Wh-Questions (2024)

FAQs

How do you answer WH questions? ›

Responding to wh-questions

Wh-questions ask for information and we do not expect a yes-no answer to a wh-question. We expect an answer which gives information: A: Where's the coffee machine? (We expect an answer about the location of the coffee machine.)

Children learn Wh-questions in a sequence starting with more concrete questions about their immediate environment – eg. “What” is the earliest question mastered, followed by “Who” and “Where.” Finally, an understanding of “When” and “Why” develop, with “Why” being the most difficult to master.

As most parents could tell you, children often start to ask questions soon after they begin to speak. 'What' and 'Where' are usually the first 2 'WH' questions that a child can both answer and ask, around 1-2 years of age. A 2-year old should be able to answer a question such as “what is that?” or “where's the ball?”.

The individual needs to have receptive knowledge of what the WH question means before they can properly use (express) it. If the individual you are working with cannot identify the differences between different types of WH question words, they cannot be expected to use them when asking questions.

Forming wh-questions

We usually form wh-questions with wh- + an auxiliary verb (be, do or have) + subject + main verb or with wh- + a modal verb + subject + main verb: Be: When are you leaving?

These words are often used when we want to request information from someone. The most common Wh- question words in English are: “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” “which,” “whose,” and “how.”

In two groups, students write the Wh questions they need to find out the missing information in a text. Students then pair up with someone from the other group and take turns asking their partner the questions and completing the text with their answers.

This can happen for many reasons including: your child may not have heard you, he may not have understood the question, he may be processing your question and needs more wait time, he may not be able to access the words to answer your question, or he may even feel overwhelmed and not want to answer your question.

Read a Book. Practicing WH Questions provides a wonderful opportunity to use literacy in the therapy room. Ask the child to bring their favorite picture book, or you can have a few short ones on hand. Read the book together, and then answer the questions on the WH Questionnaire.

What are complex WH questions? ›

Yes/No questions that require a simple answer with yes and no. WH- questions are questions starting with WH words that require a more complex answer about specific things, places, times, people, choices, etc.

4-Year-Old: A 4-year-old should be able to ask and answer many questions, if not all question types. They should be able to answer “who”, “what”, and “where” questions and should be asking “why”, “when”, and “how” questions as well.

Children, who are diagnosed with ASD, have more receptive language difficulties while children, who are diagnosed with DLD, have more language difficulties in expressive language area.

Picture scenes are a great activity to use in speech therapy for targeting “who”, “what” and “where” questions. You can use any picture scene and incorporate wh- questions in to the activity. I like to prep some picture scenes and laminate them for long-term use.

Things To Remember/How to Answer

In your answer you should: • Have single word quotations wherever possible. Have an individual explanation for each quotation used. Quote a word/ phrase • Give the connotations of the word or phrase (what it makes you think of/ what you associate with the word).