Whose, which and how + adjective

Whose asks who something belongs to. It can come before a noun: whose coat, whose phone, whose books. The noun immediately identifies the item being asked about.

Whose can also stand alone when the item is visible or already mentioned: Whose is this? Whose are these? A natural answer names the owner or uses a possessive pronoun: It’s Amir’s; They’re ours.

Do not confuse whose with who’s. Who’s contracts who is or who has, while whose asks about possession.

Which asks for a choice from a limited set. The options can be named in the question, displayed on a menu or board, or already understood from the conversation.

Which can come before a noun: Which train? Which colour? It can also stand alone when the items are clear: Which is yours? Which do you prefer?

What more often opens a general set of answers that has not been limited in advance. What colour do you like? is not ungrammatical; it simply does not restrict the choice to two colours. In a real situation, both what and which may be possible if the speaker frames the set differently.

How before an adjective asks about degree or requests a measurement. Particularly useful common A1 combinations are how old for age, how tall for height, how far for distance, how long for duration or length, and how big for size.

The adjective determines the kind of answer. How old calls for an age, how far for a distance, and how long for a duration or length depending on the object and context.

Not every combination of how with an adjective is equally common. Learn frequent combinations first, and check whether the expected answer really measures that property.

There is no single universal formula for all these questions. With be, place it before the subject: How old is Mia? Which is yours? With other verbs in Present Simple, do or does is often needed: Which bus do we need? How long does the film last?

Whose or which plus a noun can itself be the subject. In that case, do not add do: Whose phone is ringing? Which bus goes to the airport? Identify the phrase’s role before inserting an auxiliary.

Use a question mark in a direct question. Indirect-question word order is a separate topic and is not practised here.

Whose expects an owner: Sara’s, mine, theirs. Which expects a selection: the small one, bus 7, this one. How + adjective expects the relevant measure: twelve years old, about two kilometres, forty minutes.

Conversation does not always require a full sentence, but the answer must be sufficient and clear. In a written exercise, follow any explicit requirement about the number of sentences or turns.

This lesson does not practise how much or how many for quantity, or how much for prices. They have separate rules. Relative whose and which in subordinate clauses are also outside the scope.

To use the skill in conversation, imagine the expected answer. An owner’s name points to whose, one of several options to which, and a measurement of a property to how + the appropriate adjective.

When a task asks for your own example, you may use real or invented facts. Preserve any facts supplied in the prompt. Check an open response for meaning, the target form, word order and naturalness. The model is not the only acceptable wording.