1. Bridget Green Grammar MFWI 2006; based on Douglas Griffith
WH - Questions
Getting Information
Bridget Green Grammar MFWI 2006; based on Douglas Griffith

2. Inversion of subject and auxiliary!
First,
Explain how to make Yes/No questions in English to another person.
Inversion of subject and auxiliary!
BE, HAVE, MODALS, or add DO

3. Ask each other questions!
Worksheet…
Talk with a partner
It’s important to
work together!
Make noise!
Ask each other questions!

4. Asking Questions Yes/No questions Information questions
There are two kinds of questions in English:
Yes/No questions
Information questions

5. Like this… Yes/No questions Are you happy? Yes, I am.
Information questions
Why are you happy?
I’m happy because I love studying grammar.
Yes/No questions have a ‘rising’ intonation.
Information questions have a ‘falling’ intonation.

6. Next, Practice making Yes/No questions.
___________________ Yes. (I have a sister.)
___________________ No. (I can’t write kanji.)
___________________ Yes. (I have been to Osaka!)
___________________ Yes. (I am married.)
___________________ No. (I wasn’t born yesterday.)
___________________ Yes. (I like Japanese food.)
___________________ Yes. (James also teaches English.)
Practice making Yes/No questions.

7. Check your answers… Inversion of subject and auxiliary.
Do you have a sister? Yes. (I have a sister.)
Can you write kanji? No. (I can’t write kanji.)
Have you been to Osaka? Yes. (I have been to Osaka!)
Are you married? Yes. (I am married.)
Were you born yesterday? No. (I wasn’t born yesterday.)
Do you like Japanese food? Yes. (I like Japanese food.)
Does James also teach English? Yes. (James also teaches English.)

8. Question Words who how what when where why whose which
how + adj (how tall, how old, etc)
how + adv (how quickly, how soon, etc)
how often
how far
how long
how many
how much

9. Which question words? Johnny Depp who actor what in Spokane where
this week
when
Whic
why
because I’m tired
very beautifully
how
since she was very young
how long

10. Which question words? mine whose 300 miles how far/how many miles
three
how many
two hours
how long
Whic
to go sightseeing
why
Yuko’s
whose
a lot
how much/how many

11. What’s the Yes/No question?
Jin is cute.

12. What’s the Yes/No question?
Is Jin cute?
Yes, he is.

13. What’s the Yes/No question?
Jin is going.

14. What’s the Yes/No question?
Is Jin going?
Yes, he is.

15. What’s the information question?
A: To Hawaii.
Where is he going?

16. What’s the information question?
A: Next week.
When is he going?

17. What’s the information question?
A: To get married.
Why is he going?

18. What’s the information question?
How long is he going for? A:
two weeks.

19. What’s the information question?
A: With
Who is he going with?
his fiancée.
With whom is he going?

20. Check your answers… Is he going? Yes, he is.
2. Where is he going? To Hawaii.
3. When is he going? Next week.
4. Why is he going? To get married.
5. How long is he going for? For two weeks.
6. Who is he going with? With his fiancée.
Is he going? Yes, he is.
1. Where is he going? To Hawaii.
2. Why is he going? To get married.
3. When is he going? Next week.
4. How long is he going for? For two weeks.
5. Who is he going with? With his fiancée.

21. aux + S + main Wh- Is Jin going? is Jin going? So…
To make an information question…
Add…
…to the yes/no question
aux + S + main
Wh-
Is Jin going?
is Jin going?

22. Subject? Object? There are a few little things to remember…
Remember this one:
Q: ______________________
A: With his fiancée.
What’s the question?

23. WHO? Object Q: Who is he going with? Short answer: With his fiancée.
Long answer: He is going with his fiancée.
Object

24. WHO? WHAT? Q: Who is he going with?
Long answer: He is going with his fiancée.
Object
When you ask a who or what question about the object, it is the same.
Who/What/Which
+ [aux v + S + main v]

25. BUT… Q: _____________________?
Long answer: He is going with his fiancée.
SUBJECT
IF the question is about the subject,
then you use who or what as a pronoun.

26. SO… Who is going with his fiancée?
IF the question is about the subject, then you replace the subject with who or what.
Who is going with his fiancée?
He is going with his fiancée.
A: ______
Jin is.
SUBJECT

27. PRACTICE
IF the question is about the subject, then you use who or what as a pronoun.
What tastes good?
Who are good cooks?
Who will be arriving soon?
Sushi tastes good.
My sister and my mother are good cooks.
My host parents will be arriving soon.
SUBJECT

28. Ask questions…
Johnny Depp
Vanessa Paradis

29. BE CAREFUL…
Subject or
Object?
Subject
Johnny loves Vanessa.
Object

30. Who acts like a pronoun…
What’s the question?
Subject or Object?
Johnny loves Vanessa.
Who loves Vanessa?
Who does Johnny love?
SUBJECT
Who acts like a pronoun…
Object
Wh- + [aux v + S + main v]

31. What’s the short answer?
Subject or Object?
Who loves Vanessa?
Johnny does.
Johnny loves.
Who does Johnny love?
Vanessa.
Vanessa does.
Vanessa loves.

32. Practice again… Who did Mel kick? Who kicked Al? Mel kicked Al.
Subject or Object?
What’s the question?
Who did Mel kick?
Who kicked Al?
Mel kicked Al.
2. Mel kicked Al.
Object
Subject

33. Practice again… Who did Mel kick? Who kicked Al?
What’s the short answer?
Who did Mel kick?
Who kicked Al?
Al.
Mel did.

34. Make questions… I saw something. What did you see? I saw someone.
Something happened.
Johnny Depp came.
This hat is mine.
They can run very fast.
I love him.
Homestay is great!
Asking questions is good for your English.
What did you see?
Who did you see?
What happened?
Who came?
Which hat is yours?
Who can run very fast?
How fast can they run?
Who do you love?
What is great?
What is good for your English?

35. Some problems… To ask someone’s opinion, we say…
How do you feel about something ?
What do you think about something ?
How do you think about something ?
What do you feel about something ?

36. Some problems… Ever is only used in questions and negatives…
Have you ever been to Osaka?
I have ever been to Osaka.
I haven’t ever been to Osaka. (=never)
I have never been to Osaka.
I have been to Osaka once.

37. Some problems… Embedded questions… He is going home.
Where ___________?
I don’t know ______________.
is he going
Question order
aux
subject
where he is going
This is not a question.
Not question order.
aux
subject

38. Practice Embedded Questions
Where is he going?
What was she doing?
How could you do it?
Who is he going to marry?
I don’t know where he is going.
I’m not sure _____________.
I have no idea _____________.
I wonder _____________.

39. Practice Embedded Questions
Where is he going?
What was she doing?
How could they do it?
Who is he going to marry?
I don’t know where he is going.
I’m not sure what she was doing.
I have no idea how they could do it.
I wonder who he is going to marry.

40. That’s it… Homework: 1 grammar card Key words: Wh- questions
subject questions
object questions
embedded questions
Homework Handout…
Check this week’s homework in the library.