Foundation grammar · Unit 45 · A2

Who saw you? Who did you see? (questions 2)

Questions

When who or what is the object, use do, does or did: Who did you see? When who or what is the subject, there is no do: Who saw you? What happened?

Go to the exercises

A Who did you see? (who = object)

Sylvia saw Paul. Ask about Paul, the object: Who did Sylvia see? The question uses did, like any past simple question.

  • Who did Sylvia see? Paul.
  • Who did you ring last night?
  • What did you buy?
  • What does this word mean?

B Who saw you? (who = subject)

Sylvia saw Paul. Ask about Sylvia, the subject: Who saw Paul? No do, does or did: who simply replaces the subject.

Who is the object Who is the subject
Who did Sylvia see? Who saw Paul?
What did you break? What broke?
  • Who saw Paul? Sylvia.
  • Who lives in this house? (not Who does live)
  • What happened? (not What did happen)
  • Who wants a cup of tea?
  • Who broke the window?
  • What fell off the shelf?

C Compare

The same verb can make both kinds of question.

  • Who did you phone? (you phoned somebody)
  • Who phoned you? (somebody phoned you)
  • What did Jill do? (Jill did something)
  • What woke you up? (something woke you up)

Exercises

45.1 Make questions with who or what. In these questions, who or what is the subject.

  1. Somebody broke the window.

    Who broke the window?

    Who broke the window?

  2. Something fell off the shelf.

  3. Somebody wants to see you.

  4. Somebody took my umbrella.

  5. Something made me ill.

  6. Somebody is coming.

45.2 Make questions with who or what. Who or what may be the subject or the object.

  1. I bought something.

    What did you buy?

    What did you buy?

  2. Somebody lives in this house.

    Who lives in this house?

    Who lives in this house?

  3. I rang somebody.

  4. Something happened last night.

  5. Somebody knows the answer.

  6. Somebody did the washing-up.

  7. Jill did something.

  8. Something woke me up.

  9. Somebody saw the accident.

  10. I saw somebody.

  11. Somebody has got my pen.

  12. This word means something.

45.3 You want the missing information (XXXX). Write questions with who or what.

  1. I lost XXXX yesterday, but luckily somebody found it and gave it back.

    What did you lose?

    What did you lose?

  2. I left my phone on the bus, but luckily XXXX handed it in.

  3. XXXX rang me last night. She wanted to borrow my drill.

  4. My sister rang me last night. She wanted XXXX.

  5. I needed some advice, so I asked XXXX.

  6. I asked my uncle for advice. He said XXXX.

  7. I hear XXXX got married last week.

See also