Wh Questions: Examples with Answers

Differently from yes/no questions, wh questions ask are used to ask questions that require more than a “yes” or a “no”. If you’re an English as an additional language learner, you must be prepared to answer this type of question in any situation. Prepare yourself for that with this article on wh questions: examples and answers!

What Wh Questions Are

Wh questions are questions that begin with the following words: what, when, where, who, whom, which, whose, why, and how. You can’t answer them with a simple “yes” or “no”. They need a more elaborate answer because they require specific information about something. For example:

What is used to ask about a thing.
What time is used to ask about a specific time.
When is used to ask about time.
Where is used to ask about a place.
Who is used to ask about a person (typically, as the subject of the sentence).
Whom is used to ask about a person (typically, as the object of the sentence).
Which is used to ask about a choice in a group of options.
Whose is used to ask about ownership.
Why is used to ask about the reason for something.
How is used to ask about the manner of something.
How often is used to ask about frequency.
How + adjective is used to ask about different dimensions of something.

WH QUESTION	EXAMPLE	POSSIBLE ANSWER
What	What are you holding?	I’m holding my cell phone.
What time	What time do you start work?	I start work at 9 a.m.
When	When did you last travel abroad?	I last traveled abroad last year.
Where	Where are you going tonight?	I’m going to the movies.
Who	Who told you I was coming to the city?	Mark told me you were coming to the city.
Whom	Whom did you meet this morning?	I met my colleagues this morning.
Which	Which color do you prefer: green or yellow?	I prefer green.
Whose	Whose backpack is that?	It’s Olivia’s.
Why	Why are you late?	Because the traffic was chaotic.
How	How are you?	I’m good. Thanks for asking.
How often	How often do you go on vacation?	Twice a year.
How + adjective	How old are you?	I’m 30.