Pattern drill
Practice questions and answers in pairs. One has been done for you as an example.
Example: T: A wild puma was spotted forty-five miles south of London. (where)
S1: Ask me where a wild puma spotted.
S2: Where was a wild puma spotted?
S1: (One was a wild) forty-five miles south of London.
1. The reports were not taken seriously because pumas are often found in America. (why… not)
2. The expert felt obliged to investigate because evidences began to accumulate. (why)
3. The descriptions given by the eye-witnesses were extraordinarily similar. (in what way)
4. The puma immediately ran away when a woman saw it. (when)
5. A puma will attack a human being when it is cornered. (on what occasion)
6. The puma left behind a trail of dead deer and small animals. (what)
7. The hunt went on for several weeks. (how long)
Example: T: Our vicar is always raising money for good causes (who)
S1: Ask me who is always raising money for good causes.
S2: who is always raising money for good causes?
S1: our vicar(is).
1. The church clock was damaged many years ago. (when)
2. The vicar woke up with a start when the clock struck the hours. (why)
3. The bell struck thirteen times. (how many times)
4. The vicar went up into the clock tower. (where)
5. He caught sight of Bill Wilkins. (who)
6. Bill was trying to repair the clock. (what)
7. Bill had been doing this for weeks. (how long)
8. Everyone in the village had been woken because the clock struck thirteen times in the night.(why)
9. The vicar invited Bill to have a cup of tea. (what)
Example: T: An interesting discovery was made on the island of Kea. (where)
S1: Ask me where an interesting discovery was made.
S2: Where was an interesting discovery made?
S1: On the island of Kea.
1. An American team of archaeologists explored a temple. (what)
2. The temple stands in an ancient city. (where)
3. Houses were often three storeys high (how high)
4. The city was equipped with a drainage system. (what)
5. The temple was used as a place of worship from the fifteenth century B.C. until Roman times. (how long)
6. The statues had been painted. (what color)
7. The archaeologists were amazed because the goddess turned out to be a very modern-looking woman. (why)
8. The goddess was wearing a full-length skirt. (what)
Example: T: People who do manual work often receive more than office workers. (which people)
S1: Ask me which people often receive more than office workers.
S2: Which people often receive more than office workers?
S1: People who do manual work.
1. We refer to people who work in offices as “white-collar workers”. (what)
2. Some people are willing to sacrifice higher pay to become office workers. (what)
3. Alf was too embarrassed to tell his wife about his job. (who)
4. He changed into overalls when he got to work. (when)
5. His fellow dustmen kept his secret. (who)
6. He will soon be working in an office (where)
7. He will be earning half as much as he used to. (how much)
8. Others will call him “Mr. Bloggs”, not “Alf.”(what…instead)
Example: T: newspaper editors often go to extremes to provide unimportant facts and statistics. (who)
S1: Ask me who often go to extremes to provide unimportant facts and statistics.
S2: who often go to extremes to provide unimportant facts and statistics?
S1:Newspaper editors.
1. A journalist had been instructed to write an article on the president’s palace. (what)
2. The editor sent the journalist a fax. (what)
3. The magazine would soon go to press. (when)
4. The journalist failed to replay because he had been arrested. (why)
5. The editor published the article as it had originally been written. (how)
6. The editor said the journalist would be fired. (who)
7. The poor man had been arrested while counting the steps. (when)