information questions
Level One
Lesson 15
Questions for information almost always begin with words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how.
- What is that? (It’s a telescope.)
- What does it do? (It looks for stars.)
- Where is it? (it’s in a secret location.)
- Who uses it? (Scientists use it.)
- How does it work? (I don’t know how it works.)
Take Quiz #15 – information questions – present tense after you finish this lesson.
What is that?
15a. information questions ✍🏾
Here’s a list of words that are used when asking for information:
who = person
what = thing
where = location
when = time
why = reason
how = method
how much = degree
how many = number
15a. information questions ✍🏾
- A: Who is he?
- B: He’s a store owner.
- A: What does he do?
- B: He runs a business.
- A: Where is his store?
- B: It’s on 44th Street.
- A: What time does the store open?
- B: It opens at 7:00 a.m.
- A: How much are the tomatoes?
- B: They are two dollars a pound.
- A: How much do they cost?
- B: They cost two dollars a pound.
15b. information questions ✍🏾
be - present tense
Here’s a list of questions that use the verb “be” as the main verb when asking for information in the present tense:
Who is he?
Where are you?
What time is it?
How are you?
How‘s the weather today?
Why are we here?
15b. information questions ✍🏾
be - present tense
- Who are they?
- Where are they?
- What time of day is it?
- How‘s the weather there?
- How many women are there?
15c. information questions ✍🏾
do - present tense
Here’s a list of questions that use the verb “do” as the helping when asking for information in the present tense: The main verb shows action.
What do you do every day?
Where do you live?
How do you get to school?
Why do you go to school?
15c. information questions ✍🏾
do - present tense
- What does he do?
- Where does he work?
- What does he use at work?
- How does he operate that machine?
- How many other people does he work with?
15d. information questions ✍🏾
present tense
Some questions use neither “be” or “do” when forming questions. In this case, the question word functions as the subject:
What happens in school?
How many people go to that school?
Who lives in your home?
Who cooks and cleans in your household?
15d. information questions ✍🏾
present tense
- A: What made the Earth?
- B: That is a very good question!
- A: What lives on it?
- B: Plants, animals, and insects live on Earth.
- A: Who lives here?
- B: People live here.
- A: How many people inhabit the Earth?
- B: There are over eight billion people on this planet.
15e. asking questions in class
There are many different questions that students ask the teacher, but here are a few specific ways to get the teacher’s attention in order to ask a question:
- May I ask a question?
- Can I ask you a question?
- Do you mind if I ask you a question?
After you complete Sections a – e, go to the exercise below.
In the next lesson, you will learn about the present continuous tense.