information questions
Level One
Lesson 15: information questions
Questions for information almost always begin with words such as who, what, where, when, why, and how. (CEFR: A2)
- 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?
15. 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
15. 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.
15. 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?
15. 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?
15. 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?
15. 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?
15. 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?
15. 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.
15. 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.