Question Words in English Grammar

Question words in English Grammar are special words we use to ask questions and gather information. These words include what, where, when, who, whom, which, why, and how, along with phrases like how much, how many, and how long. They help us ask about things, people, places, reasons, time, numbers, and more. 

Learning how to use these question words in English correctly is very important for students because it improves both speaking and writing skills. In this blog, we will learn the meanings, uses, and examples of all the important question words in a simple and easy way.

What are Question Words in English?

Question words in English are words we use to ask questions and get specific information. They usually appear at the beginning of a question and help us ask about things like a person (who), a place (where), a time (when), a reason (why), a method (how), and more. These words are also known as WH-words because many of them start with “wh”.

Using question words correctly helps us communicate clearly and politely. For example:

• What is your name?
• Where do you live?
• Why are you sad?
• How do you go to school?

Each question word has a special use, and by understanding them, students can become more confident in asking and answering questions in English.

Check out:

• What is Interrogative Pronoun? Definition, Use and Examples
• Interrogative Pronoun Exercise with Answers: Download PDF

Why Are Question Words in English Important?

Question words in English are very important because they help us ask the right questions and get clear answers. Without them, our questions would be confusing or incomplete. These words guide our conversations, help us learn new things, and make our communication more meaningful.

Here are some simple reasons why question words matter:

• They help us ask for information in a proper way.
• They make it easier to start conversations politely.
• They help us learn and understand more in school, college, and daily life.
• They are useful in exams, interviews, and public speaking.
• They improve our English grammar, vocabulary, and thinking skills.

Also Read: 

• Interrogative Sentence Voice Change with Helpful Exercises [Download PDF]
• 50 Examples of Direct and Indirect Speech Interrogative Sentences

List of Common Question Words in English

To ask questions clearly and correctly in English, we use special words known as question words or WH-words. Each word has a unique purpose and helps us get specific information. Below is a helpful table with the most common question words, their meanings, and example sentences:

Question Words	Used For	Meaning	Example Sentence
What	Things/Information	Ask about something	What is your favorite food?
Where	Place	Ask about a location	Where is your school?
When	Time	Ask about time/date	When is the meeting?
Who	Person (subject)	Ask about a person doing something	Who is calling you?
Whom	Person (object)	Ask about the person receiving action	Whom did you call?
Which	Choice	Ask for a choice from a set	Which dress will you wear?
Why	Reason	Ask about the cause or reason	Why are you sad?
How	Manner/Process	Ask about the way something is done	How do you travel to school?
How much	Quantity (uncountable)	Ask about amount	How much rice do you want?
How many	Number (countable)	Ask about count or number	How many siblings do you have?
How old	Age	Ask about someone’s age	How old is your pet?
How far	Distance	Ask about distance	How far is the park from here?
How long	Duration	Ask about length/time	How long will the class last?
How often	Frequency	Ask about how frequently something happens	How often do you read books?
Whose	Possession	Ask about ownership	Whose phone is ringing?
How come	Reason (informal)	Ask “why” in an informal way	How come you didn’t come yesterday?
What for	Purpose	Ask the reason or goal	What is this tool for?
What kind of	Type/Category	Ask about category/type	What kind of music do you like?
What time	Specific Time	Ask for exact time	What time is the exam?
How tall	Height	Ask about someone’s or something’s height	How tall is the tower?
How big	Size	Ask about size	How big is your house?
How fast	Speed	Ask about speed	How fast can you run?

Also Read: Interrogative Adverb Meaning, Examples & Exercises in English

Extra Forms of “How” Question Words

The word ‘how’ is very flexible in English. It can be combined with other words to create new question phrases that ask for specific types of information. These forms are helpful when we want to ask about amount, age, duration, speed, height, and more.

Here is a table with the most important ‘how’ question phrases, their uses, meanings, and example sentences:

How Phrases	Used For	Meaning	Example Sentence
How much	Quantity (uncountable)	Ask about amount	How much milk do you drink daily?
How many	Quantity (countable)	Ask about number	How many apples are in the basket?
How old	Age	Ask about someone’s age	How old is your grandmother?
How long	Duration/Length	Ask about time or length	How long is the movie?
How far	Distance	Ask about distance	How far is your school from home?
How often	Frequency	Ask about how frequently something happens	How often do you go for a walk?
How fast	Speed	Ask about speed	How fast can this car go?
How tall	Height	Ask about someone’s or something’s height	How tall is the Eiffel Tower?
How big	Size	Ask about size	How big is your room?
How deep	Depth	Ask about how deep something is	How deep is the river here?
How heavy	Weight	Ask about weight	How heavy is this box?
How high	Elevation/Height	Ask about height from ground level	How high can an airplane fly?
How soon	Time	Ask about how quickly something will happen	How soon can you finish your homework?
How come	Reason (informal)	Informal way to ask “why”	How come you didn’t join the trip?

Explore: What are Interrogative Adjectives? Definition; Examples

Tips to Use Question Words in English Correctly

Using question words in English the right way helps you ask clear and grammatically correct questions. Here are some easy and important tips to help you use them properly:

1. Choose the Right Question Word: Use a question word that matches what you’re asking:

• Use what for things: What is your name?
• Use where for places: Where do you live?
• Use why for reasons: Why are you upset?

2. Use a Helping Verb:  After the question word, use a helping (auxiliary) verb like is, are, do, does, did, can, will, etc.

• Where is your bag?
• What do you want?

3. Match the Subject and Verb: Make sure the subject and verb agree in number and tense:

• What does she like? (Not: What do she like?)

4. Don’t Forget the Question Mark (❓): Always end your question with a question mark when writing:

• Correct: How old are you?
• Wrong: How old are you.

5. Keep Word Order Correct: Follow the correct question structure:

 Question Word + Helping Verb + Subject + Main Verb

• Why did he leave early?
• How can I help you?

6. Use “How” Forms Correctly: Be careful with extra forms of how:

• Use how many for countable: How many books?
• Use how much for uncountable: How much water?

 Also Read: Reported Speech Interrogative: Rules, Examples & Exercise

Activities to Improve Question Words in English

Here are some exercises to help you practice using question words in English. The exercises are broken down by type for focused practice.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank (Choose the Best Question Word)

Choose the most appropriate question word (Who, Whom, What, When, Where, Why, How, Which, Whose) to complete each sentence.

1. ______ is your favorite color?
2. ______ did you arrive? (Time)
3. ______ do you live? (Place)
4. ______ is coming to the party? (Person – subject)
5. ______ are you feeling today? (Condition)
6. ______ did you choose that option? (Reason)
7. ______ book are you reading, the red one or the blue one? (Choice)
8. ______ is this pen? Is it yours? (Possession)
9. ______ much money do you have? (Quantity – uncountable)
10. ______ many cookies did you eat? (Quantity – countable)
11. ______ far is it to the nearest hospital? (Distance)
12. ______ often do you visit your grandparents? (Frequency)
13. ______ long does it take to get there by car? (Duration)
14. ______ did you give the gift to? (Person – object, formal)
15. ______ happened to your car? (Event/Situation)

Answer Key for Exercise 1:

1. What 
2. When 
3. Where 
4. Who 
5. How 
6. Why 
7. Which 
8. Whose 
9. How
10. How
11. How 
12. How 
13. How
14. Whom 
15. What 

Exercise 2: Answer the Question (Formulate a Question Based on the Answer)

For each answer provided, write a question that would elicit that specific answer. Pay attention to the type of information given in the answer.

Example:

• Answer: My name is Sarah.
• Question: What is your name?

1. Answer: I live in London. 
2. Answer: The meeting starts at 9 AM. 
3. Answer: I feel great, thanks! 
4. Answer: John broke the vase. 
5. Answer: I went to the store because I needed some milk. 
6. Answer: This is Maria’s book. 
7. Answer: I prefer the blue dress. 
8. Answer: They traveled by train. 
9. Answer: I saw my friend at the park yesterday. 
10. Answer: I saw my friend at the park yesterday. 

Answer Key for Exercise 2: 

1. Question: Where do you live?
2. Question: When does the meeting start?
3. Question: How do you feel today? / How are you feeling today?
4. Question: Who broke the vase?
5. Question: Why did you go to the store?
6. Question: Whose book is this?
7. Question: Which dress do you prefer?
8. Question: How did they travel?
9. Question: Who did you see at the park yesterday?
10. Question: Where did you see your friend yesterday?

Exercise 3: Correct the Mistakes

Identify and correct the mistake(s) in each question.

1. What you go to the store?
2. Who do you like the most color?
3. Why you are sad?
4. Whose is you?
5. How many water do you drink?
6. When you did finish your homework?
7. Where are going they?
8. Which do you want to eat for dinner?
9. To who did she speak?
10. How you say this word?

Answer Key for Exercise 3:

1. What did you go to the store for? / Why did you go to the store? / Where did you go? (depending on intended meaning)
2. Which color do you like the most?
3. Why are you sad?
4. Who are you? (for identity) / Whose is this? (for possession, assuming an item is present)
5. How much water do you drink?
6. When did you finish your homework?
7. Where are they going?
8. What do you want to eat for dinner? / Which dish do you want to eat for dinner?
9. To whom did she speak? (formal) / Who did she speak to? (informal)
10. How do you say this word?

Also Read: Exercises on Transformation of Assertive Sentences to Interrogative Sentences

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