What vs. Which
2022-06-18
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Zehra, a reader of our website, about the difference between using the question words "what" and "which."
2Hello,
3Could you please tell me which one is correct? "What color is missing?" or "Which color is missing?"
4Zehra
5Dear Zehra,
6Thank you for your question! Either of these questions could be correct.
7"What" and "which" can both be used to form a question.
8So, either of these questions could be correct.
9It depends on the situation and the information we are seeking.
10Let us consider each question word more closely.
11When we ask a question using "what," we are asking for information because we do not know the answer.
12The information can be about things or actions.
13For example:
14What is your favorite kind of pizza?
15In this example, the person who asks the question does not know what kind of pizza the other person likes.
16There can be an unlimited number of possible answers.
17This is important when trying to decide between the two question words.
18A person answering the pizza question could say a favorite combination of toppings, like meat and cheese, or even a favorite style of pizza.
19We use "which" to ask questions about specific information or when we are presenting a set of choices.
20We may have some background information that we want to explore more by using a "which" question.
21For example, if I am in a parking lot with my friend and I know she has a car but am unsure which is hers, I could ask a question using "which."
22Which is yours, the blue truck or the red car?
23Here, the question deals with a limited choice. So we use the question word "which."
24We can use an example using geography to easily show the difference between "what" and "which."
25What is the capital of the United States?
26The answer is unknown, and the choices are unlimited.
27Which is the capital of the United States: Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.?
28There are only two choices.
29Using "what" suggest that the questioner does not know the answer and that there is no limit to the number of possible answers.
30If you choose "which" as your question word, you may have prior knowledge and you are asking for information that is more specific.
31You may also be limiting the decision to a few choices.
32Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Zehra!
33What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
34And that's Ask a Teacher.
35I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Zehra, a reader of our website, about the difference between using the question words "what" and "which." 2Question: 3Hello, 4Could you please tell me which one is correct? "What color is missing?" or "Which color is missing?" 5Zehra 6Answer: 7Dear Zehra, 8Thank you for your question! Either of these questions could be correct. 9"What" and "which" can both be used to form a question. So, either of these questions could be correct. It depends on the situation and the information we are seeking. Let us consider each question word more closely. 10What 11When we ask a question using "what," we are asking for information because we do not know the answer. The information can be about things or actions. 12For example: 13What is your favorite kind of pizza? 14In this example, the person who asks the question does not know what kind of pizza the other person likes. 15There can be an unlimited number of possible answers. This is important when trying to decide between the two question words. 16A person answering the pizza question could say a favorite combination of toppings, like meat and cheese, or even a favorite style of pizza. 17Which 18We use "which" to ask questions about specific information or when we are presenting a set of choices. 19We may have some background information that we want to explore more by using a "which" question. 20For example, if I am in a parking lot with my friend and I know she has a car but am unsure which is hers, I could ask a question using "which." 21Which is yours, the blue truck or the red car? 22Here, the question deals with a limited choice. So we use the question word "which." 23Summary 24We can use an example using geography to easily show the difference between "what" and "which." 25What is the capital of the United States? 26The answer is unknown, and the choices are unlimited. 27Which is the capital of the United States: Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.? 28There are only two choices. 29Using "what" suggest that the questioner does not know the answer and that there is no limit to the number of possible answers. 30If you choose "which" as your question word, you may have prior knowledge and you are asking for information that is more specific. You may also be limiting the decision to a few choices. 31Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Zehra! 32What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 33And that's Ask a Teacher. 34I'm Faith Pirlo. 35Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 36Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 37______________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39toppings - n. ingredients that are placed on top of a main dish, like on pizza or ice cream 40style -n. a particular way of doing, preparing or designing something 41prior - adj. existing earlier in time