Complete guide to WH-questions in English grammar: who, what, where, when, why, which, how, whose. Covers subject/object questions, inversion, embedded questions, passive voice, infinitives, tenses, common errors, register variation, practice exercises, and answer key.
Chapter Overview
Questions are among the most powerful tools in any language. They open conversations, gather information, challenge ideas, and build understanding. This chapter focuses on WH-questions — the family of questions in English that begin with a question word (who, what, where, when, why, which, how, and their compounds). Unlike yes/no questions, WH-questions ask for specific information and require more than a one-word answer.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
A question in English falls into one of two broad categories. A yes/no question asks whether something is true or false, and the expected answer is yes or no. A WH-question, by contrast, asks for specific information — a name, a place, a reason, a time, a method, or a choice. The answer cannot be yes or no; it must supply the missing piece of information.
WH-questions get their name from the question words that introduce them. Most of these words begin with the letters wh (who, what, where, when, why, which), and the word how — which does not begin with wh — is included in the family by convention because it serves the same grammatical function.
Yes/No question: Did she submit the application?
Expected answer: Yes / No
WH-question: When did she submit the application?
Expected answer: On Friday morning / Last week / Before the deadline, etc.
WH-questions appear in every variety of English — in conversation, academic writing, journalism, legal cross-examination, scientific enquiry, and creative writing. Knowing how to form them accurately and use them effectively is one of the most practical skills a student of English can develop.
Each question word has a specific function — it tells the listener what kind of information is being requested. Understanding each word precisely prevents the confusion that arises when students use what where who is needed, or where when when is called for.
| Question Word | Asks About | Example Question | Example Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who | Person (subject or object) | Who designed the bridge? | The chief engineer. |
| Whom | Person (object, formal) | Whom did you consult? | The legal team. |
| What | Thing, idea, action, or information | What caused the delay? | A power failure. |
| Which | Choice from a defined set | Which platform does the train depart from? | Platform four. |
| Where | Place or location | Where is the conference being held? | In the main hall. |
| When | Time (point, period, or frequency) | When does the term begin? | On the third of September. |
| Why | Reason or purpose | Why was the meeting cancelled? | Due to a scheduling conflict. |
| How | Manner, method, or condition | How did the rescue team reach them? | By helicopter. |
| How much | Quantity (uncountable) or degree | How much time do we have? | About twenty minutes. |
| How many | Quantity (countable) | How many delegates attended? | Forty-three. |
| How long | Duration or length | How long will the renovation take? | About six months. |
| How far | Distance | How far is the nearest station? | About two miles. |
| How often | Frequency | How often does the ferry run? | Twice a day. |
| How old | Age | How old is this cathedral? | Over eight hundred years. |
| Whose | Possession or ownership | Whose briefcase is this? | It belongs to the director. |
| What kind/sort/type of | Category or variety | What kind of contract was signed? | A fixed-term agreement. |
The most important structural feature of WH-questions is subject-auxiliary inversion — the auxiliary verb moves to a position before the subject. This is the signature of question word order in English, and it applies in nearly all WH-questions (with one crucial exception, discussed in Section 1.5).
WH-word + Auxiliary verb + Subject + Main verb + (Rest of sentence)?Different tenses and verb types require different auxiliaries. The table below shows how WH-questions are formed across key tenses using the same base question: asking about the location of a meeting.
| Tense | WH-Question | Formula Used |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Where does the committee meet? | WH + does/do + subject + base verb |
| Simple Past | Where did the committee meet? | WH + did + subject + base verb |
| Simple Future | Where will the committee meet? | WH + will + subject + base verb |
| Present Continuous | Where is the committee meeting? | WH + is/are + subject + verb-ing |
| Past Continuous | Where was the committee meeting? | WH + was/were + subject + verb-ing |
| Present Perfect | Where has the committee been meeting? | WH + has/have + subject + past participle |
| Past Perfect | Where had the committee met before the merger? | WH + had + subject + past participle |
| Future Perfect | Where will the committee have met by December? | WH + will + subject + have + past participle |
| Present Perfect Cont. | Where has the committee been meeting lately? | WH + has/have + subject + been + verb-ing |
| Conditional | Where would the committee prefer to meet? | WH + would + subject + base verb |
When the main verb is a form of to be, no additional auxiliary is needed. The verb to be itself inverts with the subject to form the question.
Statement: The keynote speaker is Professor Hartley.
Question: Who is the keynote speaker?
Statement: The results were unexpected.
Question: What were the results?
When a sentence contains a modal verb (can, could, should, would, must, may, might, shall, will, ought to), the modal takes the auxiliary role and inverts with the subject. No do/does/did is added.
| Modal Verb | Example WH-Question |
|---|---|
| can | What can we do to improve the response time? |
| could | Where could the missing files have been stored? |
| should | How should the panel respond to the objections? |
| would | What would you recommend in this situation? |
| must | Why must the application be submitted in triplicate? |
| may | When may we expect a decision from the board? |
| might | Which option might produce the best outcome? |
| shall | When shall we schedule the follow-up review? |
| ought to | How ought the matter to be handled officially? |
Who asks about a person. It can function as the subject or the object of the question. When used as the subject, no inversion occurs. When used as the object — asking about the person who received the action — inversion applies.
Subject question: Who called the emergency meeting? (Who = subject; no inversion needed)
Object question: Who did the board appoint as chair? (Who = object; did + subject + verb inversion applies)
Who vs. Whom: In formal written English, whom is used when the question word functions as the object of the verb or a preposition. In everyday speech, who is commonly used in both positions, but formal contexts — legal documents, academic writing, official correspondence — favour whom.
What asks about things, ideas, events, or information. It is the most versatile WH-word and can function as a subject, object, or complement.
Asking about a thing (object): What did the inspector find in the storage room?
What as subject: What caused the sudden drop in pressure? (No inversion — what is the subject)
Which implies a choice from a limited, defined set of options. This is the key difference between which and what: what is open-ended, while which expects the listener to choose from known alternatives.
Where asks about place or location — either a static location (where something is) or a directional movement.
Where is the main server room located?
When asks about time — a specific moment, a period, a deadline, or a sequence.
When did the organization first open its northern branch?
Why asks for a reason, cause, or purpose.
Why was the original contract terminated?
How asks about manner, method, degree, or condition. Compounds include: how much, how many, how long, how far, how often, how old, how tall, how deep, how wide, how fast, how soon, how well.
Whose asks about ownership or possession. It always precedes a noun.
Whose signature is required on the authorisation form?
This section addresses one of the most important — and most frequently misunderstood — distinctions in WH-question grammar. The difference between subject questions and object questions determines whether or not auxiliary inversion occurs.
In a typical WH-question, the WH-word replaces the object of the sentence (or another non-subject element like time or place). In these questions, the subject-auxiliary inversion is applied: the auxiliary verb moves before the subject.
Statement: The committee approved the new policy.
Question: What did the committee approve?
When the WH-word replaces the subject of the sentence — when we are asking who or what performed the action — NO auxiliary verb is added and NO inversion occurs. The question takes the same word order as a statement.
WH-word + Main verb (in appropriate tense) + (Object)?Statement: Someone called the office three times.
Subject Question: Who called the office three times?
When a sentence is in the passive voice, the WH-question is formed by applying inversion to the passive auxiliary (a form of be or have been), rather than adding do/does/did.
Passive statement: The report was submitted by the research team.
WH-question: By whom was the report submitted? OR Who was the report submitted by?
WH-questions can be embedded inside larger sentences, particularly after verbs of knowing, wondering, asking, and understanding. When this happens, the embedded question loses its inversion and takes on statement word order.
Direct WH-question: Where does the archive keep its oldest records?
Embedded question: I would like to know where the archive keeps its oldest records.
WH-words can combine with infinitives (to + base verb) to form noun phrases. These are not questions in the direct sense, but they express uncertainty or enquiry about what to do, where to go, how to proceed, and so on.
She was not sure what to do with the conflicting data.
| Tense | WH-Question: “Why…?” | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Why does the process take so long? | WH + does + subject + base verb |
| Simple Past | Why did the process take so long? | WH + did + subject + base verb |
| Present Continuous | Why is the process taking so long? | WH + is/are + subject + verb-ing |
| Present Perfect | Why has the process taken so long? | WH + has/have + subject + past participle |
| Register | Example WH-Question | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Very informal / spoken | Why’d they cancel it? | Contracted form; omission of subject; casual vocabulary. |
| Neutral / professional | Could you explain why the meeting was cancelled? | Embedded question; polite phrasing; modal for softness. |
| Formal written | I would be grateful if you could explain the reasons for the cancellation of the meeting. | Fully embedded; passive construction; formal vocabulary. |
Choose the correct WH-word to complete each question.
Form a WH-question from each statement, asking about the element indicated in brackets.
Identify each question as a subject question or an object question.
Find and correct the error in each sentence.
Rewrite each direct WH-question as an embedded (indirect) question using the phrase given.
Write the WH-question that produced each answer.
Exercise A — Answers
1. What | 2. Which | 3. Who | 4. Why | 5. How often |
6. When / What time | 7. Whose | 8. How | 9. How much | 10. Where
Exercise B — Sample Answers
Exercise C — Answers
1. Subject | 2. Object | 3. Subject | 4. Subject |
5. Object | 6. Object | 7. Subject | 8. Subject
Exercise D — Corrected Sentences
Exercise E — Sample Answers
Exercise F — Sample Questions
