Wh Questions ESL Games, Activities & Worksheets
First to Ask
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Matching, Forming Questions - Group Work
In this free Wh questions game, students listen to answers and then race to form questions using question starter cards. In groups, students take turns picking up an answer card and reading...
Guess Who, What and Where!
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Guessing, Controlled Practice - Pair Work
In this fun Wh questions game, students use 'Who', 'What' and 'Where' questions to guess secret words on cards. Each card has three connected words (a person, a place and a thing). The bold word is...
Introduction to Wh Questions
ESL Wh Questions Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercises: Gap-fill, Identifying, Short Answer Questions, Rewriting Questions - Speaking Activity - Pair Work
In this productive Wh questions worksheet, students practice forming Wh questions in the present simple and present continuous. First, students read information...
Ask the Right Question
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar: Writing Sentences, Guessing, Forming Questions, Freer Practice - Group Work
In this entertaining Wh questions game, students guess questions from answers written by other students. First, in groups of three, students answer each Wh question on a card in sentence form...
Guess the Question
ESL Wh Questions Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this engaging Wh questions speaking activity, students complete missing words in questions and then use the questions to interview a partner. First...
Information Line Up
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work
In this energizing Wh questions game, students ask questions to establish an order and race to line up in teams as quickly as possible. To start the game, teams race to call out the correct Wh question...
Mike's Life
ESL Wh Questions Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Information Gap, Forming, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work
In this handy Wh questions information gap activity, students complete a text about someone's life by asking and answering Wh questions. In two groups...
Questions and Answers
ESL Wh Questions Worksheet - Grammar Exercise: Writing Questions
In this free Wh questions worksheet, students practice writing Wh questions for a set of answers. Working alone, students write Wh questions for 20 answers on the worksheet. When the students have finished, they swap worksheets with a classmate...
Tell me more
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking Questions - Group Work
In this creative Wh questions activity, students play a team game where they ask Wh questions to uncover extra details about a sentence. Begin by writing a sentence on the board, e.g. 'The report is on the desk.' Tell the students that they are...
The Past and Present
ESL Past Simple and Present Simple Questions Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions
In this insightful Wh questions speaking activity, students use the past simple and present simple to ask about a partner's habits as a child and now. Each topic on the worksheet contains three...
The Question is...
ESL Guess the Question Game - Grammar: Guessing, Forming Questions - Pair Work
In this fun asking questions game, students listen to a set of answers and try to guess the questions being asked. Student A starts by reading the first answer to their partner who listens and guesses the question. If Student B guesses correctly the first...
What's the question?
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming and Asking Questions - Group Work
In this enjoyable asking questions game, students race to make questions from answers. Divide the class into two teams. Choose one player from each team to come to the front of the class...
Wh Conversation Questions
ESL Wh Questions Activity- Grammar and Speaking: Completing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work
In this rewarding Wh questions speaking activity, students practice completing, asking and answering conversation questions that begin with who, what, when, where, why, which, and how. First, in two...
Get it Right
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work
In this free Wh questions game, students ask Wh questions that elicit certain answers. In groups, students take turns picking up a card and asking questions that will elicit the word or phrase on the card...
I know you
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Writing Questions and Answers, Answering Questions, Freer Practice
In this fast-paced Wh questions game, students write Wh questions and answers about themselves and then race to answer questions written by other students. On each card, students use the Wh...
Mystery Interview
ESL Wh Questions Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this intriguing Wh questions speaking activity, students practice forming, asking and answering questions in a mystery celebrity interview. Each student starts by thinking of a famous mystery celebrity...
Questions Crossword
ESL Wh Questions Activity - Grammar and Speaking: Writing, Asking and Answering Questions - Group and Pair Work
In this imaginative Wh questions activity, students create questions that elicit specific answers in a crossword. First, in two groups, students write Wh questions that would elicit the words and phrases...
Questions Tic-Tac-Toe
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Forming, Asking and Answering Questions - Group Work
In this interesting Wh questions game, students play Tic-Tac-Toe by creating questions. Copy the grid onto the board, writing the numbers and question words in the squares. Teams then take...
Wh Questions Fluency Quest
ESL Wh Questions Board Game - Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Impromptu Speech, Freer Practice - Group Work
This challenging Wh questions board game develops students' speaking fluency by having them ask and answer prompts in timed turns, using advantage and...
Mastering Formal Wh Questions
ESL Wh Questions Worksheet - Grammar and Writing Exercises: Gap-fill, Writing Questions - Speaking: Answering Questions, Freer Practice - Pair Work
In this comprehensive Wh questions worksheet, students practice forming formal Wh questions with multi‑word Wh phrases and appropriate prepositions. First...
Opening Statements
ESL Wh Questions Game - Grammar and Speaking: Asking and Answering Questions, Communicative Practice - Group Work
In this fun Wh questions game, students practice asking questions to find out further details about an opening statement. A student from Team A picks up a card and reads the opening statement on the...
Understanding Wh Questions
Wh questions are questions that begin with a question word such as who, what, when, where, why, which, or how, and they ask for specific information rather than a yes or no answer. Students who cannot form them correctly end up stuck with yes/no questions in conversation, which severely limits their ability to keep a discussion going, gather information, or sound natural in any real-world exchange.
This page covers wh questions across A1-A2, A2, B1, and B2 levels, with 21 activities including card games, board games, information gaps, role-plays, crosswords, and worksheets, with three activities available as free downloads.
Each Wh question word targets a specific type of information, and choosing the wrong one changes what the question asks for entirely.
| Question Word | Asks About | Example Question |
|---|---|---|
| Who | people (subject or object) | 'Who called you this morning?' |
| What | things, actions, or ideas | 'What do you do for work?' |
| When | time | 'When did she arrive?' |
| Where | place | 'Where do you live?' |
| Why | reason | 'Why are you late?' |
| Which | choice between specific options | 'Which bag is yours?' |
| How | manner, method, or degree | 'How did they get here?' |
| How much | quantity (uncountable) or price | 'How much does it cost?' |
| How many | quantity (countable) | 'How many students are in the class?' |
| How long | duration or length | 'How long have you been waiting?' |
| How often | frequency | 'How often do you exercise?' |
| Whose | possession | 'Whose book is this?' |
| Whom | people (object, formal register) | 'Whom should I contact about this?' |
When to Use Wh Questions
Requesting Specific Information: In professional or service contexts, speakers use Wh questions to get one precise piece of information quickly rather than opening a broad discussion, as in 'When does the next available appointment start?'
Eliciting Open Responses: Interviewers and survey designers choose Wh questions whenever they need a respondent to explain, describe, or give their opinion rather than simply confirm or deny, as in 'What made you decide to apply for this role?'
Keeping a Conversation Moving: In everyday social interaction, speakers use Wh questions as follow-up responses to keep a conversation moving forward rather than letting it stall after a short answer, as in someone responding to 'I just got back from Japan' with 'How long were you there for?'
3-Step Framework for Teaching Wh Questions
1. Answer-First Listening: Open with a listening-led card game where students hear an answer card read aloud with emphasis on the key words, for example 'She is at the bus stop', then race to find a question starter card that produces a matching question. The student who forms a correct question first, says it aloud, and places their card on top of the answer card wins the pair, and the first student to get rid of all their question starter cards wins the game. Starting from the answer and working backwards to the question builds the habit of connecting form to meaning, which is exactly what students need before they can produce questions naturally in speech.
2. Question Formation Under Pressure: Add a physical, competitive element by calling a command such as 'Line up as quickly as possible by age', at which point teams race to call out the correct Wh question, for example 'How old are you?', then immediately ask each other that question and physically line up in the right order. The double pressure of forming the question quickly and then using it instantly in a real communicative exchange locks both the form and the function together in a way that drills alone never achieve.
3. Grammar Accuracy Challenge: Consolidate with a Tic-Tac-Toe game where teams choose a question word square and must produce a Wh question that is both grammatically correct and at least six words long to claim the square. If the opposing team cannot answer the question appropriately, they lose their turn, so accuracy under pressure matters for both sides of every exchange.
Common Mistakes with Wh Questions
Missing Subject-Auxiliary Inversion: Students often forget to invert the subject and auxiliary verb when forming a Wh question, producing statement word order instead of a question. Wrong: 'Where she is going?' Correct: 'Where is she going?'
Omitting the Auxiliary Verb: Students often drop do, does, or did in present and past simple Wh questions, particularly when they translate the structure directly from their first language. Wrong: 'Where you live?' Correct: 'Where do you live?'
Common Questions About Teaching Wh Questions
What is a good worksheet for practicing Wh questions at pre-intermediate level?
The free Questions and Answers worksheet is a solid standalone practice task for A2 students. Working alone, students write Wh questions for 20 answers, then swap with a classmate who marks their work and scores one point for each correct question. It takes around 20 minutes and the peer marking means you get instant feedback without extra preparation.
What is an engaging speaking activity for Wh questions at intermediate level?
Getting intermediate students to write their own questions rather than just answer them makes a big difference to accuracy. In the activity Mystery Interview, B1 students pick a famous celebrity to role-play, write interview questions from prompts, and add one of their own. A partner interviews them and tries to guess which celebrity they are pretending to be.
What is a fun Wh questions game for upper-intermediate students?
A quick way to push upper-intermediate students beyond basic questions is to give them an opening statement and a time limit. In the game Opening Statements, Team B has two minutes to ask as many Wh follow-up questions as they can about a statement Team A reads from a card. Each correct question scores a point, then teams swap.
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