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Conversational
Language (#3)
The grammar
used in written language and the grammar
used in
conversational
language are often quite
different.
In
fact, what's
normal, common, and
acceptable in spoken
language
is
often considered unacceptable in written
language.
For that reason, we'll take a look, in the next
several Hints,
at what some of these
differences are.
3. Information
("Wh-") Questions
Written
English
In written language, Information
("Wh-") questions have
several
forms:
BE: Questions about
the
Subject
Wh-* + BE + other words
Who is at the door?
How many people are
here?
Which
office is Mr. Smith's?
Whose office is at the end of the hall?
BE: Questions about
Information after the Subject
Wh-* + BE + subject + other
words
Where is Ahmed?
When are your office
hours?
Why
is Ricardo absent today?
What is that man's name?
Verbs with Auxiliaries:
Questions about the
Subject
Wh-* + AUX + verb + other
words
Who can speak French?
How many people will
be there?
Which
person might help us?
Who has been
absent 10 times?
How many people have finished the
test?
Whose
brother has been married four times?
Verbs with Auxiliaries:
Questions about
Information After the
Subject
Wh-* + AUX + subject + verb
+ other
words
What
languages can you speak?
When will your parents
arrive?
Why
have you been absent so often?
What time should I
arrive?
How often has Ricardo been absent?
Who(m) have you talked
to about this problem?
Verbs without Auxiliaries:
Questions about the Subject
Wh-* + verb + other words
Who speaks French?
How many people live
here?
Which
professor teaches this class?
Verbs without
Auxiliaries:
Questions about
Information After the Subject
Wh-* + DO / DOES / DID + subject
+ verb + other words
What languages do you speak?
When did your parents
arrive?
Why
do you miss class so often?
What time does he expect to
arrive?
How often do you see Ricardo?
Who(m) did you talk
to about this problem?
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Conversational
English
In everyday conversation,
information ("Wh-") questions
(especially those with BE,
will, does, has, have,
did,
and
had) often use contractions--contractions that are
often
heard
in speaking, but almost never used in writing.
Examples:
BE
When's, Who's, Which's, Why's,
Where's,
What's,
How's, Whose's
When're, Who're,
Which're,
Why're, Where're,
What're, How're,
Whose're
Examples: Will
When'll, Who'll, Which'll,
Why'll, Where'll, What'll, How'll
How many'll,
How often'll, What time'll, Whose'll
Examples:
Does
When's, Who's, Which's, Why's,
Where's, What's,
How's
Examples: Has
When's, Who's, Which's, Why's,
Where's, What's, How's
Examples: Have
When've, Who(m)'ve, Which've,
Why've, Where've,
What've, How've, How many've, How
often've
Examples: Did
When'd, Who'd, Which'd, Why'd,
Where'd, What'd,
How'd, How many'd, How often'd
Examples:
Had
When'd, Who'd, Which'd, Why'd,
Where'd,
What'd,
How'd, How many'd, How often'd
Examples: Complete
Questions
When's the party? ( = When
is
the party?)
Why's Luz angry? ( = Why is
Luz angry?)
When'll the party be? ( =
When
will the party be?)
What time'll you arrive? (
=
What time will you arrive?)
What time'll you be arriving?
( = What time will you be arriving?)
When's he want to leave? (
= When does he want to leave?)
When's he going to leave?
( = When is he going to leave?)
When's she been absent? (
= When has she been absent?)
What's she wearing? ( = What
is she wearing?)
What's she want? ( = What
does she want?)
What's she done? ( = What
has she done?)
How often've you been absent?
(
= How often have
you been
absent?)
What've you done? ( = What
have you done?)
When'd they arrive? ( = When
did they arrive?)
Where'd he go? ( = Where
did
he go?)
Who'd he been talking to?
( = Who had he been talking to?)
How many times'd he been absent
before today?
(How
many times had
he been absent before
today?)
____________________________________
Important: Contractions like the ones above
are very common
in spoken English, but they
are very
uncommon
(and generally
not
appropriate!) in written
English.
____________________________________
Special Notes:
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Notice that 's can mean is, has,
has or does.
To know which one
is meant, listen for the words
after 's:
Where's he from? ('s =
is)
Where's he been? ('s = has)
What's he want? ('s = does)
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| 2. |
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Notice also that 'd can mean did or had.
To know
which
one is meant, listen for
the words after
'd:
When'd he arrive? ( 'd
=
When did he arrive?)
Where'd he lived before he
moved here?
('d = Where
had
he lived before he moved
here?)
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| 3.* |
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Some "Wh-" words
are
single words (Who,
Why, Where,
How, etc.) and some are more
than
one word:
How often, What time,
How many, etc.).
Some "Wh-" words
also contain nouns or
other words as part of the "Wh-"
expression:
Which ___ , What ___
,
What kind of ___ ,
How many ___
,
Whose ___ ,
etc.
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Remember:
The contractions heard in
relaxed, everyday conversation
are frequently
heard in speaking even though they are
usually not acceptable in writing!
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