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Primary 3 and 4 English | Question Words: Six Jobs and Two Question Word Orders
Pupils usually get a question word wrong because they translate the Chinese question instead of asking what kind of answer it demands. Six question words are six answer types: sort the answer first, then build the question.
Objectives — Pupils can: (1) say which answer type each question word requires, namely object, place, time, person, reason, or method and amount; (2) choose the word order: move be to the front, or add do or does when there is no be; (3) answer in a full sentence rather than one word.
01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)
If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.
| Skill | Quick check | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Questions with be | Turn She is happy into a question | Is she happy? |
| Questions with do | Turn He likes apples into a question | Does he like apples? |
| Noun types | Sort book, school, Monday by type | Object, place, time |
02 Lesson flow (40 minutes)
| Time | Stage | Tutor does | Student does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 min | Sort the answers | Show three answers and ask which question word each one needs | Name what, where and when |
| 4-12 min | Six jobs | Match each question word to one answer type and fill a six-cell table | Complete six cells with an example each |
| 12-22 min | Two word orders | Move be to the front, or add do or does and restore the main verb | Turn four statements into questions |
| 22-30 min | How many and how much | Countable nouns take many, uncountable take much | Sort eight nouns into two columns |
| 30-36 min | Full answers | An answer needs a subject and a verb; one word is not an answer | Rewrite four short answers as sentences |
| 36-40 min | Exit check | Collect four questions and mark wrong word against wrong order | Work independently |
03 Teaching script (read it out)
Scene 1: Act 1: read the answer before choosing the word
Write three answers on the board: a book, in the park, on Monday. Ask what question would produce a book. The answer is what. Likewise in the park needs where and on Monday needs when.
This sets the rule for the whole lesson: the question word is chosen by the type of answer, not by translating the Chinese sentence. Fill the six-cell table at once: what for an object or thing, where for a place, when for a time, who for a person, why for a reason, how for a method or degree.
Then classify ten questions by their question word: what 2, where 2, when 2, who 2, why 1, how 1, ten in total.
Pupils must do: write three answers of their own and let a partner pick the question word, with a reason when the partner gets it wrong.
This sets the rule for the whole lesson: the question word is chosen by the type of answer, not by translating the Chinese sentence. Fill the six-cell table at once: what for an object or thing, where for a place, when for a time, who for a person, why for a reason, how for a method or degree.
Then classify ten questions by their question word: what 2, where 2, when 2, who 2, why 1, how 1, ten in total.
Pupils must do: write three answers of their own and let a partner pick the question word, with a reason when the partner gets it wrong.
Tutor line: “Do not look at the Chinese. Look at whether your answer is a person, a place or a time; that is your question word.”
Scene 2: Act 2: two roads only, chosen by the verb
Road one: if the sentence contains be, move be to the front. She is at home becomes Where is she? No do is added.
Road two: with no be and a main verb, add do or does at the front and restore the main verb to its base form. He plays football becomes What does he play? The usual error is forgetting the base form: What does he plays?
A third case: with can or will, the modal itself moves to the front, so no do is needed: What can you see?
Post the three cases, then rewrite four sentences: She is hungry. They live in Tai Po. He can swim. You want a pen. For each one pupils must first say whether be is present, then choose the road.Pupils must do: rewrite the four as questions and label each one “has be” or “no be, add does”.
Road two: with no be and a main verb, add do or does at the front and restore the main verb to its base form. He plays football becomes What does he play? The usual error is forgetting the base form: What does he plays?
A third case: with can or will, the modal itself moves to the front, so no do is needed: What can you see?
Post the three cases, then rewrite four sentences: She is hungry. They live in Tai Po. He can swim. You want a pen. For each one pupils must first say whether be is present, then choose the road.Pupils must do: rewrite the four as questions and label each one “has be” or “no be, add does”.
Tutor line: “If be is in the sentence, do is not. Both together is always wrong.”
Scene 3: Act 3: how many or how much depends on the noun
How can stand alone for method, or pair with many and much for amount. Countable plurals take many: How many books do you have? Uncountable nouns take much: How much water is in the bottle?
Sort eight nouns: books, water, apples, rice, pens, sugar, chairs, milk. The countable four are books, apples, pens and chairs; the uncountable four are water, rice, sugar and milk, exactly half each.
Add one practical note: how much also asks about price, as in How much is it? Price is treated as uncountable, so the rule and the phrase agree.
Insist on one habit: circle the noun, decide countable or not, then write many or much.Pupils must do: sort the eight nouns into two columns and write one question for each column.
Sort eight nouns: books, water, apples, rice, pens, sugar, chairs, milk. The countable four are books, apples, pens and chairs; the uncountable four are water, rice, sugar and milk, exactly half each.
Add one practical note: how much also asks about price, as in How much is it? Price is treated as uncountable, so the rule and the phrase agree.
Insist on one habit: circle the noun, decide countable or not, then write many or much.Pupils must do: sort the eight nouns into two columns and write one question for each column.
Tutor line: “Circle the noun first. A plural noun takes many; a noun you cannot count takes much.”
Scene 4: Act 4: full answers, where most marks are lost
Many pupils understand the question but answer with one word: asked Where do you live, they say Tai Po. In speech that is fine; in a written paper it usually loses marks.
Demand a subject and a verb: I live in Tai Po. Asked When does she get up, the answer is She gets up at seven.
Run a contrast drill: four questions, first a short answer, then rewritten as a full sentence. In the rewrite check two things: subject and verb are both present, and the verb agrees with the subject, so she takes gets.
Finish with a higher-level observation: an answer may be longer than the question, but it may not change the type. A where question needs a place, even if the English is otherwise perfect.Pupils must do: rewrite four short answers as full sentences and circle subject and verb.
Demand a subject and a verb: I live in Tai Po. Asked When does she get up, the answer is She gets up at seven.
Run a contrast drill: four questions, first a short answer, then rewritten as a full sentence. In the rewrite check two things: subject and verb are both present, and the verb agrees with the subject, so she takes gets.
Finish with a higher-level observation: an answer may be longer than the question, but it may not change the type. A where question needs a place, even if the English is otherwise perfect.Pupils must do: rewrite four short answers as full sentences and circle subject and verb.
Tutor line: “One word tells me nothing about whether you can build a sentence. Write the subject and the verb.”
04 Question types and worked steps
| Type | Example | Steps | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the question word | Answer: in the park | The answer is a place | Where …? |
| Be word order | She is at home. | be moves to the front, no do | Where is she? |
| Do word order | He plays football. | add does and restore the base verb | What does he play? |
| Amount question | water, uncountable | uncountable nouns take how much | How much water …? |
Sanity check (teach this): Three checks per question: the question word matches the answer type; the sentence has be or do but never both; after does the main verb is back in its base form, as in does he play rather than does he plays.
05 Independent practice (3 questions)
| Question | Answer | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Make a question from They live in Tai Po, asking about the place. | Where do they live? | Did they add do and keep live in the base form |
| Make a question from She is tired, asking about the reason. | Why is she tired? | Did they wrongly add does |
| Write questions for apples and milk using how many or how much. | How many apples …? and How much milk …? | Did they check countability first |
06 Common mistakes and what to say
| Mistake | Student writes | Say this |
|---|---|---|
| Question word does not match the answer | Asking how and answering in the park | A place needs where. Sort the type before choosing the word. |
| be and do in one question | Where does she is? | If is is there, do is not needed: Where is she? |
| Main verb not restored after does | What does he plays? | does already carries the tense: What does he play? |
| One-word answer | Asked where, answering Tai Po. | Write I live in Tai Po, with subject and verb. |
07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)
- Independent practice on this page (questions 1 to 3) — Question 1: name the auxiliary added; question 2: circle the form of be; question 3: circle the noun before choosing many or much
- Primary 4 English practice paper (questions and dialogues) — Do three question items, underline the question word and write the subject and verb of each answer
- Primary English chapter index (neighbouring topics) — Revise subject-verb agreement and use it to check the verb form in every answer
08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)
| Question | Answer | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The answer is in the park. Which question word? | Where | Answering what means the answer types are not sorted |
| How do you make a question from She is at home? | Where is she? | Where does she is shows be and do combined |
| Why is What does he play correct rather than plays? | does already carries the tense, so the main verb returns to base form | Cannot explain means Act 2 needs repeating |
| apples or milk with how much? | milk, because it is uncountable | Answering many means countability was skipped |
09 Tutor FAQ
My pupil is reasonably good at English, so why does he keep choosing the wrong question word?
Because he translates the Chinese question instead of deciding what kind of answer is wanted. Ask what the answer is: a person, a place, a time or a reason. Once the type is fixed, only one question word fits, and the habit becomes automatic with practice.
Why does the main verb lose its -s after does?
Because does already marks third person singular and the tense, and one clause needs one marker. A useful image for pupils: does has already paid the toll, so the verb behind it does not pay again.
One-word answers work in conversation, so why insist on full sentences?
A written answer is marked on structure, and a one-word reply hides whether the subject and verb agree or whether the tense is right. Always writing full sentences in practice makes speech follow; the reverse is much harder to fix.
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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.