Basics: Question Words with Prepositions
This challenge contains 12 questions at medium difficulty covering Basics: Question Words with Prepositions. Test your knowledge with a mix of question formats!
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Correct Answers
Drag the correct words to help the tech support agent figure out what the customer is trying to do.
I need to know what you are using this strange software for, and exactly who you were talking to when your computer caught fire.
I need to know what you are using this strange software for, and exactly who you were talking to when your computer caught fire.
- "What... for?" is a common conversational way to ask "Why?" or to ask about the purpose of something.
- "Who... to?" is used to identify the person receiving an action, matching the verb phrase "talk to someone."
Help the paranoid survivalist complete their text message by choosing the correct pair of words.
"I know we need to build an underground bunker, but _____ are we going to share it _____?"
The correct answer is who / with.
When we ask about the people accompanying us or joining us in an activity, we use the question word who and place the preposition with at the end of the clause.
Example: "Who are you going with?"
Complete the eavesdropper's whispered question to their friend by selecting the correct option.
"They've been arguing loudly for twenty minutes, but I missed the beginning! _____ are they actually arguing _____?"
The correct answer is What / about.
The verb "argue" pairs with the preposition "about" when discussing the topic of the argument. In a question asking for that topic, we start with What and end with the preposition about.
Who did you go with? What were you two talking about?
In informal English, when a question word (like who or what) is the object of a preposition, we usually put the preposition at the very end of the clause.
- "Who... with?" asks about the person accompanying you.
- "What... about?" asks for the subject of the conversation.
The correct answers are Which specific chapters should we focus on? and On which specific chapters should we focus?
The verb "focus" pairs with the preposition "on". In a question, you can place the preposition at the end of the clause ("Which... on?") or, in more formal writing, immediately before the question word ("On which..."). Both are perfectly correct!
The option without "on" is incorrect because "focus" requires the preposition to connect to its object. The final option is incorrect because questions require auxiliary verb inversion ("should we", not "we should").
Choose the correct pair of words to complete the roommate's baffled sticky note.
"There is a glowing green jar of mayonnaise in the fridge. _____ on earth did you buy that _____?"
The correct answer is What / for.
To ask about the purpose or reason for something, we often use the combination of What at the beginning of the question and for at the end. "What... for?" means the same thing as "Why?", but notice that we never say "Why... for?".
Where is this incredibly delayed train coming from? Who is the conductor shouting at?
Questions asking about origins use "Where... from?".
Questions asking about the target of an action (like shouting) use "Who... at?".
Placing the preposition at the end of the question is the most natural word order in spoken and everyday written English.
The correct answers are Who did you get this mysterious package from? and From whom did you get this mysterious package?
In English, when a question word is the object of a preposition, we usually put the preposition at the end of the sentence (e.g., "Who... from?").
In highly formal English, the preposition can move to the front, but it MUST be followed by the object pronoun "whom" (e.g., "From whom...").
"From who" is grammatically incorrect because prepositions must be followed by object pronouns. The final option is incorrect because it completely misses the preposition "from," changing the meaning of the sentence entirely!
The correct answers are What is this bizarre gadget used for? and For what is this bizarre gadget used?
When asking about purpose, we use "What... for?". The most natural and common way to ask this in English is to leave the preposition "for" at the end of the question.
Moving the preposition to the front ("For what is this...") is grammatically correct but sounds quite formal or old-fashioned.
The option missing "for" is incorrect because "used" requires the preposition to indicate purpose. The final option is incorrect because it lacks the necessary subject-verb inversion for a question (it should be "is this", not "this is").
Help the detective interrogate the suspect by dragging the correct question words and prepositions to complete the notes.
The detective asked me who I went to the museum with. He also demanded to know exactly what I was looking at when the alarm sounded.
The detective asked me who I went to the museum with. He also demanded to know exactly what I was looking at when the alarm sounded.
In English, prepositions often go at the end of a question (or an indirect question) when they belong to the question word.
- "Who... with?" means "With whom?"
- "What... at?" belongs to the phrasal verb "look at" (e.g., "What were you looking at?").
Complete the text messages about a disastrous blind date by dragging the correct words into the blanks.
I still can't figure out where he is from, because his accent kept changing! And you won't believe what he asked me to pay for at the restaurant!
I still can't figure out where he is from, because his accent kept changing! And you won't believe what he asked me to pay for at the restaurant!
When we ask about someone's origin, we use the combination "where... from" (e.g., "Where is he from?").
When we ask about the object of a transaction, we use "what... for" (e.g., "What did you pay for?").
What is this giant red button for? Who are you planning to sell this bizarre invention to?
- "What... for?" is a common way to ask about the purpose or function of an object (meaning "why" or "for what purpose").
- "Who... to?" asks about the recipient of an action (in this case, the buyers of the invention).
Questions
If you've ever asked You like coffee? with rising intonation and gotten a confused look — you've felt the gap between casual and grammatical English questions. Many languages form questions with intonation alone, but English usually requires inversion (Are you ready?) or do-support (Do you like coffee?). Skip the structure and your questions sound like uncertain statements.
Questions in English use inversion of subject and an auxiliary (Can she dance?) or do-support when no auxiliary is present (Does the milk go in the fridge?). Yes/no questions, wh-questions, negative questions, and tag questions all share this machinery.
Preposition
If you've ever written I'm interested on you (should be in) or I'm good on football (should be at) — you've hit prepositions' main pitfall. Their choice is mostly idiomatic, not logical, and rarely matches what your native language does. Memorising the right preposition for each common verb and adjective is what stops your speech from sounding subtly off.
A preposition is a small word linking a noun or noun phrase to other parts of the sentence: in, on, at, to, from, with. Marks time, place, manner, or abstract relationships. Choice is largely idiomatic, especially in fixed combinations (depend on, good at, afraid of).
English Grammar Basics
If grammar feels like a tangle of rules you can never quite remember, the fix isn't more advanced material — it's making the foundations automatic. The English Grammar Basics tag is where you do that: the building blocks every other topic stands on. Get these right and the rest stops feeling random.
It marks quizzes and explainers covering the core of English: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, tenses, voice, mood, and basic sentence structure. Useful whether you're a beginner or refreshing rusty knowledge.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
If you can order coffee, ask for directions, and tell someone what you did yesterday — but struggle the moment the conversation drifts into anything abstract — you're operating at A2. Knowing this matters: A2 is the level where most learners plateau because they reach for B2 material too early and burn out. Stay here and your foundations get unbreakable.
A2 is the elementary level in the CEFR framework, covering routine communication and the first wave of real grammar: past simple and continuous, present perfect, basic modal verbs, first conditional, and common verb-pattern rules.
Difficulty: Medium
If easy questions feel too obvious but hard questions leave you guessing, you're probably ready for Medium — the level where most real learning happens. It pushes just enough to expose the rules you don't quite have yet, without burying you in edge cases. This is where steady fluency is built, one well-aimed challenge at a time.
The Medium difficulty tag marks middle-range challenges — typically A2 to B1. One rule per question, realistic distractors, and contexts that require active thought rather than instant recognition.