Summary of Common English Conversational Questions

## Introduction Learn key English question phrases to ask about people, places, things and situations. These are common, everyday questions that help you get information, describe people, ask about distance, quantity, size, price, time and preferences. > A question phrase is a short set of words used to ask for specific information (who, what, where, how, etc.). ## Main question words and when to use them Break complex usages into smaller parts below. ### Who - Use for people and jobs. - Examples: - "Who is that?" — asks for a person's identity. - "What does he do?" (job) — asks about occupation. ### What - Use to ask about things, objects, activities, descriptions and preferences. - Examples: - "What does Ann wear?" — asks about clothes. - "What food do you like?" — asks about preferences. ### Where - Use to ask about place or origin. - Examples: - "Where is this car from?" — asks country or place of origin. - "How far is the city centre from your flat?" (distance) — often uses "how far" plus place. ### How - Very flexible. Combine with other words for specific meanings: - How old — age (How old is Mark?) - How far — distance (How far is it to school?) - How tall — height (How tall are you?) - How big — size (How big is your kitchen?) - How much — price or quantity if uncountable (How much are these shoes?) - How many — number of countable items (How many photos have you got?) - How long — duration or length (How long is this film?) > "How + adjective/adverb" asks for a measurement, degree or amount. ### What sort of / What kind of - Use to ask about type or category. - Examples: - "What sort of bread would you like?" - "What sort of music do you like?" ### What ... like - Use to ask about appearance, character or quality. - Examples: - Appearance: "What does your mother look like?" — physical features - Personality: "What's Nick like?" or "What's your boss like?" — character or behaviour - Objects: "What's his bedside table like?" — description of an object > "What ... like" asks for a description (appearance, character, quality). ## Helpful comparisons (table) | Question type | Meaning | Example | |---|---:|---| | Who | identity or person | "Who is she?" | | What | thing, action, preference | "What do you like?" | | Where | place, origin | "Where is the school?" | | How old / tall / far / many / much / big / long | measure or quantity | "How old is your sister?" "How far is the city centre?" | | What sort of / kind | type/category | "What sort of bread?" | | What ... like | description (appearance/character) | "What's the weather like?" | ## Practical examples and real-world use - At a shop: "How much are these shoes?" "What sort of bread would you like?" - Meeting people: "How old is your sister?" "What does he do?" - Directions and travel: "How far is your school from here?" "How do you usually travel to work?" - Describing people and things: "What does your girlfriend look like?" "What's his bedside table like?" ### Common short practice dialogues 1. A: "How are you?" B: "I'm fine, thanks. How are you?" 2. A: "How tall is your brother?" B: "He's about 180 cm tall." 3. A: "What's the weather like?" B: "It's sunny and warm." ## Tips to form correct questions - Use the correct question word: who/what/where/when/why/how. - For age use: "How old is ...?" - For distance use: "How far is ...?" or "How far is it to ...?" - For countable quantities use "How many", for uncountable use "How much". - Use "What ... like?" to ask for appearance or character. > Tip: For polite offers and requests, add "would you like" or "could you" (e.g., "What would you like to drink?"). Fun fact: Many everyday English questions start with "How" because it can combine with adjectives or adverbs to ask about size, age, distance, amount or manner in one short phrase. ## Quick practice set (choose the right question form) - 1) Asking number of photos: "How many photos have you got?" - 2) Asking price