Present Simple: wh-questions
680 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 68 tests of ten
Question word first, then do or does, then the subject. One case drops the auxiliary altogether.
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Getting your first question ready.
The usual order
Four slots, always in this order: question word — do or does — subject — plain verb.
How often does the bus run?
The auxiliary still carries the third person ending, so the main verb stays plain: runs becomes run once does is there.
When who or what is the subject
If the question word is itself doing the action, there is nothing to put between the auxiliary and the verb — so the auxiliary disappears and the verb behaves as in a positive sentence:
- Who lives next door? — not Who does live next door?
- What happens at midnight?
Notice the -s comes back, because the verb is once again the only thing carrying the tense.
Compare a question where who is the object, and the ordinary pattern returns:
Who do you trust? — here you does the trusting.
What do you do
The most useful question in this tense uses do twice, and both are correct: the first is the auxiliary, the second is the main verb meaning work as.
What do you do? — the standard way to ask about someone’s job.
All forms
| Question word | Example | Asking about |
|---|---|---|
| What | What do you do? | the thing or the job |
| Where | Where does she live? | the place |
| When | When do the shops close? | the time |
| Why | Why does he cycle to work? | the reason |
| How | How do you get there? | the way |
| How often | How often does it rain here? | the frequency |
| Who | Who lives next door? | the person — see below |
Examples
Taken from the 680 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- Why do you always forget your keys at home?
- Why does it take so long to get to the airport by train?
- How do you go to work every day?
- How often does he play tennis?
- How often does he go to the gym?
- Where do you want to go on vacation next month?
- What do you have on your desk?
- Why do you work so late every night?
- How do they get home from work every day?
- How do you find today's meeting?
- What do you eat for breakfast every day?
- How does he get home from work every evening?
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: Where she works? correct: Where does she work?
The question word is not enough on its own. Do or does still has to be there.
Wrong: Who does live upstairs? correct: Who lives upstairs?
When who is the one doing the action, there is no auxiliary and the verb keeps its -s.
Wrong: What does mean this word? correct: What does this word mean?
The subject goes between the auxiliary and the verb, never after it.