Practice 36 Wh-questions 1 Introduction Reporter Kitty Beamish is interviewing some guerrilla fighters. Kitty: Why are you fighting? What can you do for the people? When will the war be over? Guerrillas: Tor our freedom. We can help them. Very soon. A wh-question begins with a question word. Question words are who, what, which, whose, where, when, why and how. We use a wh-question to ask for information. Form Most wh-questions begin with a question word + an auxiliary verb + the subject. (For another form of wh-question, see Unit 37.) An auxiliary verb is a form of be or have or a modal verb, e.g. can. question word auxiliary subject verb What is Kitty doing? Where have you put the map? When can we travel safely? The main verb be also comes before the subject in questions. Wliere is Kitty? How are you? Wliat was that noise? If there is more than one auxiliary verb, only the first one comes before the subject. The guerrillas have been hiding. —► Where have the guerrillas been hiding? I should have said something. —» Wliat should 1 have said? In the Present Simple and Past Simple we use a form of do. question word Where How What auxiliary do does did subject people the radio the guerrillas verb meet? work? say? An ordinary verb such as meet, work or say cannot come before the subject. not Wkere-meet-peopk? and not How^werks-tlie-radio? The verb after the subject does not end in -s or -ed. not Hew-dees-the-r-adio^wm'k-s? and not Whiti^Hi4ne-giiemiias-said? 3 Question phrases Look at these question phrases with what and how. Wliat time is your friend arriving? ~ Half past eight. What colour is your toothbrush? ~ Yellow. What kind of/What sort of club is it? ~ A nightclub. How old is your sister? ~ She's twenty. How often do you go out? ~ About once a week, usually. How far is the beach? ~ Only five minutes' walk. How long will the meeting last? ~ An hour or so, I expect. How many televisions have you got? ~ Three. How much money did you spend? ~ About a hundred pounds. page 88 • QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS A Wh-questions (1-2) What would you say in these situations? ► You are talking to a man at a party. Ask him where he works, y/tarft do ypw work, $....... 1 You want to know what the date is today. Ask your friend. 2 You've forgotten when the course finishes. Ask your friend. 3 Your friend is having a party. You'd like to know who he has invited. Ask him. 4 Your favourite band are going to give a concert. Ask how you can get tickets. 5 t07 Wlth 3 fri8nd' 3nd y°U are wonderin9 where the two of you are going to have lunch. What do you ask? B Question words and phrases (1-3) Quiz champion Claude Jennings is answering questions. Put in these words and phrases-how far, how long, how often, how many, what, what colour, what kind, when, where, who Quiz-master: ► Wtat colour 1 ............. is the Greek flag? is Melbourne? 2 ................................ centimetres are there in a kilometre? did the Second World War end? did Romeo love? is Sirius? Claude: Blue and white. It's in Australia. A hundred thousand. In 1945. Juliet. It's a star. is it from Los Angeles to San Francisco? About 400 miles. .......................are tne Olympic Games held? Every four years I ........of food is Cheddar? It's cheese. a ......................................is a game of rugby? Eighty minutes C Wh-questions (1-3) Guy is interviewing a guest on his chat show. It's the actress Melissa Livingstone, who is in the TV soap opera 'Round the Corner'. Put in Guy's questions. ► Guy: How o-fte.i\ do yow racord 'R.puj\d tfie.. Corner'? Melissa: Oh, we record it every day. It's a full-time job, you know. 1 Guy: And .. . Melissa: In Birmingham, at the BBC studios. 2 Guy: ................................................................................................................. Melissa: How many? Well, let me see, I think we've done a thousand programmes. 3 Guy: ................................................................................................................. Melissa: I'm not going to tell you. How much money I earn is my business. 4 Guy: OK, I'm sorry................................................................................ Melissa: Oh, a long time ago. I started acting when I was twelve. 5 Guy: .................................................................................................................. Melissa: My plans for the future? I just want to go on with 'Round the Corner'. it? QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS • page 89 Practice 37 Subject/object questions 1 Who and what Who is interviewing Kitty? Who and what can be the subject of a question. The word order is the same as in a statement. subject Who rang you? {Someone rang you.) Who is helping you? (Someone is helping you.) What will happen next? (Something will happen next.) Who and what can also be the object of a preposition, (For prepositions in questions, see Unit 38.) Compare subject Who was talking to you? (Someone was talking to you.) What wine goes with fish? (Some wine goes with fish.) Who is Kitty interviewing? Who and what can also be the object. An auxiliary (e.g. did, will) comes before the subject. object Who did you ring? (You rang someone.) Who are you helping? (You are helping someone.) What will they do next? (They will do something next.) i e.g. to, with, these sentences. object Who were you talking to? (You were talking to someone.) What does this colour go with? (This colour goes with something.) Which, whose, how many and how much These words can also be either the subject or the object. subject Which program will work best? (One of the programs will work best.) Whose dog is barking over there? (Someone's dog is barking over there.) How many people came past? (Some people came past.) How much oil got into the river? (Some oil got into the river.) object Which program will you use? (You will use one of the programs.) Whose dog is Melanie walking? (Melanie is walking someone's dog.) How many people did you see? (You saw some people.) How much oil did you buy? (You bought some oil.) A Who and what as subject and object (l) Read about the situations and answer each question in a single phrase. ► The morning after his party, Tom was cleaning up. David came along and took away some empty bottles for him. Nick had just woken up after spending the night on Tom's sofa. He watched them for a while. a) Who helped Tom? t>° tave. you tiwited? ............ ............ 1 Somebody is having a party. ~ Oh, really? ..................... ..... ......... 2 l was reading something. ~ Oh? ..................................... .......... ........... 3 I've learnt something. ~ Go on, tell me.................................................. . .. 4 We should do something. ~ Yes, I know, but . ................... 5 Someone is looking for you, ~ Oh? . ..................... .............. 6 I'm looking for someone. - Maybe I can help....................................... ................. 7 Rachel is planning something. ~ Is she? ............ ..................... ............. 8 Somebody has moved in next door. ~ Oh, really? .................. .......... ................ 9 Something is worrying me. ~ Well, tell me.......................................... ........... 10 I want to meet someone. •• What do you mean?........................................................... C Which, whose, how many and how much (2) Harriet is visiting her grandmother, Mrs Evans. It's Mrs Evans's birthday. She can't hear very well, and she sometimes gets confused. Complete her questions. Harriet: So ten people have sent cards. I met David's friend yesterday. You can keep those photos. Those flowers look lovely. Fifty pounds went missing. I passed Mark's house earlier. The doctor has four children. Doctors earn lots of money. Mike's uncle has died. Trevor's wife is coming later. Mrs Evans: Pardon? How many (?aof>le. Uva ?£*.% card*? What? Whose frier\d .did yow weetj? Photos? Which ............... Do they? Which . .. ................. Missing? How much ......... Pardon? Whose ...... .......... Really? How many ............. I don't know. How much....... What's that? Whose ............. Oh? Whose ..................... page 90 • QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS page 91 Practice 38 Prepositions in wh-questions 1 Introduction Daniel and Rachel each ask Vicky a question. In each question, the word what is the object of a preposition (for, about). What are you looking for? (You are looking for something.) What are you worrying about? (You are worrying about something.) The preposition normally comes in the same place as in a statement: looking for, worrying about. not For what arc you looking? not About what arc you worrying? But in more formal English, the preposition can come before the question word. In which warehouse were the goods stored? or Which warehouse were the goods stored in? In formal English we use a preposition + whom (not who). From whom did you obtain the information? OR Who did you obtain the information from? Here are some more examples of prepositions in wh-questions. Wlw are we waiting for? ~ Rachel. What's Nick laughing at? - Oh, one of Tom's jokes. Where are you from?/Where do you come from? ~ Sydney. What kind of holiday are you interested in? ~ A package holiday. Who did you go out with last night? ~ ]ust a friend. What... for and what ... like We can use a question with what... for to ask about purpose. What did you buy this computer magazine for? ~ 7b read about business software. What are these bricks for? ~ We're going to build a wall. What are they digging the road up for? ~ They're repairing a gas pipe. What... for means the same as why. Why are they digging up the road? ~ They're repairing a gas pipe. We can use what... like to ask if something is good or bad, interesting or boring, etc. What was the party like? ~ Oh, we had a great time. What's the place like where you live? ~ It's pretty quiet. Note also look like. What does your friend look like? ~ She's very tall and blond. But we use how to ask about someone's well-being. How are you? ~ I'm OK, thanks. And you? How are you getting on in your new job? ~ I'm really enjoying it. Compare these two questions. How's Melanie? - Oh, she's fine, thanks. (She is happy/in good health.) What's Melanie like? ~ She's very nice. (She is a nice person.) page 92 • QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS A Prepositions in wh-questions (1) Ask these people questions with what Use these verbs and prepositions: look at, look for, point at, talk about, wait for ► Wtat Are. yow lookiivj -for? 1 2 3 4 B Prepositions in wh-questions (1) Put in the question. Use what and put the preposition in brackets at the end. Tom is smiling. He's pleased, (about) Yes, he is. Wruvt if ha pleaded Afaowt.? ........... I'm busy today. I'm getting ready, (for) Wfuvt Are. ypw ^e/ttii^ reAdy -for? I've done something awful. I'm ashamed, (of) ► Melanie: David: ► Laura: Trevor: 1 Jessica: Andrew; 2 Trevor: Nona: 3 Sarah: Claire: 4 Matthew Daniel: 5 Vicky: Rachel: Haven't you heard of Kitty Beamish? She's famous, (for) No, I haven't............... ..................... Mark is annoyed. He's going to complain, (about) Emma's in a hurry. She's going to be late, (for) l don't feel very relaxed. I feel nervous, (about) C What... for and what... like (2) Trevor has just come home from work. Complete the conversation. Put in for, how, like or what. Trevor: Hello, my love. (►). How are you? , Hello. I'm all right, but I'm in a bit of a rush getting ready for the barbecue. Er, I forgot to tell you that I invited two more people. ' (1) are you telling me now (2)....... ? I've bought all the food. I just hope there's enough. Anyway, who are these people? (3)............ are they (4)..... ? They're friends of Harriet's. They're very nice people. And after all, (5)........ are parties (6) .............? To meet new people. It isn't a party, it's a barbecue. (7) ..........'s the weather going to be (8) ? The forecast said it's going to be perfect. Warm and dry. Good. And (9)...................was your day? Oh, not too bad. Busy as usual. Laura: Trevor: Laura: Trevor: Laura: Trevor: Laura: Trevor: QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS • pagh 93 Practice 39 Who, what or which? 1 What or which? We can use what or which before a noun. what What sport do you play? What books do you read? We use what when there is a wide choice of possible answers. We ask What sport? because there are lots of different sports. which Which way do we go here? Which finger did you break? We use which when there is a limited number of possible answers. We ask Which way? because there are only two or three ways to go. rhu What sport? (Tennis or golf or football or hockey or ... ?) Which way? (Right or left?) After which we sometimes say the possible answers. Which cafe did you go to, Snoopy's, the Coffee Pot or the Tea Gardens? Which phone shall 1 use, this one or the one in the office? Sometimes what and which are both possible. What day/Which day is your evening class? What train/Which train will you catch? What platform/Which platform does the train go from? What part/Which part of Italy are you from? Patterns with who, what and which We can use who, what and which without a noun. Who sent the fax? What do you think of our plan? Winch is quicker, the bus or the train? We can use what and which before a noun, but not who. Which secretary sent the fax? not Who secretary sent the fax? We can use which with one or ones, or with of. You can have a photo. Which one would you like? You can have some of the photos. Which ones would you like? Which of these photos would you like? But we cannot use who or what before of. Which of the secretaries? but not Wlto of the secretaries? Who always means a person. Who did you see? (a person) What usually means a thing. It can mean a person only when it comes before a noun. What did you see? (a thing) What doctor/What film did you see? (a person or a thing) Which can mean a person or a thing. Which doctor/film did you see? (a person or a thing) D> 102 One and ones A What or which? (1) The questions you are asking have a number of possible answers. If the list of answers is incomplete, ask a question with what. If the list is complete, use which. ► (Do you play the piano, or the violin, or the guitar, or...?) WIlAL MWSlCA.1 IAStr-WlM£i\t dp.. yoW .f>Uy f, ► (Did you go to the Little Theatre or the Theatre Royal?) Which theatre did yow op +.p? ,, .......................................... 1 (Did you take the morning flight or the afternoon flight?) 2 (Did you stay at the Grand Hotel or the Bristol?) 3 (Do you like classical music, or jazz, or rock music, or ...?) 4 (Did you buy 'Time' magazine, or 'Newsweek', or a computer magazine, or...?) 5 (Do you work for EuroChemicals, or ICM, or SenCo, or...?) 6 (Are you learning English, or Spanish, or Arabic, or Japanese, or...?) B What or which? (1) Rita is moving into a new flat. Trevor has come to see the flat and help her move in. Complete his questions. Put in what or which. ► Trevor: WhA.t............. number is this building? Rita: Forty-two. 1 Trevor: I didn't realize there were only three floors.......................floor is your flat on? Rita: The first floor. 2 Trevor: It's a very nice flat............room will be your living-room? Rita: This one here, I thought. 3 Trevor: .....................colour are you going to paint it? Rita: Oh, I don't know yet. .........time is your furniture arriving? Three o'clock, they said. Trevor: I'll need some petrol.......................way is the nearest petrol station? Rita: Turn left at the end of the street. Trevor: Rita: C Who, what or which? (2) Detectives Wilson and Taylor are looking into the murder of Lord Weybridge atjhis country house. Put in who, what or which. Wilson: (►) .Which.........of the guests in this house is the murderer, do you think, Taylor? Taylor: I don't know yet. (1)...... had the opportunity? (2) .....................of the guests had the chance to do it? Wilson: (3)......................happened after dinner last night? That's what we have to find out. Taylor: There must be a motive for the murder. (4)......................motive could the murderer have? Wilson: Love or money - they're the usual motives. (5)...................of them is it, l wonder? Taylor: (6)......................did Lord Weybridge leave his money to? That's the question, Wilson. E 94 • QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS QUESTIONS, NEGATIVES AND ANSWERS • page 95