Unit What . . . ? Whi ch. . . ? How. . . ?

47 (questions 4)
W hat + noun (What colour ... ? / W hat kind ... ? etc.)
W hat colour is your car? W hat colour are your eyes?
W hat size is this shirt? O W hat make is your TV?
W hat time is it? O W hat day is it today?
W hat kind of job do you want?
rWhat type of job ... ? / W hat sort of job ... ?)
(o

W hat without a noun:

What's your favourite colour?
W hat do you want to do tonight?

W hich + noun (things or people):

W hich train did you catch - the 9.50 or the 10.30?
W hich doctor did you see - Doctor Ellis, Doctor Gray or Doctor Hill?

We use which without a noun for things, not people:

W hich is bigger - Canada or Australia?

We use who for people (w ithout a noun):

Who is taller - Joe or Gary? (not W hich is taller?)

W hat or which?

We use which when we are thinking about a small number of possibilities (perhaps 2, 3 or 4):
O We can go this way or that way.
Which way shall we go?
There are four umbrellas here.
?
•
or 7• or 7• or 7•
W hich is yours? W HICH?

W hat is more general:

What's the capital of Argentina? (o f all the cities in Argentina)
W hat sort of music do you like? (of all kinds of music)

Compare:
W hat colour are his eyes? (not W hich colour?)
Which colour do you prefer, pink or yellow?
O W hat is the longest river in the world?
Which is the longest river - the Mississippi, the Amazon or the Nile?

H o w . .. ?

O 'How was the party last night?' 'It was great.'

O 'How do you usually go to work?' 'By bus.'

You can use how + adjective/adverb (how tall / how old / how often etc.):

tall are you?' 'I'm 1 metre 70.'

big is the house?' 'Not very big.'
old is your mother?' 'She's 45.'
How far is it from here to the airport?' 'Five kilometres.'
often do you use your car?' 'Every day.'
long have they been married?' 'Ten years.'
much was the meal?' 'Thirty pounds.'

104 ( questions 4 Units 44-46 How long does it take? ->• Unit 48 which one(s) Unit 75
3
Exercises
Write questions with what.

r
\ N___________ a
1 I've got a new TV. (make?)
2 1 want a job. (kind?)
3 1 bought a new sweater. (colour?) colour is your buy sweater?
4 1 got up early this morning. (time?) what time are you get up?
5 1 like music. (type?) what type of music do you like?
6 1 want to buy a car. Jk in d ? ) wht kind of car do you want?
V 7 J

Complete the questions. Use W hich ... ?

Which sweater

Which movie Which bus

C B 9 Write what/which/who.
1 W h at..... is that man's name? Which is more expensive, meat or fish?
7 .......................
2 Which.....way shall we go? Left or right? Who
8 .......................is older, Liz or Steve?
Which
3 You can have tea or coffee............................ What kind of camera have you got?
9 .......................
do you prefer? 10 a: I have three cameras.
What
4 '.......................day is it today?' 'Friday.' b: what
.........................camera do you use most?
which
5 This is a nice office............................. desk is yours? What
11 .......................nationality are you?
What
6 .......................is your favourite sport?

G9 Complete the questions with How + adjective or adverb (high/long etc.).

How long
How old
How often
How tall
How long

C O Write questions with H o w ... ?

1 Are you 1 metre 70? 1.75? 1.80? How tail are you?
2 Is this box one kilogram? Two? Three? ....................... How big is box?
How old are you?
3 Are you 20 years old? 22 ? 25?......................... .......................
4 Did you spend £20? £30? £50? How much
....................... was spend?
5 Do you watch T V every day? Once a week? Never?
How often do you watch TV?
6 Is it 1000 miles from Paris to Moscow? 1500? 2000?
How miles is it?

105