July 04, 2021

Practice with question words: who, what, where, etc.

19 minutes

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

I have never studied journalism but I vaguely remember one of my high school English teachers telling us that any well-constructed newspaper story would answer basic questions like these:
What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who was involved?
How or why did it happen?

And so forth. For example, if there was a fire in somebody's kitchen, the story would say something like this:

A fire last night destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Smith on Western Avenue. Firefighters believe the fire started in the basement and spread quickly to the rest of the house. The cause is under investigation but may have involved electrical wiring.

So in a few sentences readers learn what happened, when, where, who was involved, and a possible explanation of how the fire started.

This podcast will give you some practice with questions and answers using the question words who, what, where, etc. As with the last podcast, I suggest listening all the way through and then replay and repeat along with me.

One final note: listen closely for the contractions typical of rapid speech. The written form of the third sentence, for example is "What did she say?" But the spoken form is "Wud she say?" Have fun!

1. Who told you that?
My brother did.

2. Who's knocking on the door?
I don't know. I'll go see.

3. What did she say?
She said she wasn't hungry.

4. What time is it?
Three thirty.

5. Where did they go?
I think they went for a walk.

6. Where are you from?
Canada. How about you?

7. When will you leave?
Early tomorrow morning.

8. When did she arrive?
Late last night.

9. Why are you sitting in the dark?
The power's off again.

10. Why did she eat so much?
She said she was famished.

11. How did you get home from work?
John gave me a ride.

12. How old is your father?
He's 78.

13. Whose shoes are these?
I don't know. Not mine.

14. Whose house is that?
The big one? That's Mr. Anderson's.

Idioms:
Let's end with four ways to say you're not accomplishing anything:

Joe, you look depressed. What's the matter? Rough day at work?

Yeah. I feel like I'm stuck in a rut. Just spinning my wheels and not getting anywhere.

Oh I know what that's like. Goin' around in circles, chasing your own tail.

Yep, you got it. I need a change.