Wh Question.

Wh Question Formation

 Look at some examples
Look at these five wh- questions.  What information is being sought?  How are the questions formed--and how are they alike or different from each other in their formation?  Analyze each for subject and predicate. 
Example Wh- Questions 1. Who plans to take SLA this summer?
2. What causes students to select particular majors? 
3. Who will John ask for information about summer courses?
4. When can we register for graduation?
5. Where do we go to register for graduation?

What do you see in example #2?  The subject is what, and the predicate is everything else.  The question is about the subject of the sentence:  something causes students to select particular majors.  The question is formed by putting the wh- word what into the subject position.  No other changes are needed to make a question--other than the question mark, of course.
What about example #3?  The subject of the sentence is John.  The predicate is will ask someone for information about summer courses.  The total sentence that lies behind the question: John will ask someone for information about summer courses.  The unknown information is the direct object of the verb will ask.  The formation gets more complicated in this situation: 

Step #1 Insert the wh- word into the sentence:  John will ask who for information about summer courses? 
Step #2 Move the wh- word to the beginning of the sentence: Who John will ask for information about summer courses? 
Step #3 Move the operator in front of the subject: Who will John ask for information about summer courses?  Why didn't I use whom?  That's super formal and unlikely to be used in asking a question like this one.  In fact, it's a bit hard to imagine any native speaker or truly fluent NNS using whom in this type of question.

What about example #4?  The subject of the sentence is we.  The predicate is can register for graduation some time.  The whole sentence that lies behind the question: We can register for graduation some time. The question is about the adverbial of time.  The speaker knows everything but the time/date.  Again, the formation is more complicated than in examples #1 and #2; the process is the same as for example #3. 

Step #1  Insert the wh- word into the sentence:  We can register for graduation when?
Step #2 Move the wh- word to the beginning of the sentence:   When we can register for graduation? 
Step #3 Move the operator in front of the subject: When can we register for graduation?

What about example #5?  The subject of the sentence is we.  The predicate is go somewhere to register for graduation.  The question is about the adverbial of location/place.  The whole sentence that lies behind the question: We go somewhere to register for graduation.  For this example, the process in examples #3 and #4 is followed but with another complication because of the missing operator. 

Step #1 Insert the wh- word into the sentence:  We go where to register for graduation?
Step #2 Move the wh- word to the beginning of the sentence:   Where we go to register for graduation? 
Step #3 Move the operator in front of the subject: But...there's no operator to move! 
Step #3a: Insert do to be the operator.  Where we do go to register for graduation? 
Step #3b: Move the operator in front of the subject: Where do we go to register for graduation?

What generalizations can we take away from these examples?

1. Wh- questions are formed by inserting a wh- word into a sentence in the place of missing information. 2. Wh- questions focus on particular parts of sentences--not generally on the whole sentence the way that yes-no questions do.
3. Wh- questions about the subject of a sentence have simplier grammar than wh- questions about anything in the predicate.
4. Wh- questions about the subject of a sentence just insert who or what and keep the same word order. 
5. Wh- questions about anything in the predicate insert a wh- word and then manipulate the word order by moving that wh- word to the beginning and moving the operator in front of the subject.
6. If there's no operator in the verb phrase, then one has to be added.  Like yes-no questions and negatives with not in the verb phrase, wh- questions that need to add an operator use do/does/did.
7. Wh- questions about subjects are simplier than wh- questions about the predicate.  The word order is simplier; only two word are needed--who or what. 
8. Wh- questions about anything in the predicate are more complicated than wh- questions about subjects.  The syntax requires not just insertion of the wh- word but also manipulation of the word order.  More words are needed, too: who, what, when, where, why, and others.

Ex

In English there are seven ‘Wh…’ questions.  Here’s what they are and how  they are used: 

Why is used for a reason.

‘Why were you late?’

When is used for a time or date

‘When did you start working here?’

Which is used for a choice.

‘Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?’

Where is used for a place.

‘Where do you live?’

How is used for an amount or the way.

‘How much does it cost?’

‘How do I get to the station?’