Information
Questions
(#6):
Answers for Non-Subject
Questions
There are are several different
ways to answer "Wh-"
questions. One way is to give
a complete answer. In
a complete answer for "Wh-" questions that
are not
about the subject
(or part
of it), the sentence is often
repeated (just as
it is for questions about the subject):
Q:
A: |
Where's Bob?
Bob's in the
kitchen. |
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Q:
A:
|
Which man is Bob with?
(With which man is Bob?)
Bob's with the tall man in
the red jacket .
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Q:
A: |
When was Mei-Li's brother here?
Mei-Li's
brother was here
yesterday. |
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|
Q:
A: |
What is Bill doing?
Bill's trying
to fix his bicycle. |
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|
Q:
A: |
Where will Zahra's party be?
Zahra's
party will be at the community center. |
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Q:
A:
|
How much sugar did you use
in
these cookies?
I used two cups of sugar in
these cookies.
|
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Q:
A:
|
Why did Masha buy a new
car?
Masha bought a new car because
she
wrecked her old one.
|
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|
Q:
A: |
Who did Mrs. Sato get angry
with?
(Whom did Mrs. Sato get angry with?
/
With whom did Mrs. Sato get
angry?)
Mrs. Sato got angry with her
students.
|
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|
Q:
A: |
How
often has Shahnaz missed class?
Shahnaz
has never missed class. |
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Q:
A:
|
What time does Marie-Claire
do her homework?
Marie-Claire does her
homework
at 8:00 PM every
single evening.
|
Note: Complete answers are correct, but
short
answers
(see below) are more
common.
______________________________________________
Short answers are also common when "Wh-"
questions
are not
about the subject (or part of
it). One common
type
of short
answer consists of the subject
(usually
replaced
by a pronoun)
+
verb +
answer:
Q:
A: |
Where's Bob?
He's in the
kitchen. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
Which man is Bob with?
(With which man is Bob?)
He's with the tall man in
the red jacket .
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
When was Mei-Li's brother here?
He
was here yesterday. |
| |
|
Q:
A: |
What is Bill doing?
He's trying
to fix his bicycle. |
| |
|
Q:
A: |
Where will Zahra's party be?
It'll
be at the community center. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
How much sugar did you use
in
these cookies?
I used two cups.
|
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
Why did Masha buy a new
car?
She bought a new one because
she
wrecked her old one.
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
Who did Mrs. Sato get angry
with?
(Whom did Mrs. Sato get angry with?
/
With whom did Mrs. Sato get
angry?)
She got angry with her students.
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
How
often has Shahnaz missed class?
She's never
missed class. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
What time does Marie-Claire
do her homework?
She does it at 8:00 PM every
single evening.
|
____________________________________________
An even
more common way to
answer is to say the
phrase
in
which
the answer appears or only
the answer
if it is not in a phrase:
Q:
A: |
Where's Bob?
In the
kitchen. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
Which man is Bob with?
(With which man is Bob?)
The tall man in the red jacket.
/
With the tall man in the red
jacket.
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
When was Mei-Li's brother here?
Yesterday. |
| |
|
Q:
A: |
What is Bill doing?
Trying to
fix his bicycle. |
| |
|
Q:
A: |
Where will Zahra's party be?
At
the community center. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
How much sugar did you use
in
these cookies?
Two cups.
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
Why did Masha buy a new car?
Because
she wrecked her old one. |
| |
|
Q:
A: |
Who did Mrs. Sato get angry
with?
(Whom did Mrs. Sato get angry with?
/
With whom did Mrs. Sato get
angry?)
With her students. / Her students.
|
| |
|
Q:
A: |
How
often has Shahnaz missed class?
Never. |
| |
|
|
Q:
A:
|
What time does Marie-Claire
do her homework?
At 8:00 PM every single
evening.
|
|
