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Grammar Basics: Unit 48 – What…? Which….? How…? (Solution)

Posted on 2012/06/01
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Exercise.  Using the word in parentheses, write questions with What…?

Example:

Jack went to bed late last night.  (time) ==> What time did he go to bed?

1.    I went to the library this afternoon.  What books did you check out?
2.    Tom bought a new car.  What color is it?
3.    Let’s have some ice cream.  What type would you like?
4.    We’re thinking of getting new cell phones.  What kind are you thinking of getting?
5.    Mary is flying to Atlanta next week.  What airline is she going to take?

Exercise.  Use What, Which, or Who to complete the following questions.

Example:

There are a lot of newborns in the nursery.  ____________ baby is yours? ==> Which baby is yours?

1.    What month is it?—It’s June.
2.    Don’t forget your umbrella.  Which one is yours?
3.    What day does your birthday fall on this year?
4.    Who is smarter, Jack or Jill?
5.    Which room is your next class in, Room 328 or Room 329?
6.    Who did the laundry?  Sally or Mack?
7.    Which lake did you vacation at?  Lake Michigan, or Lake Huron?
8.    What hobby does Steve enjoy?
9.    Who ate the last piece of cake, Dad or Bill?
10.    What classes do you have this semester?

Exercise.  Write questions for the following answers, using How + (adjective / adverb)…?

Example:

____________ is it to the bus station?  —About three blocks. ==> How far is it to the bus station?

1.    How much money do you have?  —Over $20.
2.    How tall is that building?  —It’s 200 feet tall.
3.    How heavy is an elephant?  —About 2000 pounds.
4.    How long is a blue whale?  —It’s nearly 100 feet long.
5.    How high is Mount McKinley?  —Over 20,000 feet.
6.    How far is Earth from the sun?  —About 93 million miles.
7.    How many miles is it from New York to Los Angeles? —Almost 3000 miles.
8.    How much gas does the tank of your car hold?  —About 12 gallons.
9.    How often do you catch a cold?  —Only once or twice a year.
10.    How old is your grandmother?—She’s 96.

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Grammar Basics: Unit 48 – What…? Which….? How…?

Posted on 2012/05/31
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In this lesson we’ll take a look at some more question words:  What…?, Which…?, and How…?

What…?

We have already seen

What + (no noun)…?
•    What is Jack doing?
•    What did the mayor say?

Now:  What + (noun)…?
•    What time is it?
•    What color are your eyes?
•    What program did you watch?
•    What size shoe does Bobby wear?
•    What kind of dessert do you like?

Which + (noun)….?
•    Which bus should I take?
•    Which coat is yours?
•    Which teacher was your favorite?
•    Which class did you like least?

Which without a noun is used for things:
•    Which is more famous – Disneyland or Universal Studios?
•    Which is hotter – Florida or Hawaii?
•    Which is taller – the Empire State Building or Willis Tower?

For people, use Who without a noun (not Which):
•    Who is more famous – Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein?  (not:  Which is more famous – Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein?)
•    Who is taller – Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain?  (not:  Which is taller – Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain?)

How do we know whether to use What or Which?
What color do you like?
or
Which color do you like?

Which:  Use when there are only a few possibilities.
•    Which color do you like?  Yellow, blue, or green?
•    Which way should I go?  Left or right?
•    Which dessert do you want?

What:  Use for more general situations.
•    What color do you want to paint the room?
•    What movies are playing at the downtown theater?
•    What desserts do they serve at that restaurant?

How…?
•    How was the movie?  —It was boring.
•    How should I wash this sweater?  —By hand.

How + (adjective / adverb)…?
•    How tall is Willis Tower?
•    How big is the sailboat?
•    How many cars are in the parking lot?
•    How often do you mow the lawn?
•    How late do you stay up?
•    How far is it to St. Louis?
•    How hard do you work to keep such a beautiful garden?
•    Etc.

Exercise.  Using the word in parentheses, write questions with What…?

Example:

Jack went to bed late last night.  (time) ==> What time did he go to bed?

1.    I went to the library this afternoon.  (books)
2.    Tom bought a new car.  (color)
3.    Let’s have some ice cream.  (type)
4.    We’re thinking of getting new cell phones.  (kind)
5.    Mary is flying to Atlanta next week.  (airline)

Exercise.  Use What, Which, or Who to complete the following questions.

Example:

There are a lot of newborns in the nursery.  ____________ baby is yours? ==> Which baby is yours?

1.    ____________ month is it?—It’s June.
2.    Don’t forget your umbrella.  ____________ one is yours?
3.    ____________ day does your birthday fall on this year?
4.    ____________ is smarter, Jack or Jill?
5.    ____________ room is your next class in, Room 328 or Room 329?
6.    ____________ did the laundry?  Sally or Mack?
7.    ____________ lake did you vacation at?  Lake Michigan, or Lake Huron?
8.    ____________ hobby does Steve enjoy?
9.    ____________ ate the last piece of cake, Dad or Bill?
10.    ____________ classes do you have this semester?

Exercise.  Write questions for the following answers, using How + (adjective / adverb)…?

Example:

____________ is it to the bus station?  —About three blocks. ==> How far is it to the bus station?

1.    ____________ money do you have?  —Over $20.
2.    ____________ is that building?  —It’s 200 feet tall.
3.    ____________ is an elephant?  —About 2000 pounds.
4.    ____________ is a blue whale?  —It’s nearly 100 feet long.
5.    ____________ is Mount McKinley?  —Over 20,000 feet.
6.    ____________ is Earth from the sun?  —About 93 million miles.
7.    ____________ miles is it from New York to Los Angeles? —Almost 3000 miles.
8.    ____________ gas does the tank of your car hold?  —About 12 gallons.
9.    ____________ do you catch a cold?  —Only once or twice a year.
10.    ____________ is your grandmother?—She’s 96.

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Grammar Basics: Unit 47 – Who is she talking to? What is it like? (Solution)

Posted on 2012/05/30
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Exercise. Write questions with Who or What to determine the missing information.

Example:

I got a phone call from XXXXX. ==> Who did you get a phone call from?

1.    Dad is talking to XXXXX.
Who is Dad talking to?

2.    The TV program is about XXXXX.
What is the TV program about?

3.    I got a present from XXXXX.
Who did you get a present from?

4.    We were just talking about XXXXX.
What were you just talking about?

5.    That song was written by XXXXX.
Who was that song written by?

Exercise.  Write questions using Which to get further information.

Example:

We stayed at a hotel in Houston. ==> Which hotel did you stay at?

1.    I went to college in Wisconsin.
Which college did you go to?

2.    Tom talked to a clerk.
Which clerk did Tom talk to?

3.    Sam and Mary went to an amusement park.
Which amusement park did Sam and Mary go to?

4.    Steve took me to a restaurant for my birthday.
Which restaurant did Steve take you to?

5.    Jack went to see a movie.
Which theater did Jack go to?

Exercise.  Find out more information by asking questions with What is/are …. like?

Example:

(the class) ==> What’s the class like?

1.    (the hotel)
What’s the hotel like?

2.    (the weather in Montana)
What’s the weather like in Montana?

3.    (Mrs. Wilson)
What’s Mrs. Wilson like?

4.    (the new movie)
What’s the new movie like?

5.    (the county fair)
What’s the county fair like?

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Grammar Basics: Unit 47 – Who is she talking to? What is it like?

Posted on 2012/05/29
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Prepositions usually go at the end of questions beginning with Who, What, Where, and Which:

Who is Sally talking to?
Who is the teacher mad at?
What is the world coming to?
What is Jack talking about?
Where’s the party at?
Where did that stain come from?
Which picture are you looking at?
Which drawer did you put the key in?

The phrase “What’s X like?” is used when you want to ask someone to describe X.  Here, “like” is NOT used as a verb – it is used as a preposition.

“What does Mr. Smith like?” ≠ “What is Mr. Smith like?”

“What does Mr. Smith like?” ==> What are Mr. Smith’s interests?  What does Mr. Smith prefer?

•    Mr. Smith likes chocolate cake.
•    Mr. Smith likes spy movies.
•    Mr. Smith likes Florida.
•    Mr. Smith likes to read books.
•    Etc.

“What is Mr. Smith like?” ==> How would you describe Mr. Smith?

•    Mr. Smith is tall / short.
•    Mr. Smith is old / young.
•    Mr. Smith is athletic / not very active.
•    Mr. Smith is nice / mean.
•    Etc.

Examples:

What was the movie like?
–    It was pretty boring.
What’s the new teacher like?
–    He’s very strict.
What’s life like in the dorms?
–    Rather noisy, as you might imagine.

Exercise. Write questions with Who or What to determine the missing information.

Example:

I got a phone call from XXXXX. ==> Who did you get a phone call from?

1.    Dad is talking to XXXXX.
2.    The TV program is about XXXXX.
3.    I got a present from XXXXX.
4.    We were just talking about XXXXX.
5.    That song was written by XXXXX.

Exercise.  Write questions using Which to get further information.

Example:

We stayed at a hotel in Houston. ==> Which hotel did you stay at?

1.    I went to college in Wisconsin.
2.    Tom talked to a clerk.
3.    Sam and Mary went to an amusement park.
4.    Steve took me to a restaurant for my birthday.
5.    Jack went to see a movie.

Exercise.  Find out more information by asking questions with What is/are …. like?

Example:

(the class) ==> What’s the class like?

1.    (the hotel)
2.    (the weather in Montana)
3.    (Mrs. Wilson)
4.    (the new movie)
5.    (the county fair)

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Grammar Basics: Unit 46 – Who saw you? Who did you see? (Solution)

Posted on 2012/05/25
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Exercise.  Use the following sentences to write questions, using either Who or What for the subject.

Example:

Somebody got in trouble for the prank. ==> Who got in trouble for the prank?
Something got in my eye. ==> What got in your eye?

1.    Somebody ate my porridge.
Who ate your porridge?

2.    Someone’s been sleeping in my bed.
Who’s been sleeping in my bed?

3.    Something made a strange noise in the basement.
What made a strange noise in the basement?

4.    Someone gave me a pair of free tickets.
Who gave you a pair of free tickets?

5.    Something frightened the chickens.
What frightened the chickens?

6.    Something caused the dinosaurs to become extinct.
What caused the dinosaurs to become extinct?

7.    Something’s wrong with the TV.
What’s wrong with the TV?

8.    Somebody turned off the lights.
Who turned off the lights?

9.    Somebody brought a cake for the class party.
Who brought a cake for the class party?

10.    Something made me cancel my vacation plans.
What made you cancel your vacation plans?

Exercise.  Use the following sentences to write questions, using either Who or What for the object.

Example:

John ran into someone at the train station. ==> Who did John run into at the train station?
Mary ate something for lunch. ==> What did Mary eat for lunch?

1.    Tony asked someone to the dance.
Who did Tony ask to the dance?

2.    The cat has something in its mouth.
What does the cat have in its mouth?

3.    Steve is going to the store to get something.
What is Steve going to get at the store?

4.    The police arrested someone for the arson.
Who did the police arrest for the arson?

5.    The teacher picked someone to be his helper.
Who did the teacher pick to be his helper?

6.    Jack wrote something on the back of the picture.
What did Jack write on the back of the picture?

7.    The prince married someone at the end of the fairy tale.
Who did the prince marry at the end of the fairy tale?

8.    The waiter brought Jane something to drink.
What did the waiter bring Jane to drink?

9.    The farmer put something on the plants to make them grow.
What did the farmer put on the plants to make them grow?

10.    The doctor operated on someone.
Who did the doctor operate on?

Exercise.  Ask a question using who or what to find the missing information.

Example:

I bought a XXXXX for a souvenir, and XXXXX got some postcards. ==>
What did you get for a souvenir?  
Who got postcards?

1.    Tom took a picture of Becky sitting on XXXXX, but XXXXX didn’t want his picture taken.
What was Becky sitting on?
Who didn’t want his picture taken?

2.    On our vacation we went to see XXXXX.  Mother also wanted to see XXXXX.
What did you see on your vacation?
What did Mother also want to see?

3.    XXXXX wrote many famous fairy tales.  He also wrote many XXXXX.
Who wrote many famous fairy tales?
What did he also write?

4.    We packed XXXXX, but XXXXX forgot his toothbrush.
What did you pack?
Who forgot his toothbrush?

5.    The children caught XXXXX in the creek.  XXXXX caught the most of all.
What did the children catch in the creek?
Who caught the most of all?

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Grammar Basics: Unit 46 – Who saw you? Who did you see?

Posted on 2012/05/24
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Who / What can be used as either the subject of a question, or the object, when we want to ask about the subject / object.

Who is used when the subject / object is people:  somebody, someone
What is used when the subject / object is not a person – things, ideas, animals, etc.:  something

Jack called Jill on the phone. ==> Who called Jill on the phone?
I invited Tom to the party. . ==> Who did you invite to the party?

(To be absolutely proper, “whom” is the object form:  Whom did you invite to the party?  But in American English, we commonly do not distinguish between “who” and “whom.”   You can, of course, use “whom,” and it will be completely okay.  Just be aware that most Americans do not use it.)

Questions with “Who” as subject:

Who called on the phone?
Who gave you that nice present?
Who is coming to the party?
Who won the election?
Who took my coat?

Questions with “What” as subject:

What happened to the car?
What gave you the idea I was going on vacation?
What stung me on the cheek?
What is in the box?
What has four wings and flies?
What’s wrong with Tom?

Questions with “who” as object:

Who did you see at the library?
Who was Mr. Collins angry at?
Who did the doctor operate on?
Who is Johnny taking piano lessons from?

Questions with “what” as object:

What is Jacob doing?
What was the correct answer to problem number 3?
What did you do in school today?
What was Moses doing in the dark?
What is your name?

We now have more ways to turn a sentence into a question:

The cat caught a mouse. ==>
What caught a mouse?
or
What did the cat catch?

Janice gave the baby a bath. ==>
Who gave the baby a bath?
or
Who did Janice give a bath to?

Peter ate a piece of cake. ==>
Who ate a piece of cake?
or
What did Peter eat?

Exercise.  Use the following sentences to write questions, using either Who or What for the subject.

Example:

Somebody got in trouble for the prank. ==> Who got in trouble for the prank?
Something got in my eye. ==> What got in your eye?

1.    Somebody ate my porridge.

____________________________________________

2.    Someone’s been sleeping in my bed.

____________________________________________

3.    Something made a strange noise in the basement.

____________________________________________

4.    Someone gave me a pair of free tickets.

____________________________________________

5.    Something frightened the chickens.

____________________________________________

6.    Something caused the dinosaurs to become extinct.

____________________________________________

7.    Something’s wrong with the TV.

____________________________________________

8.    Somebody turned off the lights.

____________________________________________

9.    Somebody brought a cake for the class party.

____________________________________________

10.    Something made me cancel my vacation plans.

____________________________________________

Exercise.  Use the following sentences to write questions, using either Who or What for the object.

Example:

John ran into someone at the train station. ==> Who did John run into at the train station?
Mary ate something for lunch. ==> What did Mary eat for lunch?

1.    Tony asked someone to the dance.

____________________________________________

2.    The cat has something in its mouth.

____________________________________________

3.    Steve is going to the store to get something.

____________________________________________

4.    The police arrested someone for the arson.

____________________________________________

5.    The teacher picked someone to be his helper.

____________________________________________

6.    Jack wrote something on the back of the picture.

____________________________________________

7.    The prince married someone at the end of the fairy tale.

____________________________________________

8.    The waiter brought Jane something to drink.

____________________________________________

9.    The farmer put something on the plants to make them grow.

____________________________________________

10.    The doctor operated on someone.

____________________________________________

Exercise.  Ask a question using who or what to find the missing information.

Example:

I bought a XXXXX for a souvenir, and XXXXX got some postcards. ==>
What did you get for a souvenir?
Who got postcards?

1.    Tom took a picture of Becky sitting on XXXXX, but XXXXX didn’t want his picture taken.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

2.    On our vacation we went to see XXXXX.  Mother also wanted to see XXXXX.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

3.    XXXXX wrote many famous fairy tales.  He also wrote many XXXXX.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

4.    We packed XXXXX, but XXXXX forgot his toothbrush.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

5.    The children caught XXXXX in the creek.  XXXXX caught the most of all.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

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