Make questions for the answers given.
13 Examples:
I enjoy reading romantic poets.
What poets do you enjoy reading? (what + a noun)
I like this car.
Which car do you like? (which + a noun)
The man with a scar on his cheek is the killer.
Which of them is the killer? (which of + a pronoun or a determiner + a noun→these people)
We use
what when we are talking in a general sense, and
which, when we are choosing between something, although
which is usually preferred to refer to people in a formal style, even when the sense is general:
Which poets do you enjoy reading?
In the last example, however,
which of is the only possibility. If we do not wish to use
which of, we have to use
who:
Who is the killer? Yet, there is a slight difference in meaning.
Who normally conveys the idea of unlimited choice, and
which of, of a restricted one. Another alternative to this is to remove the preposition
of and the object pronoun (or the determiner plus the noun):
Which is the killer?
It is also possible to use
which one:
Which one (= Which car) do you like? One is sometimes dropped:
—Which do you like?
—I like the red one. Compare this question with
What do you like? This is an open question, that is to say, without any restriction. A possible answer to this question could be
I like cars and good food. Note also that both
which + a noun and
what + a noun can act as subjects:
—Which car broke down?
—Peter's (car).
—What name was mentioned there?
—The name of a town, I think.
a I love
the blonde girl.
b The girl with short hair is of humble origins.
c I hate
slow trains.
d I want
the red jumper.
e I usually listen to
rock and roll singers.
14 Revision exercise.
a The Ebro River flows into
the Mediterranean Sea.
b BBC stands for
British Broadcasting Corporation.
c I'm heading for
Rome.
d She repeated the same thing
over and over again. (Use
how often.)
e I'm very keen on
having a baby.
f No, they weren't all the time sticking their noses in.
g Yes, I've combed my hair, mummy.
h I got this pair of nutcrackers from
your mother.
i Everything went wrong.
j This person is guilty.
k These people are guilty.
l Ants are very industrious insects.
m I need
three hours.
n Hundreds of people are dying of hunger.
o Our father is tall
er than yours.
p My stepmother noticed the lack of water.
q I envy
Clare.
r I'm thinking of
building a hut.
s No, we weren't snowblind.
t She learnt the meaning of being poor
when her father died.
u Yes, this is liable to some changes.
v It's half past twelve.
w You'll find her
at Tom's party.
x No, it isn't ten past five.
y We train
twice a week.
z We enjoyed
the countryside.
15 Examples:
I'm going to Cardiff by taxi.
How are you going to Cardiff?
I escaped from prison by climbing over the wall.
How did you escape from prison?
I spell it C-Y-R-I-L.
How do you spell your name?
a I always travel
by plane.
b She convinced her father
by telling him a pack of lies.
c I'm going
in Tom's car.
d They made it
with great efforts.
e She came here
on foot.
16 Examples:
She is very well.
How is she? (health)
She is tall and pretty.
What is she like?/What does she look like? (physical characteristics)
She is very friendly.
What is she like? (behavioural characteristics)
Life is very hard (for me nowadays).
How is life? (temporal situations)
The play was very boring. (I did not like it.)
How was the play?
This play is very good. (People say that it is very good.)
What is the play like?
It is very cold today. (weather)
What is the weather like? (
How is the weather? is possible, but probably less usual.)
a My great-grandfather is
very ill.
b He's
not getting on
very well at school.
c The novel is
terrible (although many critics say that it is very good).
d The theatre is
very old.
e My girl-friend is
very attractive.
17 Revision exercise.
a She's looking at
Charles.
b His mother is
very nice.
c It happened
without even being aware of the danger.
d They are
eighteen years old.
e They came here
on their bikes.
f The room is
eighty metres wide.
g That cabbage patch is
quite big.
h It was
very hot here yesterday.
i He is
very ugly.
j He's
writing a letter.
k Yes, her clothes are weird.
l No, I can't go on with our relationship.
m I want to become
a pop star.
n Yes, she uncovered her face.
o I'm waiting for
Martha.
p No, that stain won't come out.
q They are going to take him
home.
r I bribed
the jury with a million pounds.
s I'm leaving
at noon.
t Yes, he likes almonds.
u Molly is
in a bad mood today.
v No, he didn't lose his temper.
w There are
two armchairs left.
x I like
that colour.
y All of us kept our word.
z He found her
at the water's edge.
18 Examples:
I know that because I've seen it with my own eyes.
How do you know that?
He's sad because she doesn't want to see him any more.
Why is he sad?
a I can't go out with you any longer
because my parents don't allow me to see you again.
b We failed our examinations
because we didn't study.
c I can remember all the words she said
because I wrote them down, and learnt them by heart afterwards.
d They stood up
because their teacher entered the classroom.
e He smashed the car into a wall
because he was driving too fast.
19 Examples:
This pen is mine.
Whose is this pen?
This is my pen.
Whose pen is this?
The above questions mean the same.
a I borrowed
my father's car.
b I brought
Pamela's stick.
c That is
his.
d These are
my keys.
e This umbrella is
hers.
20 Revision exercise.
a There is
plenty of wool.
b There were
plenty of rocks.
c No, I don't want to stick to these rules.
d I got rid of those old shoes
because I was sick and tired of them.
e Yes, I realised it at once.
f These coats are
theirs.
g Yes, these coats are theirs.
h It was
Peter's fault.
i No, it wasn't Peter's fault.
j I feel
awful today.
k I can sing
very well.
l He is
ten.
m Yes, their children are running wild.
n John wasn't invited to the fashion parade.
o This manure is for
the tomato plants.
p I've got an English class
at five o'clock.
q Yes, you should opt for taking swimming lessons.
r You have to
select a candidate.
s He beat me by playing dirty tricks.
t They are
fine, thank you.
u He is
slim and short.
v I know it
straight from the horse's mouth.
w I like
this hat best.
x My motorbike is
very fast.
y He went out with
Caroline yesterday evening.
z They imposed
a curfew.
21 Examples:
How ever did you find my house? (=
How on earth did you find my house?)
Who ever did you go out with? (=
Who on earth did you go out with?)
Ever is an emphatic word added to some
wh- question words. It tells us the speaker's reaction to something.
a I failed my literature paper
because I got very nervous. (how)
b They will repair the oven
tomorrow. (when)
c I have come here
because I feel very miserable. (why)
d Mary has hidden
under the bed. (where)
e I've seen
a monster. (what)
22 Exclamations:
Exclamations express strong emotions. An exclamation can be formed by only a noun, a verb, or any other word or words that may be able to show our reaction to something:
Ouch!
Damn! I've lost her for good.
Slowly! You're going to break it!
Not on your nelly!
Come on! Get moving!
How dare you say that to me!
Congratulations!
Go to hell!
Lucky you!/How lucky (you are)!
Shit!
Blow it! They've already left.
Oh, blast (it)! I've forgotten to give her a ring.
"Women are more intelligent than men."
"That's all rubbish! Men and women have the same intelligence."
Ugh! What's this!
My Goodness!/Goodness me!
Good(ness) gracious!/Gracious me!
Get lost!
Go away!
Shame on you!
You've brought shame/disgrace on our family!/You've shamed our family!
Cease fire!
How tall (she is)! (how + adjective)
How fast (she runs)! (how + adverb)
What a beautiful horse! (what + a singular noun)
What lovely music! (what + an uncoutable noun)
What handsome boys! (what + a plural noun)
Add an exclamation to each of these situations.
a You see a very pretty girl or a good-looking boy.
b We are expecting a baby.
c I have finished my studies.
d I want to kiss you.
e Your daughter's room is in a terrible mess.
f You can no longer stand your boy-friend/girl-friend. He/She has done something you detest, which is the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
g Your brother has run your car into a shop window.
h Your fifteen-year-old daughter tells you that she is pregnant.
i A friend of yours tells you that he/she has won one thousand pounds in a raffle.
j You have just brought a bottle of a very expensive wine home, but you forgot to buy a corkscrew.
k You have lost your wallet/purse.
l A boy/girl insults you.
m You pinch your forefinger in a door.
n Somebody pricks you with a pin.
o You are a sergeant and your soldiers are very slow.
p You try some soup that tastes awful.
q What do you say to a person you do not want to see?
r What do you say when you see some beautiful countryside?
s What do you tell someone who is talking a lot of crap?
t You see a lorry and a train colliding with each other.
u You have failed your driving-test.
v Somebody tells you that men are superior to women.
w You see a very ugly person.
x Your workmate asks you to work on Sundays, but you do not want to. What do you say to him?
y Your daughter does something that you think is very disgraceful.
z What does a captain say when he orders his men to stop shooting?
____________________
Compare the following:
The Turners live in this house.
Who lives in this house?
Patrick's children are in hospital.
Which children are in hospital?
Who is in hospital?
Romantic writers were fascinated by the supernatural.
What/Which writers were fascinated by the supernatural?
This is her notebook.
Which notebook is hers?/Which is her notebook?
See
unit 17, section 7.