WH QUESTIONS ?

1.     What are WH Questions?

WH questions are questions that begin with a "WH" word.¹ These words are used to ask for specific information. The most common WH words are:

·       Who: Used to ask about a person or people.²

·       What: Used to ask about a thing, an idea, or an action.³

·       Where: Used to ask about a place or location.⁴

·       When: Used to ask about a time or occasion.⁵

·       Why: Used to ask for a reason or explanation.

·       How: Used to ask about a way, a manner, or a condition.⁶

·       Whose: Used to ask about possession.⁷

·       Which: Used to ask about a choice between two or more options.

2.     Structure of WH Questions:

The basic structure of a WH question is:

WH Word + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ...?

·       Auxiliary Verbs (Kata Kerja Bantu): These are verbs like am, is, are, was, were, do, does, did, have, has, had, will, can, could, should, etc. The auxiliary verb depends on the tense and the subject of the sentence.

·       Subject (Subjek): The person or thing that performs the action.⁸

·       Main Verb (Kata Kerja Utama): The action being performed.

3.     Examples:

·       Who is that girl? (Asking about a person)

·       What are you doing? (Asking about an action)

·       Where does he live? (Asking about a place)

·       When did the movie start? (Asking about a time)

·       Why are they late? (Asking for a reason)

·       How do you cook rice? (Asking about a way)

·       Whose book is this? (Asking about possession)

·       Which color do you prefer? (Asking about a choice)

4.     Special Cases:

·       WH Questions with "to be" (am, is, are, was, were): When the main verb is "to be," there is no need for an additional auxiliary verb. The structure is:
WH Word + to be + Subject + ...?

o  What is your name?

o  Where are they from?

·       WH Questions with Modal Verbs (can, could, will, would, should, etc.): Modal verbs act as auxiliary verbs.9 The structure is:
WH Word + Modal Verb + Subject + Main Verb + ...?

o  What can you do?

o  Where would you like to go?

 

5.     Practice Questions:

 

Choose the best answer to complete the following questions:

1.     _______ is your favorite subject?
a) Who
b) What
c) Where
d) When

2.     _______ do you go to school?
a) Who
b) What
c) Where
d) Why

3.     _______ did you visit your grandparents?
a) Who
b) What
c) When
d) How

4.     _______ is that tall boy over there?
a) Who
b) What
c) Which
d) Whose

5.     _______ are you so happy today?
a) Where
b) When
c) Why
d) How

6.     _______ do you usually travel to work?
a) What
b) Where
c) Why
d) How

7.     _______ car is parked in front of the house?
a) Who
b) Whose
c) Which
d) What

8.     _______ of these books do you want to borrow?
a) Who
b) What
c) Which
d) When

9.     _______ time does the class start?
a) Where
b) What
c) Why
d) How

10.  _______ did you learn to play the guitar?
a) Who
b) Where
c) When
d) How