WH Questions (In the Past) and Follow-up Structure (B1)

1. Quick Review: Past WH-Questions

WH-questions ask for specific information about past events: who, what, when, where, why, which, whose, how, and phrases such as how long.

Most use this pattern:

WH-word + did + subject + base verb

What did you eat for dinner?
Where did they stay last weekend?
Which film did you watch?
Whose bag did you find?
What kind of music did she listen to?

For negative past questions, use:

WH-word + didn’t + subject + base verb?

Why didn’t you call me?
Where didn’t they look?

After did, use the base verb: Where did you go?, not Where did you went?

Subject questions and be

Do not use did when the WH-word is the subject: Who called you? Here, who did the action. Use did when the WH-word is the object: Who did you call? Here, you did the action.

With be, use was/were: Where were you yesterday? / Why was he upset?

Other subject questions include: What happened? / Whose bag was lost? / Which train arrived first?

Question type	Pattern	Example
object question	WH-word + did + subject + base verb	Who did you call?
subject question	WH-word + past verb + rest	Who called you?
verb be	WH-word + was/were + subject	Where were you?

Keep subject questions and indirect questions separate.

Who called? is the normal subject question.
Who did call? is emphatic, for example after someone says Nobody called.
A direct question uses question order: Where did you go? An embedded question uses statement order: Can you tell me where you went?

Quantity questions

How many + plural countable noun: How many people came to the party?
How much + uncountable noun: How much time did you spend there?

2. B1 Question Patterns

Questions with a final preposition

In ordinary questions, a short preposition often stays at the end:

Who did you go with?
What did she apologise for?
Which table did they sit at?

This is natural in conversation. A more formal alternative is possible: With whom did you go?

Past continuous WH-questions

Use WH-word + was/were + subject + verb-ing? for an action in progress in the past.

What were you doing when it happened?
Who was she talking to?

Embedded questions

After phrases such as Can you tell me…?, Do you know…?, and I wonder…, use statement order. Do not use did or invert the subject and verb.

Direct question	Embedded question
Where did she go?	Do you know where she went?
Why was he late?	Can you tell me why he was late?
Which bus did they take?	I wonder which bus they took.
Who did she speak to?	Do you know who she spoke to?

Embedded yes/no questions use if or whether: Do you know if she went?

3. Building Strong Follow-Up Responses

A short answer is sometimes natural: Where did you go? — Home. But a full answer is clearer, and a follow-up detail keeps the conversation moving.

Use a direct answer first, then add a reason, result, contrast, or sequence.

Adding a reason

Why did you leave early? — I left early because I wasn’t feeling well.
Why did you choose that hotel? — We chose it because it was near the station.

Adding a result or contrast

What did you decide? — We decided to cancel the meeting, so everyone went home.
How was the exam? — It was difficult, but I felt relieved afterwards.

Adding events in order

What did you do after work? — I went home. Then I cooked dinner.
What happened after that? — After that, we caught the bus.
How did the trip finish? — In the end, we arrived safely.

Changing or returning to a point

Did you enjoy the concert? — Yes, it was very long. Anyway, the final song was excellent.
What did she say? — She was unhappy, but she agreed to help in the end.

Quick check

Try one question now

your first driving lesson go?

Check your answer when you are ready.

4. Asking Follow-Up Questions

Follow-up questions show interest and help you get more detail. Use a question word, or ask about a word in the previous answer.

I went to Edinburgh. — Who did you go with?
I missed the train. — What happened after that?
We stayed for two weeks. — How long did you stay there?
I bought a new laptop. — Which one did you choose?
I left because I was tired. — Why were you so tired?

5. Key Points to Remember

Situation	Pattern or strategy	Example
ordinary past WH-question	WH-word + did + subject + base verb	Where did you go?
WH-word is the subject	past verb without did	Who called?
embedded question	statement word order	Do you know where she went?
conversational preposition	place the preposition at the end	Who did you go with?
fuller response	answer + linking detail	I left because I was tired, but I called later.

Useful link words include because, so, but, then, after that, in the end, and anyway.