Wh- Questions

Wh- questions ask for a specific piece of missing information. The question word you choose tells the listener exactly what type of information you are asking for: a place, a time, a person, a reason, and so on.

This lesson builds from A1 basics to B2 advanced usage in six steps:

1. The 5 core question words: What, Where, When, Who, Why
2. Which, Whose & Whom — for choices, possession, and formal object forms
3. How & How compounds — How many, How much, How often, How long, and more
4. Subject vs Object questions — the most important structural rule in English questions
5. Wh- questions across tenses — choosing the right auxiliary
6. -ever compounds — Whatever, Whenever, Wherever, and more

The 2 Structures of Wh- Questions

Before diving in, notice that wh- questions come in two structures:

Why it matters: Knowing which structure to use is the biggest challenge in English question formation. Section 4 covers this in depth.

The 5 Basic Question Words

These five words form the foundation of all Wh- questions in English:

Examples

Note on "What" vs "Where": Sometimes "what" and "where" look similar in context. Compare:

• What is the capital of Australia? → asking for the NAME of a thing (Canberra) ✅
• Where is the capital of Australia? → asking for its LOCATION (in the Australian Capital Territory) ✅ Both are correct, but they ask for different types of information.

👉 Practice Basic Question Words →

Which, Whose & Whom

Which — Choosing from a Limited Set

Use which when you are selecting from a known, limited set of options. Use what for open-ended questions with many possible answers.

The key test: Can you say "…from these options"? If yes → which. If no specific options are implied → what.

Whose — Asking About Possession

Whose asks who owns or is responsible for something:

• Whose bag is this? (Who owns it?)
• Whose turn is it to wash the dishes? (Who is responsible?)
• Whose car is parked in my space? (Who does it belong to?)

⚠️ Whose vs Who's — these sound identical but have completely different meanings:

• Whose = possessive: Whose umbrella did you borrow?
• Who's = short for "who is" or "who has": Who's coming to the party?

Whom — Formal Object Form

Whom is the formal object form of who. It is required in formal writing when the question word is the object of the verb or comes after a preposition:

Rule: If you can replace the question word with "him" (not "he"), use whom: I gave it to him. → To whom did you give it? ✅

👉 Practice Which, Whose & Whom →

How & How Compounds

How on Its Own

How alone asks about method, manner, or general condition:

• How did you get to work this morning? → asking for the means of transport (by bus, on foot, etc.)
• How is your new apartment? → asking about general condition or your opinion of it
• How do you spell "necessary"? → asking about method

How + Adjective/Adverb Compounds

How combines with adjectives and adverbs to ask about specific measurements or quantities:

⚠️ How many vs How much:

• How many → countable noun: How many students / books / languages?
• How much → uncountable noun or price: How much water / sugar / time? How much does it cost?

A quick test: Can you put a number directly before the noun? (three students ✓ → how many; three water ✗ → how much)

⚠️ How long = duration; How far = distance — don't mix these:

• How long does it take? → answer: Two hours. (time)
• How far is it? → answer: 50 kilometres. (distance)

👉 Practice How & How Compounds →

⭐ Subject Questions vs Object Questions

This is the most important — and most frequently confused — rule in Wh- question formation.

The Core Distinction

In a statement, every sentence has a subject (who does the action). When a question word replaces the subject, the question structure changes completely:

How to Identify Each Type

Subject question test: Replace the question word with an answer. Is the answer the subject of the resulting statement?

The Two Formulas

Object question (WH word is NOT the subject):

WH word + auxiliary (do/does/did/is/are/will…) + subject + base verb?

• Where do you live?
• What did she buy?
• Who does he sit next to?

Subject question (WH word IS the subject):

WH word + verb (same tense as the statement)? ← No auxiliary needed

• Who broke the window? (Not: Who did break the window? ❌)
• What caused the fire? (Not: What did cause the fire? ❌)
• Who lives in the flat upstairs? (Not: Who does live upstairs? ❌)
• What makes you happy? (Not: What does make you happy? ❌)

⚠️ The Most Common Error

Learners who know about do/does/did in object questions often apply it to subject questions too. This is incorrect:

Quick rule: If the answer to your question is the subject of the sentence, you don't need an auxiliary. Just use the verb in the correct tense.

More Examples Side by Side

👉 Practice Subject vs Object Questions →

Wh- Questions Across Tenses

The auxiliary verb in a wh- question tells you which tense is being used. Choose the auxiliary that matches the time reference.

Tense Reference Table

Time Signal Words

These expressions in a question tell you which tense to use:

Note on subject questions and tense: The "no auxiliary" rule for subject questions applies specifically to present simple and past simple, where learners tend to add unnecessary do/does/did:

• Who came? ✅ (not: Who did come? ❌)
• What makes you happy? ✅ (not: What does make you? ❌)

For continuous and perfect tenses, the tense auxiliary (is/are/was/were/have/has) is still part of the verb form — even in subject questions:

• Who is coming? ✓ (is = part of present continuous)
• How many people have arrived? ✓ (have = part of present perfect)

Further study: For detailed rules on each tense, see the lessons in the Tenses category.

👉 Practice Wh- Questions Across Tenses →

-ever Compounds

The -ever compounds are formed by adding -ever to a wh- word. They do not ask questions — instead, they express that the specific choice does not matter, or that something is true in all cases.

Core meaning: WH + ever = "no matter what/when/where/who/how"

The -ever Compound Table

"However" + Adjective/Adverb

However in -ever compounds is always followed by an adjective or adverb to express degree:

• However hard I try… (= no matter how hard)
• However long the queue is… (= no matter how long)
• However much it costs… (= no matter how much)

⚠️ However as a connector vs however as an -ever compound:

• I wanted to go. However, it was raining. → transition word (= "but")
• However hard I try, I can't do it. → -ever compound (= "no matter how hard")

The -ever compound however always comes at the start and is followed directly by an adjective or adverb. The transition word however is followed by a comma and a full clause.

Whichever vs Whatever

Like which vs what, whichever is used for a defined, limited set; whatever is used for open-ended choices:

• Take whichever route you prefer — they both lead to the station. (2 known routes)
• Do whatever makes you happy. (any action, unspecified)

👉 Practice -ever Compounds →

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Quick Summary

Wh- Question Words at a Glance

The 2 Question Structures

Object question (WH word is the object):

WH + aux + subject + base verb?

• What did you buy?
• Where does she live?

Subject question (WH word is the subject — no auxiliary!):

WH + verb?

• Who broke the window?
• What makes you happy?

Test: Can you answer the question with the subject of the statement? → Subject question (no aux).

How Compounds Summary

-ever Compounds

Practice Tips

1. Learn each question word with a short question template. For example: "Where do you…?", "When did you…?", "How long have you…?" — memorising these frames makes question formation automatic rather than analytical.
2. For subject vs object questions, always run the subject test. Before you add "did" or "does", ask: is the wh-word doing the action, or receiving it? If it's doing the action, no auxiliary is needed. This one habit eliminates the most common error.
3. Learn How compounds by their answer type. If the answer is a time → how long. A distance → how far. A frequency → how often. A price → how much. Matching each compound to its answer type makes them easier to distinguish.
4. For -ever compounds, always think "no matter what/when/where." If you can insert "no matter" before the idea, the -ever compound is the right choice. "No matter what you decide" → whatever you decide. "No matter when you call" → whenever you call.

Practice All Exercises

Ready to practise wh- questions in English? These wh- questions exercises online — covering who, what, where, when, why and more — come with answers and detailed explanations for every question. Printable wh- questions exercises PDF worksheets are also available for offline practice. Work through all 6 sets of question words exercises from A1 to B2: asking questions in English with basic wh- words, wh- questions in the present simple, past simple, and other tenses, subject vs object question structures, and advanced -ever compounds:

Now try the exercises to practise what you've learned!