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HOW TO USE QUESTION WORDS [WHAT, WHERE,WHEN, WHY...]



Definition: Question Words are the words which begin with a “wh” word. Question Words are the words such as: what, where, why, who, whose, which, when, how long, what kind, how tall, how much, how many…etc. Question words are divided into two kinds—the single question words and the compound question words.
THE SINGLE QUESTION WORDS:
Definition: The question words which have only one question word. The single questions are: what, where, when, why, which, who, how, whose, whose.
WHAT: It can be used to ask question about something, the name of a person or someone’s profession.
For Examples:
-What do you want?                                    
I want to buy some tickets.
-What are their names?                               
They are John and Mary.
-What is her function?                                
She is an English teacher.
WHERE: It can be used to ask about the place where someone is.
For Examples:
-Where do they work?                                
They work in a bank.
-Where are you from?                                 
I am from the United States.
WHEN: It can be used to ask about the time/year.
For Examples:
-When does she go to bed?                         
She goes to bed at ten o’clock.
-When were you born?
I was born in 1978.
WHY: It can be used to ask about the reason why someone does thing.
For Examples:
-Why are you learning English?                 
Because I need it for my job.
-Why don’t you laugh at my joke?             
Because it’s not funny.
WHICH: It can be used to ask about the limited choice.
For Examples:
-Which is your jacket—the red one or the blue one?
The red one.
-Which is your car?                                    
The purple one.
WHO: It can be used to ask about someone.
For Examples:
-Who do you want to meet?                       
My girlfriend.
-Who are they talking about?                     
They are talking about James.
HOW: It can be used to ask about someone’s health or means.
For Examples:
-How are you getting on?                           
I am very well, thank you.
-How does he go to school?                        
He goes to school by bus.
WHOSE: It can be used to ask about something which belongs to someone.
For Examples:
-Whose is this car?                                      
It’s mine.
-Whose are those shoes?                             
They are hers.
THE COMPOUND QUESTION WORDS:
Definition: The question words which are combined with another noun, adjective, or an adverb. The Compound Question Words are: How long, how much, how many, how far, how old, how tall, what kind, what sort, what type, which book, whose car…etc.
HOW LONG: It can be used to ask about the length of something and the duration of time.
For Examples:
-How long is the Cambodian Mekong River?
It is 500 kilometers.
-How long is your straight ruler?
It is 20 centimeters.
-How long are you going to stay there?
For a fortnight.
-How long have you been learning English?
For over three years.
HOW MUCH: It can be used to ask about the amount or price of something.
For Examples:
-How much money do you need this time?
-How much do you weigh?
-How much do your shoes cost?
HOW MANY: It can be used to ask about the number of something.
For Examples:
-How many students are there in your class?
Over fifty.
-How brothers and sisters do they have?
Two brothers, but I don’t have any sisters.
-How many children has he got?
Two sons and one daughter.
HOW FAR: It can be used to ask about the distance from somewhere to another.
For Examples:
-How far is it from your house to your school?
It is about 5 kilometers.
-How far is it from your house to your workplace?
It is about 100 meters.
HOW OLD: It can be used to ask about the people’s age.
For Examples:
-How old are you?                                      
Sixteen or sixteen years old.
-How old is The Angkor Wat Temple?
It was built in 802.
HOW TALL: It can be used to ask about the person‘s height.
For Examples:
-How tall is your grandfather?                    
He is about 1.8 meter tall.
-How tall are you?                                      
I am 1.63 meter tall.
WHAT KIND/WHAT SORT/WHAT TYPE: It can be used to ask about the kind of something.
For Examples:
-What kind of music do you like best?
Classical music.
-What sort of book do you like reading?
I like reading Khmer novels.
-What type of music does he like?
Pop music.
WHICH BOOK, CAR, NEWSPAPER: It can be used to ask about the limited choice.
For Examples:
-Which book do you want to buy?             
New Headway Pre-intermediate
-Which car is yours?                                   
The black one over there.
-Which newspaper do you like reading?
I like reading The Cambodia Daily.
WHOSE BAG, BALL, DOCUMENT: It can be used to ask about the possession of something.
For Examples:
-Whose document is on my desk?              
It’s mine.

Written By Saren Chem, MBA

 

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