English Proficiency Programme
Wh-words and Wh-questions
We give lessons.
Q: Who gives lessons?
A: We give lessons.
Q: What do you give?
A: We give lessons.
Q: Whom do you give lessons?
A: We give lessons to a group of students.
Q: When do you give lessons to a group of students?
A: We give lessons to a group of students after 5 p.m.
Q: Where do you give lessons to a group of students after 5 p.m.?
A: We give lessons to a group of students after 5 p.m. in this classroom.
Q: In which subject do you give lessons to a group of
students after 5 pm in this classroom?
A: We give lessons in English language to a group of students
after 5 p.m. in this classroom.
Q: Why do you give lessons in English language to a group of students
after 5 p.m. in this classroom?
A: We give lessons in English language to a group of students after
5 p.m. in this classroom to improve their proficiency.
Alternative form: We give a group of students lessons in English language
after 5 p.m. in this classroom to improve their proficiency.
Several issues can be noted in this context.
- Most of the elements of a sentence, e.g. "We", "(to) a group of
students", "to improve their proficiency", "after 5 p.m.", "in this
classroom", "lessons", "in English language" etc, are connected to the verb
or other terms as answers to the questions asked with words "who", "whom",
"why", "when", "where", "what", "which" etc -- signifying explicit query
as opposed to binary questions like "Do you give lessons?" which can be
answered as yes/no.
- Three of the questions are special here: who, what and whom.
Note the most important role of the answer to the question "who" and
its position in the sentence.
- Questions "what" and "whom" do not arise with all verbs. When one
of them does arise (transitive verbs) and its answer (object) is included
in the sentence, it is closest to the verb, compared to the other elements
appearing as answers to "why", "when", "where" etc -- just as in Indian
languages, but from the other side.
- When both these questions arise (ditransitive verbs) and their
answers (one transitory, the other beneficiary) are included in the
sentences, then the alternatives in their positioning are to be noted.
Example: I gave him a pen. I gave a pen to him.
- Contrary to Indian languages, objects and other answering phrases,
e.g. "in this classroom", "after 5 p.m." etc, are attached after the verb,
making the Interpretation/Expression exercises non-trivial and important.