Grammar › Present Simple with to be
Am, is, are: wh-questions
450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten
Question word first, then am, is or are, then the subject.
Practice this form
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Getting your first question ready.
The usual order
Three slots: question word — am, is or are — subject.
Why is the door open?
The verb still agrees with the subject that follows it, so look ahead before choosing: Where is the key? but Where are the keys?
who is and what is
When who or what is itself the subject, the order does not change, because there is nothing to swap with:
- Who is at the door?
- What is in the box?
These take is even when the answer turns out to be plural: Who is at the door? — My parents.
Asking about measurements
A group of questions puts an adjective straight after the question word:
How old are you? How far is the station? How long is the film? How much is this?
The verb still goes before the subject, exactly as before.
What and how with people
What is she like? asks about character. How is she? asks about health or mood. What does she look like? asks about appearance — and that one, because it uses look, needs the do pattern instead.
All forms
| Question word | Example | Asking about |
|---|---|---|
| What | What is your name? | the thing or the name |
| Where | Where are the children? | the place |
| Who | Who is that man? | the person |
| Why | Why are you late? | the reason |
| How | How is your mother? | the state |
| How old | How old is the building? | the age |
| How much | How much are the tickets? | the price |
Examples
Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- Who is responsible for locking the door?
- What are your reasons for leaving early?
- Why am I always the last to hear the news?
- Where is the border between the two countries?
- Which are the cheapest seats in the hall?
- Where am I on the map?
- Which is the quickest route to the station?
- What are the two of you whispering about?
- Where am I needed most?
- When is your appointment with the doctor?
- How are your brother and sister related?
- Why am I the only one here?
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: Where is my keys? correct: Where are my keys?
Keys is plural, and the verb agrees with it even though it comes after.
Wrong: How old do you are? correct: How old are you?
Be needs no auxiliary, with or without a question word.
Wrong: What means this word? correct: What does this word mean?
Mean is an ordinary verb, so the question switches to do and does.