Question Words in British English
There are 6 main question words in English; who, what, where, when, why, how.
They are very important in order to ask people questions and have a conversation.
In this lesson, you’ll understand these question words and practise using them.
What are the question words?
- Who – used for people
- What – used for objects/things/actions
- Where – used for places
- When – Used for time (not asking for the time)
- Why – used for reason
- How – used for method
Questions use a different structure – question word + auxiliary verb + subject.
Examples
What time is it?
When do you play volleyball?
Where is the supermarket?
Remember: each question word has its own situation when to be used.
Practise
Put the correct question words into the correct questions.
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong question word
- Incorrect word order in questions
- Missing auxiliary verbs (what, where, why)
Common mistakes learners make
- Using the wrong question word
- Incorrect word order in questions
- Missing auxiliary verbs (what, where, why)
Watch: Question words explained by a British tutor
In this video, Claire explains the 6 different question words and gives more examples.
