Using Question Words That Begin With Wh in English

There are a number of ways you can ask a question in English, but the most common way is to use a word that begins with the letter combination wh-. There are nine wh-  question words, which are also called  interrogatives. One of them, how, is spelled differently, but it functions the same way and is thus considered a wh- question: What (What  do you want for dinner?)Who (Who  do you think will win the election?)Whom (I want to know to  whom  I should address this letter.)Whose (Whose  sock is this?)Which (Which  of these shirts should I buy?)When (When  does the concert begin?)Where (Where  should we visit in Spain?)Why (Why  is the sky blue?)How (How  do we get there from here?) By using one of these words to ask a question, the speaker is inferring that he or she expects a reply that is more detailed than a simple  yes or no  can satisfy. They imply that the subject has a range of options from which to choose or possess specific knowledge of a subject. Using Wh-  Question Words Wh-  question words are pretty easy to identify because they nearly always are found at the beginning of a sentence. This is called  subject/verb inversion  (or subject-auxiliary inversion), because the subjects of these sentences follow the verbs, rather than precede them. For instance: What did you do at the mall? (Subject is you)Where should we go on vacation? (Subject is we) As with much of English grammar, there are exceptions to this rule, such as when the  subject  is itself a  wh- word, as in these examples: When is not important; we need to decide where to go first.Who left the door open?What is that doing here? Another exception applies youre asking a question about the  object of a preposition  in a declarative sentence: To whom is that package addressed?For whom is the subject matter of this film appropriate? This kind of formal language, while grammatically correct, is not used often in informal conversation. But its quite common for  academic writing. Special Cases If your question is urgent or you want to follow up your first query to get more information, you can use the auxiliary verb do to add emphasis. For example, consider this dialogue: Where did you go on vacation? (verb phrase: did go)We went to Mexico City.What did you do there?   (verb phrase: did do)We visited our friends who live there. You must also use do if youre using a wh-  question in the negative, including instances where the wh-word functions as the subject: Who doesnt love freebies?Why I didnt buy this shirt earlier is beyond me. Finally, remember that you can also use wh-  words to ask a question by placing them at the end of a sentence, rather than at the beginning, where theyre usually found: Youll be visiting Spain until when?Todays date is what?Your wedding is being held where? Sources BBC World Service staff. Learning English: Wh- Questions. BBC.co.uk.Carter, Ronald; McCarthy, Michael; Mark, Geraldine; and OKeeffe, Anne. Wh-  Questions: From  English Grammar Today. Dictionary.Cambridge.org.