WH questions with who, whom, which, how and whose

WH questions are questions that begin with question words (who, whom, which, how, whose) used to ask for specific information. Each word asks for a different kind of information: person, object, choice, manner, or possession. In business English, using the correct WH word and word order is essential for clear communication.

• Who asks about the subject (person performing the action).
• Whom asks about the object (person receiving the action) — more formal.
• Which asks for a choice or selection among options.
• How asks about manner, condition, or degree.
• Whose asks about possession.

Follow the standard question word order. Choose the WH word first, then the appropriate auxiliary (if needed), then the subject and main verb.

• Subject questions: Who + verb (no auxiliary) — e.g. Who will lead the meeting?
• Object questions: WH word + auxiliary + subject + main verb — e.g. Whom did you email?
• Choices: Which + noun + auxiliary + subject + verb — e.g. Which candidate will you hire?
• Possession: Whose + noun + verb — e.g. Whose report is this?
• Manner/degree: How + auxiliary + subject + verb — e.g. How can we improve sales?

Remember: 'who' acts as subject; 'whom' is used as object (more formal).

Learners often make predictable errors when forming WH questions. Watch for these universal mistakes:

• Confusing subject and object: using 'who' when 'whom' (object) is required in formal contexts.
• Incorrect word order: forgetting the auxiliary in object questions (e.g., 'Who you invited?' should be 'Whom/Who did you invite?').
• Omitting auxiliary verbs for tenses other than simple present: e.g., 'How you solved this?' → 'How did you solve this?'.
• Mixing 'whose' with contractions: don't confuse 'whose' (possession) with 'who's' (who is).
• Using 'which' without specifying the choices when context requires it — include the noun or referent if necessary.

Check the role (subject vs object) and the tense before choosing the WH word and auxiliary.