Unit 46

• What colour is your car?
• What size is this shirt?
• What time is it?
• What kind of job do you want? (or What type of job ... ? / What sort of job ... ?)

What without a noun:

• What is your favourite colour?
• What do you want to do this evening?

• Which train did you catch – the 9.50 or the 10.30?
• Which doctor did you see – Doctor Ellis, Doctor Gray or Doctor Hill?

We use which without a noun for things, not people:

• Which is bigger – Canada or Australia?

We use who for people (without a noun):

• Who is taller – Bill or Gerry? (not ‘Which is taller?’)

We use which when we are thinking about a small number of possibilities (perhaps 2, 3 or 4):

• We can go this way or that way. Which way shall we go?
• There are four umbrellas here. Which is yours?

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or

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or

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or

?

What is more general:

• What is the capital of Argentina?
• What sort of music do you like?

Compare:

• What colour are his eyes? (not ‘Which colour?’)
• Which colour do you prefer, pink or yellow?
• What is the longest river in the world?
• Which is the longest river – the Mississippi, the Amazon or the Nile?

• ‘How was the party last night?’ ‘It was great.’
• ‘How do you usually go to work?’ ‘By bus.’

You can use how + adjective/adverb (how tall / how old / how often etc.):