Question Words

What are question words? Question words are special words we use to ask for information. They often begin with the letters 'wh' (so they are called WH-words), but not all of them: for example, 'how' does not start with 'wh' yet it works the same way. These words tell the listener what kind of answer we want.

Common question words are: who (person), what (object or idea), which (choice), whose (possession), where (place), when (time), why (reason) and how (manner or method). Each word points to a different kind of information. For example, "Where is my book?" asks for a place. "Why are you late?" asks for a reason.

We use question words in everyday speech and in school work — to ask for facts, explanations or choices. Learning these words helps you listen better, speak clearly and write questions and answers in exercises. In this lesson we will learn the meaning of each word, practice making questions, and answer them correctly. You will practise changing ordinary sentences into questions and answering with full sentences and short answers. By the end students should feel confident to ask and answer questions in class and at home.

'Who' and 'Whom' are question words that ask about people. In Class 5 you will mostly use 'who'. Use 'who' when the person is the subject of the verb in the question. For example: "Who came to school?" Here 'who' is doing the action (came).

'Whom' is used when the person is the object of the verb or preposition (the receiver of the action), but it is less common in everyday speech. Instead of 'whom' many people say 'who'. For example: "Whom did you meet?" is correct, but most children will say "Who did you meet?" and that is accepted in spoken English.

To form questions with 'who' as an object, use: Who + auxiliary + subject + main verb ...? Practice shows that when 'who' is the subject, we do not need an auxiliary verb: "Who opened the door?" When 'who' is the object, we use an auxiliary: "Who did you see?" Replacing the answer in a sentence helps: Answer "I saw Riya." Question becomes "Who did you see?"

'What'

Many 'what' questions need an auxiliary verb to form the correct question. For present simple we use 'do' or 'does': "What do you like?" "What does she eat?" For past simple we use 'did': "What did you draw?" When asking about things described by a verb 'to be', we use 'is' or 'are': "What is your favourite game?" or "What are these?"

'What' can combine with other words to make more precise questions. Examples are 'what time', 'what colour', 'what kind of' and 'what about'. "What time is the match?" asks for a clock time. "What colour is your bag?" asks for a colour. "What kind of fruit do you like?" asks about the type of fruit. Teachers often ask 'what' questions during lessons: "What does the word mean?" Students practise by answering in full sentences so they learn to give clear information. If there is a small, named group of options, 'which' may be better than 'what' because 'which' points to a choice from known items. Always check whether the expected answer is a name, a number, a time or a description; this helps select the correct question form.

'Which'

When forming questions with 'which' we often include the choices in the sentence: "Which red shirt will you wear, the small one or the large one?" Notice that the listener picks from the named items. 'Which' can also ask about persons: "Which of your friends came with you?"

'Whose'

Use games: place three toys and ask 'which' to choose, then point to one and ask 'whose' to find the owner. This repeated practice makes the difference between choice and possession clear and helps students use 'which' and 'whose' correctly in writing and speaking.

'Where'

'When'

Combine 'where' and 'when' practice with routines: ask students to describe their day using both words — "Where do you study in the morning?" "When do you go to bed?" Use role-plays and picture sequences to prompt answers that use prepositions of time (at, in, on) and place. This repeated speaking and writing helps students form complete answers and improves listening comprehension in stories and instructions.

'Why'

'How'

Practice both 'why' and 'how' by using short stories or daily events. Ask students to explain actions in a story: "Why did the boy run?" and "How did he climb the tree?" This practice builds logical thinking and helps children give step-by-step descriptions. Role-plays and pair work where students ask and answer 'why' and 'how' questions improve speaking confidence and help them use complete, clear sentences in English and Hindi explanations.

To make correct WH-questions we must change the usual sentence order. In statements the order is: Subject + Verb + Object. In many WH-questions the order becomes: Question word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + object. For example: Statement: "She eats apples." Question: "What does she eat?"

If the question word is the subject, we do not use an auxiliary verb. Example: Statement: "Rita called." Question: "Who called?" Here 'who' is the subject, so no 'does' or 'did' is needed. For past tense questions use 'did' and for present simple use 'do' or 'does'. For example: "When did they arrive?" "Why does he cry?"

Also practise short answers: Q: "Do you like milk?" A: "Yes, I do." or "No, I don't." For WH-questions, short answers are less common; usually give full information: Q: "Where is your book?" A: "It is on the table." Practice changing statements into questions and answering them in full and short forms. Remember to change verbs correctly when you use 'do/does/did' and to use the base form of the main verb after these auxiliaries.

This topic helps students answer questions briefly and ask politely. Short answers use 'yes' or 'no' with an auxiliary: "Yes, I do." "No, she doesn't." For questions with the verb 'be', short answers repeat the verb: "Are you ready? — Yes, I am." Short answers are useful in conversations when a quick reply is needed, but full sentences give more information and are often preferred in writing.

Tag questions are short questions added to the end of a statement to seek agreement. They usually repeat the auxiliary verb and reverse the polarity: a positive statement gets a negative tag and a negative statement gets a positive tag. Example: "You are a student, aren't you?" or "She can't swim, can she?" For Class 5 keep tags simple: use common ones like "aren't you?", "isn't it?" and practise with familiar sentences so students learn the pattern without confusion.

Polite requests are questions that make a command softer. Children can use "Could you...", "Would you please..." or the simpler "Can you..." with 'please'. Example: Command: "Close the door." Polite request: "Could you close the door, please?" Teach children to use polite forms when asking adults or classmates. Role-play helps: one student makes a polite request, the other replies with 'Yes, of course' or a short negative such as 'Sorry, I can't now.' Practise all three forms—short answers, tag questions and polite requests—so students can use them confidently in class and at home.