EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
RESEARCH PAPER
WH-QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH:
HOW SPANISH-SPEAKING LEARNERS PRODUCE THEM
INTRODUCTION
The present paper attempts to define how Spanish speaking learners produce
wh-questions. Through my years of experience as EFL teacher, I have noticed
that wh-questions are difficult to produce. Teachers work hard in order to explain
the theory about question formation and students seem to understand it;
however, they recite all of the question formation rules, they keep having the
same mistakes.
This paper consists of four parts. In the first one, the description and definition of
the problem are presented as well as the identification of the population and
sample. The second part corresponds to a review of literature intended to
determine the structure, use and meaning of wh-questions in English. In the third
part, the structure and use of wh-questions in Spanish are explained.
The last part is divided into seven sections that attempt to explain why learners
have mistakes when producing wh- questions. One of these parts briefly
summarizes the stages on how second language learners develop wh-questions;
the next part presents how textbooks present wh-questions. The following part
presents a set of typical EFL/ESL mistakes; the fourth and fifth part report how
Colombian teachers and some researchers perceive the production of incorrect
wh-questions; the sixth part suggests ten different techniques Colombian
teachers use to teach, reinforce, feedback or correct wh-questions. The last part
of this section presents some ideas on how to correct learners.
Some statistical data is presented through the report and at the end as well.
This study becomes the product of a conscious process which gave the
researcher great satisfaction. Thanks to Professor Denis Hall for his knowledge
and to the 49 students and 12 teachers at LA SABANA University who were the
population studied.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
I.
RESEARCH BACKGROUND
A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM
B. DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
C. POPULATION IDENTIFICATION AND SAMPLE SELECTION
II.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE STRUCTURE
QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH
A. DEFINING THE WH QUESTIONS
B. SPELLING RULE
C. FORMING THE WH-QUESTIONS
D. WH-QUESTION STRUCTURE
1. Verb to Be
2. What + a form of DO
3. The Auxiliary Verbs
4. Who and What
E. The Meaning of Wh-words
III.
STRUCTURE AND USE OF WH QUESTIONS IN SPANISH
A. DEFINING THE WH QUESTIONS
B. THE PREGUNTA-WORDS AND THEIR USE
C. ¿COMO?
IV.
PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
A. LEARNER LANGUAGE: QUESTIONS
B. PRESENTATION OF THE WH-QUESTIONS IN THE TEXT
BOOKS
C. TYPICAL MISTAKES
D. COLOMBIAN TEACHERS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
1. Auxiliary Verb Omission
2. Question word order
3. Overgeneralization of To Be and Do
4. Auxiliary Verb according to the tense
5. Auxiliary Verb and Subject Agreement
6. Wrong Question Word
E. WHY LEARNERS PRODUCE INCORRECT WH QUESTIONS
AND
USE
OF WH
1. What do researchers say?
2. What do teachers say?
a. Inference of the L1
b. Lack of Understanding of the Use of Auxiliary Verb
c. Lack of Practice
d. Fossilization
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
e. Lack of self monitoring
F.
G.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
1. Self correction
2. The Secret Hand
3. A Table
4. Math Equation
5. A Lot Of Practice
6. Relating The Use Of Wh-Questions With Real Life Situations
And Their Lives
7. Consolidation Activities
8. Funny Explanations
9. Some Questions Learnt By Rote
CORRECTIONS
1. Individual Correction Vs. Group Correction
2. Reminding And Explaining Over And Over
3. Helping Them To Realize What Their Mistake Is
APPENDIXES
REFERENCES
I.
RESEARCH BACKGROUND
A. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM
Spanish speaking learners have problems when forming the wh-questions of
English. They understand the concept of the wh-words and the structure of the
questions, but they keep making mistakes mainly in the order of the elements of
the question, the use of the auxiliary verbs and the inclusion of the answer in the
same question.
B.
DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM
This descriptive research attempts to find answer to the following questions:
 Why do Spanish-speaking learners have problems with the whquestions in English?
 How do English wh-questions differ from Spanish wh-questions?
 What can be done to help Spanish-speaking learners to avoid
mistakes when producing wh-questions?
C.
POPULATION IDENTIFICATION
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
The population studied consisted of 49 Colombian students at La Sabana
University in Chia, Colombia. These students are part of the Program of
Proficiency in English developed by the Department of Foreign Languages of the
University … Appendix 1 …They are currently studying different levels from 1 to
7, where levels 1 and 2 are beginner learners, levels 3 and 4 are intermediate
learners; and levels 5, 6 and 7 are advance learners. The table 1 and the figure 1
show the number of students in each level. According to the survey, 43% of the
students are studying in level 5, 27% in level 3, 12% in level 2, 12% in level 7,
4% in level 4, and 2% in level 1.
Level
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Q1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
No
1
2.0%
6
12.2%
13 26.5%
2
4.1%
21 42.9%
0
0.0%
6
12.2%
49 100.0%
Table 1: Number of students and their levels
Students' Level
0%
2%
12%
12%
27%
43%
4%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Figure 1: Number of students and their levels
Due to the physical distance between the researcher and the students, the only
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
accurate information about them is the one gathered through a survey. Also, 12
teachers from the same university are part of the population of this study.
II.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE
QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH
A.
STRUCTURE
AND USE
OF
WH
DEFINING THE WH QUESTIONS
According to Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999), the wh-questions are
also called Information Questions because they are used to request specific
information and they require the use of a question word such as where, when,
why, who, whom, what, which, whose, how. The need to use them arises often
because they are used for interacting socially, for getting directions, in seeking
and explanations, and for eliciting vocabulary (p. 241).
The wh-questions are used when the speaker is missing one specific piece of
information.
Example:
A: Where did you go yesterday?
B: to the park.
The speaker A does not know the place where B went. The wh-questions asks
for such gap of information.
B.
SPELLING RULE
In written English, a question is indicated:
 by putting a question mark at the end of the sentence.
Example:
Where did you go yesterday?
 by putting an auxiliary verb in front of the subject.
Example: Where did you go yesterday?
C.
FORMING THE WH-QUESTIONS
Celce-Murcia and Larsen Freeman state that the variety of constituents that can
be queried is a fundamental issue to be aware of regarding the form of whquestions (1999, p. 241). The focus of inquiry in a wh-question is narrower than
that of yes/no questions. The following exercise exemplifies it:
Janet wrote an angry memo to his boss before she quit.
1
4
6
2
5 3
7
Constituents queried
1. The subject
2. Direct Object
3. Indirect Object
4. Verb Phrase
Wh question
WHO wrote an angry memo to his boss before she quit?
WHAT did she write to his boss before she quit?
TO WHOM did she write before she quit?
WHAT did she do before she quit?
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
5. Determiner
WHOSE boss did she write before she quit?
WHAT KIND OF memo did she write to his boss before she
6. Adjective
quit?
7. Adverbial
WHEN did she write to his boss?
Wh-questions “are statements with information gaps” (Celce-Murcia and Larsen
Freeman, 1999, p.242) something that may be supported by the idea that whquestions and statements have the same rising-falling intonation pattern.

 
Where is he going?
D.


He’s going to the zoo.
WH-QUESTION STRUCTURE
The same subject-verb word order used in Yes/No questions is used in Wh
questions, too:
Helping Verb + Subject + Verb
So, the Wh question order is:
Wh word + helping verb + subject + main verb + complement + ?
1. Verb to Be
The verb To Be, in present and in past forms, precedes the subject by occupying
the same position as a helping verb.
Often “is” is contracted with where, what, and who in informal writing as well as
spoken English.
Example: Where’s my pen?
What’s that?
Who’s he?
2. What + a form of DO
“What + a form of DO” is used to ask questions about activities. Some forms of
do are:
Am/Is/Are doing
Did
Can do
Will do
Am/is/are going to do
Etc.
Examples:
What does Louis do?
What did Louis do yesterday?
What is your friend doing?
What are you going to do tomorrow?
What would you like to do tomorrow?
What will Louis do tomorrow?
What should I do about my headache?
3. The Auxiliary Verbs
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Questions in English require auxiliary verbs to be placed before the subject,
which is known as “subject-operator inversion” (Celce-Murcia, 1999, p. 206). If
the auxiliary verb has more than one element, only the first element is inverted
with the subject.
Example:
They will be in Reno on Friday.
subject-operator inversion: Will they be in Reno on Friday?
She was able to finish in time.
Was she able to finish in time?
With other verbs the simple inversion does not work:
Example:
Jose plays soccer in the park.
*Plays Jose soccer in the park? (ungrammatical)
Then the verb DO is introduced as an “operator”.
Example:
Jose plays soccer in the park.
Does Jose play soccer in the park?
Other auxiliary verbs such as DOES, DID, WILL, WAS/WERE; and the modal
auxiliaries are used to make questions: CAN, MAY, SHALL, SHOULD, MUST,
COULD, and WOULD.
4. Who and What
When the question words who or what is the subject of the question, the usual
question order is not used. No form of do is used.
Example:
Who came to dinner?
What happened yesterday?
Who is used as the subject of a question, while who(m) is used as the object in
a question. “Whom” is used in formal English; in everyday spoken English, “who”
is usually used instead.
Example:
Whom did you see?
Formal
Who did you see?
Informal
What can be used as either the subject or the object of the question.
Example:
What happened?
Subject
What did you see?
Object
E. The Meaning of Wh-words
Having into consideration the various uses of the wh-words presented by Azar in
“Fundamentals of English Grammar” (1992, pgs. 128-156 ); Swan in “Practical
English Usage” (1980), and Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999, p. 249),
the following table is generated:
WH word
Where
Use
It is used to ask questions about place.
Example
Where can I find my
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
When
Why
Who
What
paper?
It is used to ask questions about time.
When will you come?
It is used to ask questions about Why did he leave early?
reason.
It refers to people.
Who did you see?
Whom did you see?
Who can answer the
question?
a. It refers to things. What is used What made you angry?
as the subject of a question
b. What is used as an object
What+a form of
do
What+be like
What+look like
What did you see?
c. It is used to ask questions about What did Alice buy?
activities
What did you do?
d. It asks for a general description What is Ed like?
of qualities.
e. It asks for physical description
What does Ed look like?
What kind of
It asks about the particular variety or What kind of shoes did
type of something
you buy?
Which + Singular It is used when there is a limited choice. Which color do you like?
or Plural Noun
Whose (noun)
It is used to ask questions about Whose book did you
possession.
borrow?
How
a. It
is
about
means
of How did you get there?
transportation.
I drove. /By car. /I took a
taxi. /By taxi.
b. It
generally asks about How does she speak
manner
English?
How + Adj.
How + Adv.
How often
c. It is often used with adjectives How old/tall/big/sleepy?
and adverbs.
d. It asks about frequency.
A: How often do you go
shopping?
B: Every day/ Once a
week / Three times a
week.
How far
How long
e. It is used to ask questions about How far is it from St.
distance
Louis to Chicago?
f. It asks for information about How long did it take you
length of time
to drive to New York?
g. It is also used as How+adj form How
long
is
the
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
to express physical length
How about
How much
h. It is used to make suggestions A: What time should we
and offers.
meet?
B: How about three
o’clock?
i.
It is used to ask questions that A: I am tired. How about
refers to the question or you?
information that immediately B: Yes, I am tired, too.
preceded.
j.
It is used to ask about quantity How much sugar do you
with uncountable nouns.
want?
k. It is used to ask about price.
How many
Capuchin monkey’s tail?
l.
How much does the
shirt cost?
It is used to ask for quantity with How many thieve were
countable nouns
there?
Table 2. Uses of Wh-words in English
In written English, questions almost always follow the normal rules for
interrogative sentences such as: an auxiliary verb must come before the subject
Example:
What have you spoken to the owner about ?
However, in spoken English, particularly in informal conversation, the structures
are often different. It means that questions may be asked with the same wordorder as statements, but with a different intonation.
Example:
A: I expected to be going to Hawaii for holidays.
B: You expected to be going where for holidays?
In some other cases, just the wh-question word can be used.
Example:
A: I expected to be going to Hawaii for holidays.
B: Where?
A: To Hawaii
III. STRUCTURE AND USE OF WH QUESTIONS IN SPANISH
A. DEFINING THE WH QUESTIONS
Questions that begin with “pregunta” words ask for a piece of information. The
“pregunta” words carry a written accent. Some of them change when the accent
is dropped.
Example:
Que? = What?
¿Como? = How?
Que = That
Como = I eat
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
The most important interrogative words are:
¿Cuál(es)? ¿de donde?
¿cuando? ¿Cuánto (s)?
¿que?
¿por que?
¿como?
¿para quien?
¿donde?
¿Quién (es)?
¿adonde? ¿a quien (es)?
The open question mark “¿” is always used at the beginning of the wh-questions
and the closing question mark “?” is always used at the end of the question.
Example:
¿Como esta usted?
¿Dónde vives?
¿Que hiciste ayer?
B. THE PREGUNTA-WORDS AND THEIR USE
Having into consideration the various uses of the wh-words presented by Kendris
in “Spanish Grammar” (2001, pgs. 57-58); Harvey “Spanish for Gringos” (1999,
p. 34), and Silverstein, Pomerantz and Wald in “Spanish Now” (1980, p. 31) and
“Spanish the Easy Way” (1990, p. 55), Kattan-Ibarra and Pountain in “Modern
Spanish Grammar” (1997); the following table is generated:
¿Cual?
What/Which?
¿Cuál
es
su It has more specific
nombre/direccion/ numero reference
than
de
telefono/lugar
de ¿Que?
nacimiento/libro/etc.?
¿Cuales?
Which ones?
¿Como?
How?
¿Cuales son los canales It is used when an
hispanos?
identification
is
asked for
¿Cuál es la diferencia/la
capital del Nicaragua/la
fecha?
¿Como
se
dice/se It means “What?”
escribe/se deletrea?
or “How’s that?”
¿Como+ser+noun? What … like?
¿Cómo es tu novia?
¿Que tal+ noun?
What … like?
¿Que tal el viaje?
¿Que?
What?
¿Que es eso?
¿Que son?
¿Que significa?
¿Que hora es?
¿Que + noun?
What day?
What month?
¿Que día es hoy?
¿Que tiempo hace hoy?
It asks for health
condition
or
description
It is used in more
informal language.
It
may
be
a
pronoun.
It is used with a
noun.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
¿Que tal?
What?
¿Que tal es tu piso?
¿Que tal tus vacaciones?
¿Que es?
What is …?
¿Donde?
Where?
¿Que
es It
asks
for
filosofia/programacion?
definition.
¿Donde esta?
When someone is
¿Donde
looking
for
a
vive/trabaja/estudia/…?
person, place or
thing.
¿Adonde?
Where to?
¿Adonde va Jimena?
¿Por/Para donde?
¿De/Hacia donde?
¿Cuanto-a?
¿Cuantos-as?
Toward
where?
How much?
How many?
¿Cuando?
When?
¿Quien (es)?
Who?
¿De donde viene Jimena?
¿Para donde va Jimena?
¿Cuantos anos tiene?
¿Cuanto tiempo?
¿Cuanto cuesta?
¿Cuando empieza?
¿Cuando sale?
¿Cuando llega?
¿Cuando nacio usted?
¿Quien habla?
¿A quien?
To whom?
¿Para quien?
For whom?
¿De quien?
Whose is it?
¿Con quien?
Who … with?
¿Para que?
Why?
¿Por que?
It is an informal
form for ¿Como?
It is an alternative
to ¿Como? Used
predominantly
in
speech.
It is for direction
and with verbs or
motion.
It also combines
with prepositions
It is used as a
pronoun or as an
adjective
It is used to ask
about time.
It has to agree in
number with the
noun it implies.
¿A quien le interesa este It is to identify the
tema?
person
¿Para quien es este
regalo?
It
expresses
¿De
quien
es
este possession
cuaderno?
It
expresses
¿Con quienes estaba?
accompaniment.
¿Para que sirve este It inquires about
aparato?
purpose.
It is two words.
¿Por que tardaste tanto?
It inquires about
cause .
Table 3. Uses of Pregunta-words in Spanish
C. ¿COMO?
Of all the interrogatives, the English “How+adjective” is the one which offers most
complexity in Spanish; it often has a completely different structure from English.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
1. It is used to ask for repetition of something you did not
understand or to express surprise at something you have
just heard. The equivalent in English is “What”
Example:
A: Hay examen de Lingüística hoy.
B: ¿Como?
2. Unlikely the English “how”, “¿Cómo? Cannot precede
adjectives or adverbs.
¿Cuánto pesa el paquete?
¿Cómo es de pesado el paquete?
How heavy is the package?
¿Cuánto es de pesado el paquete?
¿Como es el río de ancho?
¿Cuánto es el río de ancho?
How wide is the river?
¿Cómo tiene el río de ancho?
¿Que anchura tiene el río?
3. It has different meanings depending on whether it is used
with ser or estar.
¿Como esta tu hermano?
¿Cómo es tu hermano?
IV.
How is your brother? (asks about health)
What does your brother look like?
What is he like? (ask about character and
personality)
PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
A. LEARNER LANGUAGE: QUESTIONS
Manfred Pienemann, cited in “How languages are learnt” (1999, p.78), has
developed a framework for describing second language questions stages for
learners of English from a variety of first language backgrounds.
Stage
1
Stage
2
Stage
3
Stage
4
Stage
5
Single words , formulae or sentences
fragments
Declarative word order
No inversion, no fronting
Fronting
Wh-fronting, no inversion
“Four children?”*
“A dog?”*
“It’s a monster in the right corner?”*
“The boys throw the shoes?”*
“Where the children are?”*
“What the dog are playing?”*
Do-fronting
“Do you have a shoes?*
“Does in this picture there is four
astronauts?”*
Inversion in wh-copula
And yes-no questions
Wh-copula
Inversion in wh-questions
Inverted wh-questions with ‘do’
Inverted wh-questions with auxiliaries other
“Where is the sun?
“How do you say …?
“What’s the boy doing?”
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Stage
6
than ‘do’
Complex questions
Negative questions
“Why can’t you go?”
Table 4. Developmental Stages for Question Formation (Taken from Lightbrown and Spada, 1999)
What the above table shows is that the second language learners learn to form
questions in a sequence of development and that the developmental sequence
for questions in English seems to be affected by the influence of the question
structure in Spanish. Spanish second language learners develop questions the
same way as English first languages learners. It may imply that Spanish
speakers need to take their time in producing correct wh-questions in English.
B. PRESENTATION OF THE WH-QUESTIONS IN THE TEXT BOOK
Based on the analysis of some ESL textbooks from levels 1 to 4 … Appendix 2…
it is concluded that textbooks present questions according to the developmental
sequence for questions. First of all, the declarative sentences with TO BE are
explained and worked through several different exercises; after that, the question
fronting TO BE is introduced; then the inversion in wh-copula; and finally, the
inversion in wh-questions with “do” and with other auxiliary verbs.
It seems that just the introductory levels such as level 1 and 2 are the only ones
that really introduce, explain and exercise wh-questions. The next levels just use
the wh-questions without further explanations; they include an appendix or a
referential grammar chart.
C. TYPICAL ERRORS
Michael Swam in “Practical English Usage” (1980) identifies ten possible areas of
difficulty for ESL/EFL learners. The following table exemplifies the errors:
a. You have received my
letter on June 17th? *
Have you received my letter
on June 17th?
b. Like you Mozart? *
c. What
means
“periphrastic”?*
Do you like Mozart?
What does “periphrastic”
mean?
d. Do you be ready?*
Are you ready?
e. Did you went climbing last
weekend?*
f. Do you can tell me the
time?*
Do you have seen John
anywhere?*
g. Where went?*
h. When is coming your
mother?*
When was made your
reservation?*
Did you go climbing last
weekend?
Can you tell me the time?
Have
you
seen
John
anywhere?
Where did you go?
When
is
your
coming?
mother
When was your reservation
made?
Questions are made by putting
an auxiliary verb before the
subject
When a verb phrase has no
auxiliary verb, its question
form is made with the auxiliary
verb do
Do is never used with
questions with be
Did is followed by the infinitive
without to.
Do is not used to make
questions with auxiliary verbs,
including
“modal
auxiliary
verbs”
Incomplete structure
Only the auxiliary verb is put
before the subject; the rest of
the verb phrase comes after it.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
i.
Why you are laughing?*
How much the room
costs?*
Why are you laughing?
How much does the room
cost?
j.
Who did leave the door
open?*
Who left the door open?
An
auxiliary
verb
must
normally be put before the
subject in the questions that
begin with a question-word.
When WHO, WHAT, or
WHICH is the subject of the
sentence, it comes directly
before the verb, and do is not
used
Table 5: Typical Mistakes
D. COLOMBIAN TEACHERS HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Before presenting what kind of errors the Colombian teachers identify, it is
important to say that according to the survey, a considerable percentage 44.9%
(between neutrals and students who agreed that Wh-questions are difficult)
suggests that wh-questions are difficult …Appendix 3…; the other 55.1% does
not consider wh-questions difficult, this difference may be taken as significant if
we consider that 20 students (40.7%) are in beginner and low intermediate level
and 29 students (59.3%) are high intermediate and advanced learners.
…Appendix 4…
Q5
Wh Questions
1 Strongly Disagree
2 Disagree
3 Neutral
4 Agree
5 Strongly Agree
No
13
14
18
2
2
49
Table 6: Wh-Questions are Difficult
26.5%
28.6%
36.7%
4.1%
4.1%
100.0%
Wh-Questions are difficult
4.1%
4.1%
36.7%
28.6%
26.5%
1
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Strongly Agree
Neutral
Figure 2.
Colombian teachers suggest the following aspects as problematic when learners
form questions:
1. Auxiliary Verb Omission
2. Question word order
3. Overgeneralization of To Be and Do
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
4. Auxiliary Verb according to the tense
5. Auxiliary Verb and Subject Agreement
6. Wrong Question Word
1. Auxiliary Verb Omission
Teachers agree that Spanish-speaking learners omit the helping or auxiliary
verbs. This may be due to the fact that Spanish does not have auxiliary verbs to
form questions.
Example: What people say?*
¿Que dice la gente?
Where children play?*
¿Dónde juegan los niños?
How many spots the dog has?*
¿Cuantas manchas tiene el perro?
There are important results to relate according to the survey and the table 5. First
of all, 59.2% of the respondents consider that yes/no questions are not difficult,
though a 40.8% may have trouble with yes/no questions sometimes or very
often. This significant percentage seems to exemplify the types of errors “a, b, c,
d, e, f” presented on the table 5.
Q4
1
2
3
4
5
Yes/No Questions
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
No
19 38.8%
10 20.4%
12 24.5%
7 14.3%
1 2.0%
49 100.0%
Table 7: Yes/No Questions are difficult
Yes/No questions are difficult
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
38.8%
Strongly Disagree
24.5%
20.4%14.3%
2.0%
10.0%
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
0.0%
Figure 3.
Secondly, the use of auxiliary verbs (do, did, can, etc) in the question formation is
probably confusing for beginner and low intermediate learners. Based on the
answers of the respondents, 55.1 consider that the use of auxiliary verbs is not
difficult to them. Meanwhile, 34.7% percent of the respondents are neutral and
10.2% are in agreement; it suggests that a considerable percentage 44.9 may
have sometimes troubles with the use of auxiliary verbs.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Q6
1
2
3
4
5
Use of Auxiliary Verbs
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
No
14
13
17
3
2
49
28.6%
26.5%
34.7%
6.1%
4.1%
100.0%
Table 8
The Use of Auxiliary Verbs in the Question Formation is
Confusing
34.7%
28.6%
26.5%
6.1%
4.1%
StrongDisagr
NeutralAgree
ly
Strong
ee
Disagr
ly
ee
Agree
Figure 4.
2. Question word order
Learners do not consider the word order of the Wh-question, maybe because
they are not acquainted with the word inversion needed; and also, the structure
of the question is not the same as in Spanish. Teachers associate this problem
with lack of memory, that means that the learners do not remember the structure.
Example:
Where the children are?*
What the children can do?*
3. Overgeneralization of To Be and Do
Some teachers consider learners over-generalize the use of the Auxiliary verb
DO and To Be; it implies that the learners do not have clear the sense of tense.
Some learners may even use both auxiliary verbs at the same time.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Example:
Where do the children is playing?
What are you do everyday?
Does a dog is black or white?
Learners learn first the use of the verb To Be, indeed it is sometimes over taught,
so when they have to deal with different verbs they are not able to perceive the
difference and they remain using it as an auxiliary for the question formation.
Lightbown and Spada (1999) support the idea that such errors reflect learner’s
understanding of the second language system and an attempt to create
language.
4. Auxiliary Verb according to the tense
It is hard for learners to realize the variation associated with auxiliary verb and
tense. Because there are different auxiliary verbs that express tense, it may take
more time to internalize that the auxiliary verbs denote tense.
Example:
How you dance?*
Where do the boy go yesterday?*
5. Auxiliary Verb and Subject Agreement
Wh questions imply the use of auxiliary verbs that agree in number with the
subject, such as do/does, have/has, is/are, was/were, learners are not aware of
this when forming questions.
Example:
Do the dog has a shoe?*
Where do he go?*
6. Wrong Question Word
When choosing the appropriate question word, learners may fail due to the
misunderstanding of the meaning of the Wh word and the question itself.
Example:
A: When does he go?
B: He goes to the park.
E. WHY LEARNERS PRODUCE INCORRECT WH QUESTIONS
1. What do researchers say?
According to Kenneth Beare many post beginner and low intermediate learners
are quite capable of expressing their ideas reasonably well. However, they often
run into problems when asking questions. This is due to a number of causes:

Teachers are the ones that usually ask questions.

The inversion of the auxiliary verb can be tricky for the learners.
Randall S. Davis (1994) in his article “Say What? Getting Students to Ask
Questions”, states that the difficulty language students have in requesting
information is obvious. He suggests that a possible reason is because teachers
often focus on questions like “Could you repeat that?” during the initial few
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
classes and then learners are left alone to use more questions. He advises
teachers to help students to internalize questions by controlled activities where
practice can take place; as students get confidence in using them, they become
more independent and will be better prepared “to creatively engage in and exploit
to full advantage every exchange in the target language.”( p.1)
2. What do teachers say?
a. Interference of the L1
Most of the teachers consider the errors in forming Wh-questions to be mainly
due to the high interference of the native language structure into the target
language structure.
ENGLISH
Use of Auxiliary Verb
Auxiliary Verb agrees in number with
the Subject
Auxiliary Verb denotes tense
Definite structure that implies inversion
SPANISH
Lack of Auxiliary Verbs
Verb endings that reflect the changes
in person
Verb endings denote tense
No definite structure for questions
Table 9 Interference of L1
Therefore, learners translate from their L1 to L2.
b. Lack of Understanding of the Use of Auxiliary Verb
Learners do not perceive the applicability and use of the Auxiliary Verbs in
questions.
c. Lack of Practice
It seems that learners do not practice much forming questions. But there is a
sense that it is the responsibility of the learner to carry on this practice; some
teachers even suggest that they do not review to reinforce structure and
vocabulary.
This lack of practice implies that learners at certain levels feel eager to use
questions when they are speaking.
On the other hand, it seems that learners do no practice what they have been
taught
d. Fossilization
Some teachers agree that mistakes are the result of early fossilization errors;
learners keep having the same mistakes without realizing about them and
without correction.
e. Lack of self monitoring
The learners who have mistakes forming the questions do not self-monitor. Based on
the answers of the respondents 28.6% recognize when a question is incorrect,
however 71.4% consider are neutral and in strong disagreement. That fact suggests
that not many of the students recognize when a question is incorrect.
Q7
Recognition of Mistakes
No
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neutral
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
1
2.0%
14
28.6%
20
40.8%
10
20.4%
4
8.2%
49 100.0%
Table 10. I know when a question is incorrect
I Know When a Question is Incorrect
41%
20%
8%
2%
29%
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Figure 5.
F.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
According to the teachers who participated in this study, it seems that each one
has his own “recipe” to help learners deal with wh-questions. There is a huge
varit want to present some suggestions given by researcher or the teachers at La
Sabana University in order to help learner to produce correct wh-questions.
1. Self correction
Ann Raimes (1988) provides some editing advice:
“If you have problems forming questions, … ask the following questions:
Do you have a question mark at the end of every direct question.
YES
NO
Add one at the end
of the sentence.
In every direct question, have you put the auxiliary verb before the subject
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
(V+S)?
YES
NO
Make sure you use the word
order usually used in
questions
Figure 6. Some Editing Advice
2. The Secret Hand
I suggest the hand method as a technique that may help learners to produce and
monitor their wh-questions. It is also a pedagogic technique to elicit corrections.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1
Little finger
Ring finger
Middle finger
Index finger
Thumb
2
3
Wh word
Auxiliary verb
Subject
Main Verb
Complement
4

5
Figure 7.
3. A Table
Some teachers consider that working with a table shows the learners the
structure and order of the elements in the Wh-question.
Wh-
Aux/to be
Subject
Where
Where
How often
Are
do
Did
you
He
they
Verb/xxx
(blank)
from?
Live?
Climb
Table 11. The Structure of the Wh-questions
4. Math Equation
Complement?
that mountain?
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
A teacher at La Sabana suggested some formula-like equations to help learners
reason on the structure and verb changes that occur.
“do+go”
Questions in Present with you, they, plural
go/travel/ride
Affirmative Sentences
“does+go”
goes/travels/rides
Questions in Present with third person and
singular
Affirmative Sentences
“did+go”
went/traveled/rode
Questions in Past
Affirmative Sentences
“is/are/was/were + Subject”
Questions with no other verb or an –ing
verb ending.
“do/does + Subject”
Questions with any other action verb but
BE.
Table 12. The Math Equation applied for Wh-questions
5. A Lot Of Practice
Many teachers agree that practice helps learners to improve their questions. A
variety of exercises –in the different skills and written and oral- reinforces the
structure of the questions.
Some of these exercises are:


From an article, look for pieces of information that can be asked.
Games: questions and answers bingos, group contests,
unscrambling questions, etc.
 Fill-in-the blank exercises
 Matching questions with answers
 Matching answers with questions
 Giving extra homework with written exercises
 Error correction
It seems that the written exercises reinforce the oral production of questions.
6. Relating The Use Of Wh-Questions With Real Life
Situations And Their Lives
Teachers reflect on the importance of the context in order to form questions and
at the same time having students practice the questions in situations that are
familiar and real for them. In this way, learners can listen and produce questions
with a sense of practicability.
7. Consolidation Activities
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
From time to time, teachers review and recycle learners’ knowledge on
questions. Learner will always need a bit of explanation, reinforcement and
practice.
8. Funny Explanations
Teachers believe learners will always need an explanation about the structure,
so an enjoyable and funny explanation may help learners.
A teacher suggested this one: Mr. BE and Mr. DO hate
each
Well,
I amother
Mr. so much, so
that they are enemies and never go together.
Do. I am better
than you.
I am Mr. Be. You
will never take my
position.
Figure 8. Foes
I suggest this story: Mr. DOES and Mr. DO are brothers and they work separately
but they live in the same house that is located in a neighborhood called
PRESENT. Mr. DID is their cousin and he lives in the neighborhood called PAST,
and Mr. WILL is their friend, and he lives in FUTURE.
Mr. Did
Past
Mr Do and Mr. Does
Present
Mr. Will
Future
Figure 9. A nice neigborhood: Helping Verbs
Other teachers prefer a more academic and serious explanations where they
state the meaning, use and form of the Wh questions.
9. Some Questions Learnt By Rote
Some teachers emphasis a certain set of questions because they are going t be
used in any specific lesson; others often emphasis the questions of common
used in the classroom, and some others prefer teaching survival questions
related to everyday life. Learning some questions by rote helps learners to
“mechanizing” the structure and use of Wh-word. … See appendix XXXXX…
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
G. CORRECTIONS
When correcting teachers use a variety of techniques to correct their students:
1. Individual Correction Vs. Group Correction
Correction may threaten some shy learners; therefore, correction should be
made when it is really needed, especially in cases when the mistake interferes
the meaning of what is said. Some teachers suggest to correct mistakes as soon
as they are heard, but taking into account the learner’s personality. They do not
want to inhibit the production of questions, but they want to correct it. Therefore,
some corrections may be done with the whole class as they come out, some
others should be worked just with the student who made the mistake.
According to the survey, 67.4% of the respondents strongly agree with the fact
that when they make a mistake in forming a question, their teachers always
correct them.
Q8
Teacher Correction
1Strongly Disagree
2Disagree
3Neutral
4Agree
5Strongly Agree
No
2
4.1%
4
8.2%
10
20.4%
14
28.6%
19
38.8%
49 100.0%
Table 13. When I make a mistake in forming a question,
my teacher always corrects me.
When I Make a Mistake in Forming a Question, my Teacher
Always Corrects
Strongly Disagree
38.8%
Disagree
28.6%
Neutral
20.4%
Agree
8.2%
Strongly Agree
4.1%
Figure 10. My teacher always corrects
It is interesting to point out that 77.6% of the respondents strongly agree with the
fact that they understand their mistakes when their teachers correct them. This
fact implies that the students understand the structure of WH questions, though
they have problems when they produce them.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Understanding the correction No
1Strongly Disagree
3
6.1%
2Disagree
3
6.1%
3Neutral
5
10.2%
4Agree
16
32.7%
5Strongly Agree
22
44.9%
49 100.0%
Table 14 . I understand what my mistake is, when my teacher corrects me
Q9
I Understand What my Mistake is, When my
Teacher Corrects me
44.9%
32.7%
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
10.2%
6.1%
6.1%
Figure 11 .
2. Reminding And Explaining Over And Over
Teachers remind the learners the use of the Wh questions whenever it is
necessary.
3. Helping Them To Realize What Their Mistake Is
Teachers use a variety of activities to help students improve their production of
wh-questions. Here there are some of them:



When speaking, teacher stops the student and ask a series of
questions to make the student realizes what his mistake is.
Example: Are you sure? Is that a good question?
Another technique is using gestures such as frowning or expressing
surprise, in order to show that something is wrong with the question.
Echoing the incorrect question but showing surprise.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
 Some teachers stop the student immediately the mistake is made and
they correct. Corrections on the spot.
 Teachers have students repeat the correct questions.
 Some other teachers prefer not to interrupt the learner’s speech;
instead, they let them go and write down on the board the mistakes,
and later on ask the class for corrections. On a table:
MISTAKE






CORRECTION
Sometimes teachers use affirmative sentences and underline the
pieces of information that will be asked.
Teachers use transformation exercises where the learners transform
affirmative sentences into Wh Questions
Some teachers tell them what the missing part is.
Peer correction is another technique used.
Praising students when they produce appropriate wh-questions.
Students are referred to the library so they can practice more.
CONCLUSIONS
This study allowed me to confirm that Spanish speakers make mistakes when producing the whquestions in English. EFL students have more problems with the wh-questions at the beginning of
their learning process, but those problems keep going as they learn new structures. A significant
percentage, 67.3, has studied English between 2 and 5 years; this period of time is considerable,
but it is not enough for learners to master wh-questions. A considerable percentage 44.6%
considers that wh-questions are difficult. This percentage contrasts with the one of students in
higher levels -4th ,5th, 6th , and 7th - 59.2%; what suggests that students, even in higher levels, do
not always produce correct wh-questions.
The teaching experience with ESL learners also confirms the original hypotheses of this study.
Spanish speakers really have certain difficulty with the form of the wh-questions; though, it is not
possible to show the frequency of production of correct vs. incorrect questions. It seems that
according to the task and situation they have the tendency to produce more or less mistakes.
There is positively interference of the native language when forming questions. The use of helping
verbs and their real use are sometimes forgotten. Learners try to over-generalize the use of any or
the other helping verb without taking into account the context where any question is asked. Even
though, learners have meta-cognition about the form of the questions, they still make mistakes.
Probably, because they are still internalizing the structure or their L1 really interferes.
Learners really need to be prepared to ask wh questions through all their learning process. They
are used to answering questions but not to asking questions in the class. We, teachers, need to
provide times in our classes when learners can ask meaningful questions and revise how they use
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
questions. Finally, I point our that peer-correction and elicitation work better than the mere teacher
corrections.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 1
Population Identification
Where did they learn English?
Q2
Where did they learn English No
1In the University
14
2At the School
13
3At a Language Institute
4
4Abroad
2
5Other
0
6University and School
6
7University, School and Institute
5
8University and Institute
3
9School and Institute
2
49
28.6%
26.5%
8.2%
4.1%
0.0%
12.2%
10.2%
6.1%
4.1%
100.0%
In the Univeristy
Where the Students Learned English
At the School
30.0%
28.6%
26.5%
At a Language Institute
25.0%
20.0%
Other
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
12.2%
10.2%
8.2%
4.1%
0.0%
1
Percentage
6.1%
4.1%
University and School
University, School and
Institute
University, School and
Institute
University and Institute
School and Institute
28.6 % of the students learned English in the University, 26.5% at the school,
12.2% at the University and the School, and 8.2% at a language institute. Only
4.1% learned English abroad.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
How many years have the students studied English?
Q3
Years of Study
1Less than a year
21-5 years
36-10 years
4Over 10 years
No
4
33
6
6
49
8.2%
67.3%
12.2%
12.2%
100.0%
According to the respondents, 67.3% have been studying English from 1 to 5
years, 12.2% from 6 to 10 years, 12.2% over 10 years and only 8.2% have
studied less than 1 year.
APPENDIX 2
TEXTBOOKS ANALYSIS
The following table presents the analysis on how some textbooks present the whquestions and the kind of practice they have available.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Level 1
TEXTBOOK
BADALAMENTI,
V.
and
HENNERSTANCHINA,
C.
Grammar
Dimensions. 1993
WERNER, Patricia. A
Content-Based
Grammar. 1996
WHEN
WHQUESTIONS
ARE
PRESENTED
 Wh questions are
presented
after
the
Yes-No
questions
 First,
wh
questions
are
introduced
with
the verb TO BE
 In each unit a
WH-word
is
reinforced
 Then,
whquestions
are
introduced
with
different tenses:
simple
present,
present
progressive,
simple past and
future
After
a
complete
review
of
basic
structures, terms, and
the
concept
of
Auxiliary verbs, whquestions
are
introduced.
HOW WH-QUESTIONS
ARE PRESENTED








WARSHAWSKY,
Diane.
Spectrum.
1993



Some
whquestions
are
introduced within
the first units.
wh questions are
introduced
with
the verb TO BE
Then,
whquestions
are
introduced
with
different tenses:
simple
present,
present
progressive,




A chart where form
and
Meaning
is
emphasized.
A
complete
unit
about The Verb to
Be and the wh
questions
Use is presented by
leading learners to
use
specific
questions
for
classroom situations
They
test
the
learners’ knowledge
first.
There is a brief
explanation
about
the use and the form
of the wh questions.
WHAT KIND OF
EXERCISES
ARE
AVAILABLE
 Filling in the
blanks with the
correct
Whquestion
word
according to the
answers.
 Game using a
table.
 Matching
the
wh-question with
the
corresponding
answer.
 Oral and Written
exercises
A three-column chart
where the form is
stated:
question
word+
auxiliary
verb+negative+
subject.
A chart with the
inventory
of
the
Common Question
Words words and
functions.
There is a brief
explanation of the
form.

In a preview chart
the
function,
language and form
are presented.
Wh-questions
are
presented
through
all the units within
thematically based
lessons
where
function, language,
and form.
There
is
no
explanation at all.
The themes are very




Filling in the
blanks with the
correct
Whquestion
word
according to the
answers.
Writing
the
appropriate whquestion
according to the
piece given.
Filling in the
blanks with the
correct
Whquestion
word
according to the
answers.
Using models to
interview friends.
Giving clues to
form
the
questions.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
simple past and
future.

SCHRAMPFER
AZAR,
Betty.
Fundamentals
of
English
Grammar.1992



Wh questions are
presented
after
the
Yes-No
questions
Wh-questions are
used in the first
lessons, but there
is no explanation.
Later on, whquestions
are
summarized and
each wh-word is
analyzed
separately
with
different tenses.


supportive
to
introduce
whquestions.
There are some
charts as summaries
Structures
are
presented in charts
with
brief
explanations.
Charts for each whword







LEVEL 2
RIGGENBACK,
H.
and SAMUDA, V.
Grammar
Dimensions. 1993
HARRIS,
Tim.
Practical English 2.
1987
LEVEL 3
WARSHAWSKY,
Diane.
Spectrum.
1993



There
is
no
specific unit to
work
with
questions.
Though
the
exercises contain
questions
There
is
no
specific unit to
work
with
questions.
Though
the
exercises contain
questions

Wh-questions
are
used through all the
units

There is a summary
chart
as
an
appendix.
Wh-questions
are
used through all the
units
Wh-words
used from
beginning.

are
the

Wh-questions
are
presented
through
all the units within
thematically based
lessons
where
function, language,
Making
questions from
affirmative
sentences.
Making
the
question
according to the
answer.
Using
models
and clues to use
wh-questions.
Filling in the
blanks with the
correct
Whquestion
word
according to the
answers.
Game using a
table.
Matching
the
wh-question with
the
corresponding
answer.
Oral and Written
exercises.

No specialized
exercises
for
wh-questions at
all

No specialized
exercises
for
wh-questions at
all.

Using models to
interview friends
and use the whquestions.
Giving clues to
form
the

EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________



THEWLIS, Stephen
Grammar
Dimensions. 1993

SCHRAMPFER
AZAR,
Betty.
Fundamentals
of
English
Grammar.1999

UNIT 4
FRODESEN, J. and
EYRING, J. Grammar
Dimensions. 1993

and form are shown.
There
is
no
explanation at all.
The themes are very
supportive
to
introduce
whquestions.
There are some
charts as summaries
questions.
There
is
no
specific unit to
work
with
questions.
Though
the
exercises contain
questions
There
is
no
specific unit to
work
with
questions.
Though
the
exercises contain
questions

Wh-questions
are
used through all the
units

No specialized
exercises
for
wh-questions at
all

Structures
are
presented in charts
as
supplementary
grammar unit.

No specialized
exercises
for
wh-questions at
all.
There
is
no
specific unit to
work
with
questions.
Though
the
exercises contain
questions

Wh-questions
are
used through all the
units

No specialized
exercises
for
wh-questions at
all
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 3
Summary of correct questions - Maximum correct answers 13
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
Total Correct Answers Maximum 13
13 Correct
2
12 Correct
3
11 Correct
4
10 Correct
7
9 Correct
9
8 Correct
7
7 Correct
8
6 Correct
5
5 Correct
4
49
Total
%
4.1%
6.1%
8.2%
14.3%
18.4%
14.3%
16.3%
10.2%
8.2%
100.0%
Summary of Correct Answers -Maximum 13
13 Correct
12 Correct
11 Correct
10 Correct
16.3%
8.2%
18.4% 10.2%
14.3%
14.3%
8.2%
6.1%
9 Correct
8 Correct
7 Correct
6 Correct
5 Correct
4.1%
According to the results of the 13-Wh questions, 32.7% got more than 10 correct
answers. Meanwhile, 49% got between 7 and 9 correct answers and 18.4 got
less than 6 correct questions. This figure suggests a high moderate difficulty to
understand WH questions.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
Summary of correct answers by levels of students
Summary
Level
1
2
3
4
5
7
Data
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Grand Total
Row Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
100.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
100.00%
Column Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
3
1
0.00%
11.11%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
2.04%
1
1
Count of Number Correct Answers
1
Count of Number Correct Answers
1
6
Row Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
50.00%
16.67%
16.67%
16.67%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
100.00%
Column Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
60.00%
12.50%
14.29%
11.11%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
12.24%
1
3
4
2
Count of Number Correct Answers
2
1
Row Percentage Correct Answers
15.38%
0.00%
7.69%
23.08%
30.77%
15.38%
0.00%
7.69%
0.00%
100.00%
13
Column Percentage Correct Answers
50.00%
0.00%
12.50%
42.86%
44.44%
28.57%
0.00%
33.33%
0.00%
26.53%
Count of Number Correct Answers
1
1
2
Row Percentage Correct Answers
50.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
100.00%
Column Percentage Correct Answers
25.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
4.08%
1
2
4
3
2
5
3
1
21
Count of Number Correct Answers
Row Percentage Correct Answers
4.76%
9.52%
19.05%
14.29%
9.52%
23.81%
14.29%
0.00%
4.76%
100.00%
Column Percentage Correct Answers
25.00%
40.00%
50.00%
42.86%
22.22%
71.43%
75.00%
0.00%
50.00%
42.86%
1
2
Count of Number Correct Answers
2
1
6
Row Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
0.00%
33.33%
0.00%
16.67%
0.00%
16.67%
33.33%
0.00%
100.00%
Column Percentage Correct Answers
0.00%
0.00%
25.00%
0.00%
11.11%
0.00%
25.00%
66.67%
0.00%
12.24%
Total Count of Number Correct Answers
4
5
8
7
9
7
4
3
2
49
Total Row Percentage Correct Answers
8.16%
10.20%
16.33%
14.29%
18.37%
14.29%
8.16%
6.12%
4.08%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
100.00%
Total Column Percentage Correct Answers
Contradictorily, nobody in the 7-level answered 13 correct questions, and only 1 student did it in the level 5. In addition, the 7
level of English that is supposed to be the higher student level to form questions, presents non-uniform data that is 2 students
got 7 correct answers, 1 student got 9 correct answers, 1 student got 11 correct questions and 2 students got 12 correct
questions. The same characteristics are present in the levels 3 and 4. In conclusion, despite of the level of English, the Whquestions are problematic for Spanish speaking learners.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 4 VERBATIM
What kind of problems have you noticed? Include some examples.
1. Students forget to use the auxiliary do, does, did when they ask a question
in the simple present or the simple past whether they are asking whquestions or yes/No questions. For example:
 You study everyday?
 You danced last night?
 Why you went to the movies?
 When she works?
 How you come to the university?
2. They omit the auxiliary. They include both the verb “toBe” and the auxiliary
when they are dealing with verbs different from the verb “to Be” or they
omit the auxiliary and include only the verb to be. Or they omit both.
Why do you consider these mistakes occur?
1. Because when we ask questions in Spanish, we don’t use any auxiliary
verbs. We simply use the personal pronoun, the verb (in a particular tense)
and the complement, for example, Comió arroz anoche? The ending –ió
means that the verb is in the simple and the intonation shows I am asking
a question.
2. Because in Spanish we don’t use auxiliaries. When dealing with verbs
different from verb to be they don’t perceive the difference. They say, for
example, What are you wear every day? They don’t understand when a
tense is used; for instance, the present continuous: what are you wearing
today? What do you wear every day?. They think there is no difference.
3.
What do you do when a student has problems producing Wh-questions?
1. If they are giving a short oral presentation during class, I usually write, on
the side of the board, the most common mistakes. Then I ask the student
to try and correct the statements and if he/she can only do a couple, I ask
the rest of the class to help us. I might also say “You went …? At times, I
do the following table and give it to them as homework:
Mistakes
They read the book in class?
She played tennis on Sunday?
Correction
2. Students learn to form the above questions when they are in levels 1 or 2,
but as they go to higher levels, many of them continue making the same
kinds of mistakes.
3. What do you do when a student has problems producing Wh-questions?
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
I work with a table like this:
Wh-
Aux/to be
Subject
Where
Where
How often
4.
Are
Do
Did
You
You
You
Verb/xxx
(blank)
Complement?
From?
Live?
climb
That mountain?
B. YOUR OPINION
What errors do your students produce?
Subject-verb-agreement, word order, difference between past simple and past
perfect, difference between simple past and past continuous, use of conditionals and
modal verbs
How do you make them aware of the errors?
I ask the student to repeat by saying something like “again”, or I stress the part that
is incorrect, or I might ask “Are you sure?”
What exercises do you do to correct their errors?
I try to have them give examples and praise them when they do it correctly.
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
APPENDIX 5
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERISTY
DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS
Dear Student,
The following questionnaire is part of a study to examine the opinions of how Spanish
Speakers form questions in English. Please take a moment to answer the questions.
Thank you.
1) What level of English are you
studying?
1. ________ Level 1
2. ________ Level 2
3. ________ Level 3
4. ________ Level 4
5. ________ Level 5
6. ________ Level 6
7. ________ Level 7
2) Where did you learn English?
1. ________ In the University
2. ________ At the School
3. ________ At a Language Institute
4. ________ Abroad (other country)
5. ________ Other (specify) _______
______________________________
3) How many years have you studied
English?
1. ________ Less than a year
2. ________ 1-5 years
3. ________ 6-10 years
4. ________ Over 10 years
---------------------------------------------------On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 denoting very
low agreement and 5 denoting very high
agreement to what extend would you
agree with the following statements.
4) Yes-No Questions are difficult to me.
1
2
3
4
5
5) Wh-questions are difficult to me.
1
2
3
4
5
6) The use of auxiliary verbs (do, did,
can, etc.) in the question formation is
confusing.
7) I know when a question is incorrect.
1
2
3
4
5
8) When I make a mistake in forming a
question, my teacher always corrects
me.
1
2
3
4
5
9) I understand what my mistake is,
when my teacher corrects me.
1
2
3
4
5
---------------------------------------------------Are the following questions correct or
incorrect?
10)Why do children like McDonald’s?
 Correct
 Incorrect
11)Are you a good student?
 Correct
 Incorrect
12)What can we watch on TV tonight?
 Correct
 Incorrect
13)What is your brother doing?
 Correct
 Incorrect
14)Does a dog is black or white?
 Correct
 Incorrect
15)How many spots the dog has?
 Correct
 Incorrect
16)Do the dog has a shoe?
 Correct
 Incorrect
17)The boy throw the ball?
 Correct
 Incorrect
18)The children can speak English?
 Correct
 Incorrect
19)Why fish can live in the water?
 Correct
 Incorrect
20)When are you going to eat breakfast?
 Correct
 Incorrect
21)Why did the boy went alone?
 Correct
 Incorrect
22)When do the children can play
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
5
outside?
 Correct
 Incorrect
SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERISTY
DESCRIPTIVE LINGUISTICS
Dear Colleague,
The following survey is part of a study to examine the opinions of how Spanish
Speakers form questions in English. Please take a moment to answer the questions.
Thank you very much for participating. Thank you.
1. What level of English are you teaching this semester?
1. ________ Level 1
2. ________ Level 2
3. ________ Level 3
4. ________ Level 4
5. ________ Level 5
6. ________ Level 6
7. ________ Level 7
2. Do your students have problems forming Yes-No questions in English?
Yes 
No 
3. Do your students have problems forming Wh-questions in English?
Yes 
No 
4. Which ones do you consider the most difficult?
Yes-No questions 
Wh-questions 
5. What kind of problems have you noticed? Include some examples.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
6. Why do you consider these mistakes occur?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7. What do you do when a student has problems producing Wh-questions?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8. In what level do students form this kind of questions?
QUESTION
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Level
4
1. “A dog?”
2. “Four children?”
3. “Is the picture has two planets on
top?”
4. “It’s a monster in the right
corner?”
5. “What do the people says?
6. “What do the woman says?
7. “What the dog are playing?”
8. “What you brother is doing?”
9. “Where can they play in the park?
10. “Where did the children went?
11. “Where do the children can play?
12. “Where is the sun?”
13. “Where the children are?”
14. “Why fish can swim?”
Additional Examples:
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
9. YOUR OPINION
The next question is looking forward to get you personal opinion.
What errors do your students produce?
How do you make them aware of the errors?
What exercises do you do to correct their errors?
Level
5
Level
6
Level
7
EFL 503 Descriptive Linguistics of American English
Claudia Acero
Instructors: Denis A. Hall
December 7, 2001
________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCES
1. ---Asking
Questions.
The
Online
Resource.
[On-line]
Available:
http://library.thinkquest.org/12447/lecon7.htm
2. Azar, Betty S. (1992). Fundamentals of English Grammar. Prentice Hall Regents.
USA
3. Azar, Betty S. (1999). Understanding and Using English Grammar. Prentice Hall
Regents. USA
4. Baauw, Sergio. Subject Verb Inversion in Spanish: A Dynamic Antisymmetry
Approach.
5. Campbell, Rusell and Rutherford, William. (1988). Technique and Resources in
Teaching Grammar. Oxford University Press. England.
6. Caycedo, Garner et al. (2000) Claro Que Si. Textbook Houghton Mifflin Company.
Boston, USA.
7. Celce-Murcia, Marianne and Larsen-Freeman, Diane. (1999). The Grammar Book.
Heinle and Heinle.
8. ---Interrogative Forms and Question Formation. (1998). Essential Repaso. A
Complete Review of Spanish Grammar, Communication and Culture. National
Textbook Company. Illinois, USA.
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York. USA.
11. Lesson: Speaking Skills, Asking Questions. English as a Second Language [On-line]
Available: http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/blask.htm
12. Lightbown, Patsy and Spada, Nina. (1999) How Languages are Learned. Oxford
University Press. England.
13. Mixed Questions. [On-line] Available: http://www.tefl.net
14. Questions
Types.
(1975).
Teaching
at
UNL.
[On-line]
Available:
http://www.unl.edu/teaching/teachingquestions.htm
15. Questions.
(1999).
[On-line]
Available:
http://www.sherton.com.ar/questions/whquestion.htm
16. Raimes, Ann. (1988) Grammar Troublespots. St. Martin’s Press, Inc. New York
17. Say What? Getting Students to Ask Questions. (July, 1994). Cyber Listening Lab.
[On-line] Available: http://www.esl-lab.com/research/question.htm
18. Silverstein, Pomerantz, and Wald. Spanish Now. (1980) Barron’s Educational Series.
New York. USA.
19. Silverstein, Pomerantz, and Wald. Spanish the Easy Way. (1996) Barron’s
Educational Series. New York. USA.
20. Swam, Michael. Practical English Usage. (1980). Oxford University Press. England.
21. Teschner, Richard V. and Evans Eston E. (2000). Analyizing the Grammar of
English. Georgetown University Press. Washington, D.C.
Wh Questions. [On-line] Available: http://www.a4esl.org