Grammar · Lesson 9

Question words: what, where, who, how

Four small words help open many basic conversations. Use what for a thing, where for a place, who for a person, and how for a feeling or a way. Then keep the order simple: question word + be + subject.

≈ 40–45 minwhat / where / who / howwith beanswer type → question

NoticeRead an answer, find its question.

DiscoverEach word asks for one category.

BuildMatch, choose, and build questions.

UseMeet, ask, and make small talk.

We stay with the verb be here: am / is / are. You already use it. Now you put a question word in front of it.

Notice before the rule

An answer, then its question

What is your job? I'm a nurse.
Where are you from? I'm from Peru.
Who is that? That's my manager.
How are you? Fine, thanks.

One answer is a thing, one is a place, one is a person, and one is a feeling. Which question word goes with each?
Look at the order of every question. Which word comes first? Which word comes second?
So if you know what kind of answer you want, you can pick the question word. What kind of answer does where ask for?

Discovery check: read the answer, then choose the question word

The answer in brackets is the cue. What kind of thing is it: a thing, a place, a person, or a feeling?

1 are you from? (Answer: I'm from Peru.)

2 is your job? (Answer: I'm a teacher.)

3 is that? (Answer: That's my boss.)

4 are you today? (Answer: Fine, thanks.)

The system: one word, one category

Each question word asks for one kind of answer. Decide the kind first, then the word is easy:

question word	it asks about	example
what	a thing or information	What is your name?
where	a place	Where is the office?
who	a person	Who is that?
how	a feeling or a way	How are you?

Then the word order stays the same every time:

question word + be + subject

Where · are · you → Where are you from?
What · is · your job → What is your job?

This pattern is for be

Use this lesson’s order when the verb is am, is, or are: Where is the office? Do not add be before an action word such as work: not Where are you work? The natural question is Where do you work?, a later question pattern.

What is your job? is clear. In everyday U.S. English, people also often ask What do you do? You will learn that action-verb pattern with the present simple.

Meaning check

Can we say Who are you from? for a place? No. Who asks about a person. For a place we say Where are you from?
When you meet someone and want the person to tell you their name, ask What is your name? The question Where is your name? asks about the location of a written name.
What does How are you? ask for? A feeling or condition, not a place. The answer is Fine, thanks. or I'm tired.

Useful fixed questions

Keep these whole. They open most first conversations:

What's your name? · Where are you from?
Who is that woman? · How are you? Fine, thanks.

Sound natural: say the question as one complete thought

Link the question word to is or are. Make the information you want clear, and let your voice fall gently at the end.

question	natural rhythm
What is your name?	What’s your NAME?
Where are you from?	Where-are-you FROM?
Who is that?	Who-is THAT?
How are you?	How-are-YOU?

These questions ask for information, so they usually end with a falling voice, not the rising voice of many yes/no questions. Notice that who begins with an h sound; the written w is silent.

Listen for the question type

Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each pair. Say “information” for the question with what or where, and “yes or no” for the other question. Then repeat the information question with a gentle fall.

Drill 1: choose the question word

Read the short answer in brackets. It tells you a thing, a place, a person, or a feeling.

1 is your phone number? (Answer: It's 555-0199.)

2 is the meeting? (Answer: In room 3.)

3 is your teacher? (Answer: Mr. Diaz.)

4 is your mother? (Answer: She's well, thanks.)

5 are your colleagues? (Answer: At lunch.)

6 is your last name? (Answer: It's Romano.)

Build the meaning, then the question

Drill 2: match each word to what it asks about

Tap a question word, then tap the meaning that fits it

Drill 3: build the question

You meet someone new and want their country. Build the question, then say it.

Drill 4: build the question

You want to know the person's work. Build the question.

Drill 5: build the question

You greet a coworker in the morning. Build the question.

Notice and repair errors

Drill 6: fix the question word

Tap the word that is wrong. The answer is a country.

Drill 7: fix the question word

Tap the word that is wrong. The answer is a name.

Drill 8: read the answer, then say the question

The answer is given. Say the question aloud first. Reveal only after you answer.

1 I'm from Brazil. → ask for the place

Where are you from?

2 I'm an engineer. → ask for the job

What is your job?

3 He's my brother. → ask about the person

Who is that?

4 Fine, thanks. → ask about the feeling

How are you?

5 My name is Ana. → ask for the name

What is your name?

Play and practice

Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.

Read

New in the building

Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.

Text messages68 wordsAbout 1 min

Lucia: Hi! I’m Lucia, the new neighbor in 4B. How are you?

Omar: Fine, thanks. I’m Omar, in 4A. Where are you from?

Lucia: I’m from Chile. Where is the laundry room?

Omar: It’s in the basement, next to the elevator.

Lucia: Thanks! And who is the building manager?

Omar: Mrs. Park. Her office is on the first floor.

Lucia: What is her phone number?

Omar: It’s 555-0142.

Find it

Tap the 5 question words.

Check your understanding

1. Where is Lucia from?

2. Where is the laundry room?

3. Who is Mrs. Park?

Match up

Question and answer

Tap an item on the left, then its partner on the right.

Question

Answer

Unscramble

Build the questions

Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.

1. Ask for a place in a new city.
2. Ask about a person at work.
3. Ask for information on a form.
4. Ask about a feeling.

Memory

Word and answer type

Flip two cards. If they belong together, they stay. Find every pair in as few turns as you can.

Use it in real life

First introductions: Imagine you just met someone at a conference. Ask all four questions in order: What's your name? Where are you from? What is your job? How are you?

Point and ask: Look at a photo of people (real or invented). For each person, ask the teacher: Who is that? Then give the answer.

Lost in a new city: You need a place. Ask the teacher for directions to three places: Where is the station? Where is the hotel? Where is the bank?

Small talk at work: Greet a coworker and keep it going. How are you today? Fine, thanks. And you? Then ask one more question with what or where.

Information gap: Your teacher gives one short answer at a time about a thing, a place, a person, or a feeling. Ask the matching complete question without seeing the teacher’s question card. Switch roles and repeat.

Success check

Ask one clear question with each of the four question words.
Match the question word to the answer type you need.
Put am, is, or are before the subject.
Say each information question as one thought with a gentle fall.

Reflect

Explain the choice

Complete this aloud: “I use what for a ______. I use where for a ______. I use who for a ______. I use how for a ______. In every question, the order is question word, then ______, then the subject.”

Then ask the teacher one true question with each of the four words.

Final quiz: choose the right question word

1. (Answer: I'm from Mexico.) ___ are you from?

2. (Answer: I'm a doctor.) ___ is your job?

3. (Answer: That's my colleague.) ___ is that?

4. (Answer: Fine, thanks.) ___ are you?

5. (Answer: My name is Ana Romano.) ___ is your name?

6. (Answer: In room 3, on the second floor.) ___ is the meeting?

7. You want the location of the meeting room. Which question has the correct order?

8. You meet someone and want to learn the person’s name. Which question is correct?

Next use: tomorrow, return to the five-minute retrieval check before you reread the four answer types.

Next-day retrieval

Come back tomorrow. Read each short answer, then choose the question word and say the full question.

Choose from memory

Tap each gap, then choose the question word

1 is your manager? (Answer: At reception.)

2 is the new analyst? (Answer: Maya.)

3 are you? (Answer: I'm tired.)

Repair from memory

The answer is “Down the hall.” Tap the wrong word.

What is the restroom?

Say it without notes

Build and say the question before you reveal it.

1 what + is + your email address

What is your email address?

2 where + are + your keys

Where are your keys?

Thirty-second response: imagine you meet a new coworker. Ask one natural question with each of what, where, who, and how.