, and the other uses what:
- We sell metal, paper, and wooden plates. Which plates do you need?
- What plates do you need?
In the first example, which is more appropriate because the person is asking about a specific list: metal, paper, and wooden. In the second example, the speaker didn’t offer a limited selection, so what is more appropriate because you don’t know if they’re asking about material, color, size, or something else.
8. How
You can use how in many common expressions to talk about the way, state, reason, or extent something happens.
These example sentences include common starts to questions beginning with how, like:
- how many
- how old
- how much
| English | Pronunciation |
| How? | hou |
| How many languages do you speak? | hou MEN-ee LANG-gwijz doo yoo speek |
| How old are you? | hou ohld ahr yoo |
| How are you? | hou ahr yoo |
| How long will you be in Italy? | hou lawng wil yoo bee in IT-l-ee |
| How can I help you? | hou kan ahy help yoo |
| How much does it cost? | hou muhch dohz it kawst |
| How do you want to pay? | hou doo yoo wawnt too pey |
Like why, the question word how is often used in indirect questions.
- She knows how much it costs.
- Can you teach me how to exchange euros for dollars?
Key takeaways about question words in English
You probably use questions every day, so having a strong understanding of question words in English is essential. Remember these three key takeaways as you learn English and how to ask questions:
- English has nine commonly used question words: who, whom, whose, what, when, where, why, which, and how.
- Question words usually go at the beginning of a question.
- Question words can also introduce relative clauses, which provide more information in a sentence.
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