What? Who are the
presenters? …Why us?...
When?... Which topic?...
Well…Ok Ok… But how are
we gonna present?
蘇琬楨 Wan-Chen Su (Jen)
♣ Why are W-H questions
very important structures?
holophrastically
♣ When and how should
teachers start teaching
W-H questions?
Variety of Constituents
Object of
Subject
NP
Object
NP
Adverbial
[Time]
Brad Pitt bought aVerb
beach
house for his
wife
Valentine’s
Day.
Adj. phrase
Det
the
prepon
Who bought a beach house for his wife on Valentine’s Day?
What did Brad Pitt buy for his wife on Valentine’s Day?
For whom did Brad Pitt buy a beach house on Valentine’s
Day?
When did Brad Pitt buy a beach house for his wife?
What did Brad Pitt do on Valentine’s Day?
What kind of house did Brad Pitt buy for his wife on
Valentine’s Day?
Whose wife did Brad Pitt buy a beach house for on
Valentine’s Day?
2 Kinds of Word Order
Subject WH-Questions
What happened to you yesterday?
Who ate Joey’s favorite sandwich?
Predicate WH-Questions
Who did Donald Trump fire last week?
What did Brad buy for Jen when he
proposed to her?
What happened to you yesterday?
S
S’
sm
SUBJ
PRED
Q-wh
NP
what
AUX
VP
T
V
-past happen
Advl
Advl
Prep P
Advl P
Prep
NP
to
pro
you
Adv
yesterday
Who ate Joey’s favorite sandwich?
S
S’
sm
SUBJ
PRED
Q-wh
NP
AUX
VP
NP
V
T
who
eat
det
AP
Joey’s
ADJ
N
-past
favorite
sandwich
Who did Donald Trump fire last week?
S
S’
sm
PRED
SUBJ
Q-wh
NP
AUX
T
Advl
VP
V
Prep P
NP
Donald
Trump -past
+3Ø Ødo fire who
Ø
+sg
subject-operator
inversion
copy s/t
NP
Prep
 w h - f r o n t i n g operator
addition
Ø
AP
N
ADJ
week
last
What did Brad buy for Jen when he proposed to her?
S
S’
sm
SUBJ
Q-wh
NP
what -past do
+3
Brad
+sg
copy s/t
PRED
AUX
T
Ø Ø
subject-operator
inversion
wh-fronting
VP
V
NP
Advl
Prep P
Advl
Advl Cl
S
adv
buy Ø Prep NP sub SUBJ PRED
for Jen when NP AUX VP
operator
addition
pro
T
V
Advl
Prep P
Prep
he -past
+3
to
+sg
propose
NP
pro
her
Special Cases &
Exceptions
♠ Auxiliary verb is present
♠ Copula Be is present
♠ WH-Q words serve as
What are you doing?
How can I help you?
S
S’
sm
Q-wh
NP
-pres be
+2
+sg
operator addition
PRED
SUBJ
what
Where have you been?
AUX
T
prog
Ø
Ø
VP
V
NP
do -ing
Ø
pro
you
 subject-operator
inversion
 copy s/t
 wh-fronting
Who is that girl?
Where were you yesterday?
What is your name?
S
S’
sm
Q-wh
det
VP
AUX
NP
who -pres be
+3
+sg
operator addition
PRED
SUBJ
T
cop
NP
Ø
Ø
Ø
N
that girl
 subject-operator
inversion
 copy s/t
 wh-fronting
Whose class did you choose?
Determiner
What method do they use?
Which car does he like?
S
S’
sm
Q-wh
SUBJ
NP
Which car
pro
he
wh-fronting
PRED
AUX
T
-pres
+3
+sg
VP
NP
V
like
det
N
Ø
Ø
Intensifier
How fast did he run?
How important is this task?
S
S’
sm
Q-wh
SUBJ
AUX
NP
how important
det
N
this task
wh-fronting
PRED
T
-pres
+3
+sg
VP
cop
AP
be intens ADJ
Ø
Ø
Object of the
preposition
More Formal
To whom did you tell the secret?
Whom did you tell the secret to?
Who did you tell the secret to?
Object of a preposition
within another Prep P
did you do that?
Choice of a W-H question word
General
when
When is the movie?
Specific
what date
what time
which day
What date is the movie?
What time is the movie?
Which day is the movie?
Choice of a W-H question word
General
Specific
where
Which
Where did he go?
Which way did he go?
Choice of a W-H question word
General
Specific
What happened?
What did the vet do?
What did the vet do to
the puppy?
Uninverted W-H questions
1
Joyce: I expect to be going to France for shopping.
Peggy: Where.
Joyce: To France.
Something was not heard
2
Joyce: I expect to be going to France for shopping.
Candy: You’re going to where for shopping?
Joyce: I know. Lucky me. Expressing surprise or disbelief
Emphatic questions with EVER
Wherever have you been?
(Frightened)
However did you finish it?
(Admiration)
Whatever did you find in her room?
(Perplexity)
Emphatic questions
•
•
•
•
Who the hell is this guy?
What the heck is that?
What the hell is that?
What the…
(annoyance / surprise /
for emphasis)
Negative W-H Questions
Yes/No Questions Versus WH-Questions
Yes/No Questions
query a whole proposition
The speaker assumes
that the listener knows
the proposition
The speaker assumes that
the listener doesn’t know
the proposition
WH-Questions
query a specific part of the proposition
How was the
party?
What party?
Yes/No Questions
W-H Questions
Did you go out with
Peter last night?
How was
your date?
I got dumped. I
am so
depressed.
SOCIAL USES
Introduction
Greetings
Making
Suggestions
How do you do?
What do you do?
How are you?
What’s new?
What’s up?
What’s happening?
Why don’t you buy it?
What are you waiting for?
SOCIAL USES
Seeking another’s
opinion
Making
suggestions
Challenging
another’s opinion
Asking for
expansion
Truncated WH-questions
How about you?
How about a concert?
How come? What for? Since
when?
What about it?
Elliptical Questions
Question
1
What are
you doing?
2
How are we going
to do that?
Deleted Auxiliary
What you doing?
How we going to do that?
are
are
3
Where have you
been hiding?
Where you been hiding?
have
Display Questions
Uninverted wh-questions
So you have learned
what about thunder?
It is caused how?
It is different from
lightening in which ways?
Inverted wh-questions
What is butterfly?
Jazz Chants
Flash Cards
Information
Gap Activities
Subject-operator
Inversion in YesNo Questions
What time is it? It’s eight o’clock.
It’s time for school. Let’s go.
Come on, let’s go! It’s time for
school. It’s eight o’clock. Let’s go!
Hello, hello, hello,
how are you?
I’m fine. I’m fine.
I’m fine, thank you.
The Hello Song
Hello, hello, hello! What’s
your name? Hello, hello,
hello! My name is John. My
name is John. Hello, John!
Hello, John! Hello.
Reference:
Let’s Chant Let’s Sing by Carolyn Graham ©
1995 Oxford University Press
How
is she?
What
isold
he
doing?
What do
you
want
for dinner?
She’s
three
He’s Iplaying
ayears
game.old.
want
rice.
What’s
this?
Who’s
she?**
How
is
she?
What
isold
she
doing?
Excuse
me,
where’s
the
shop?
WhatShe’s
do
you
want
forcoffee
dinner?
It’s
a
book.
Marie.**
She’s
three.
She’s
her
name,
Not here!
It’s
behind
the
ticket office.
Iwriting
want
rice.
this?**
Who’s
he?**
CanWhat’s
she
run?
Can
she
jump?
Writing
her
name,
Excuse
me,
where’s
the
shop?
What
do
you
want
forcoffee
dinner?
Yes,
she
can.
He’s
my
brother,
Lee.
What’s
this?
Writing
her
name.
Not
here!
It’s
across
from
the exit.
I want
pizza.
can
run.
What
is
doing?
Who’s
he?**
Excuse me,
where’s
the coffee shop?
It’s
a she
bag.
I She
want
chicken.
She
climb
a tree.
She’s
her
name.
Not
here!
He’s
mycan
brother,
Lou.
Iwriting
want
rice.
What’s
this?**
How
is
he?
What
is old
he
doing?
It’s between
the
phone
booths
What
do
you
want
for dinner?
Who’s
she?**
What’s
this?
He’s
two
years
old.
He’s
playing
arice.
game,
and
the
luggage
lockers.
I
want
She’s
my
Sue.
It’s
a sister,
book.
Can
he
climb
a
tree?
Playing
a
game,
Excuse
me,
where’s
the
shop?
WhatWho’s
do you she?**
want forcoffee
dinner?
Can
he
talk?
What’s
Playing
athis?
game.
Not here!
It’s
front
of the restrooms.
I in
want
rice.
She’s
my
good
Mary.
He
can
a tree.
What
hefriend,
Excuse
me,
is
this
the
coffee
It’s
aisclimb
bag.
Rice,
rice,
I doing?
want
rice. shop?
HeHe’s
can
count
tofor
three.
Who’s
he?**
playing
a game.
Yes,
itdo
is.you
But
sorry,
it’sdinner?
closed!
What
want
What’s
this?
He
can
is
she
doing? Harry.
He’sIt’s
my What
good
friend,
Rice!
a
book
bag.**
talk,
talk,
talk,
She’s
writing
hertalk,
name.talk.
References:
1.Let’s Chant Let’s Sing by Carolyn Graham © 1995 Oxford University Press
2. Macmillan, Copyright © 2004 Macmillan Publishers Ltd
a pizza
apples
oranges
Coke $1.25
a yogurt $1
eggs $3
some milk
a notebook
$5
How much is …?
a gameboy
chocolate $2
hamburger$6
Name: Sally
Name: Bill
Age: 23
Age: 27
Job: singer
Job: lawyer
milk $1.25
99 Supermarket
Family: There are five people in How
my old
Family:
…? I have two sisters. One of
family. My dad is a writer.
How many people them
…? is a famous singer. My
He’s fifty-nine. I have one
mother is a housewife. She
What
do/does
…
do?
brother & one sister. My
always helps my dad edit his
brother is a lawyer.
books.
Where is …?
What … doing?
T:
Are you studying at USC?
S: Yes.
T:
What
are you studying?
S: TESOL.
Will you be a teacher someday?
T:
S:
T:
S:
Yes.
When
T:
Do you live in Los Angeles?
will you be one?
In one year.
S: Yes.
T:
What area
do you live in?
S: Santa Monica.