VOA名师答疑2023 疑问词what和which的区别

Hello!

大家好!

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.”

本周《名师答疑》，我们回答网站读者泽拉提出的问题：疑问词what和which有什么区别？

Hello, Could you please tell me which one is correct?

你好，你能告诉我下面哪句是正确的吗？

“What color is missing¹?” or “Which color is missing?”

“缺了什么颜色？”还是“缺了哪种颜色？”

Zehra.

泽拉。

Dear Zehra, Thank you for your question!

亲爱的泽拉，感谢你的提问！

Either of these questions could be correct.

这两个问句都有可能是正确的。

“What” and “which” can both be used to form a question.

what和which都可以用来构成疑问句。

So, either of these questions could be correct.

因此，这两个问句都可以是正确的。

It depends on the situation and the information we are seeking.

具体取决于情境和我们寻找的信息。

Let us consider each question word more closely².

让我们更仔细地分别看看这两个疑问词。

When we ask a question using “what,” we are asking for information because we do not know the answer.

当我们用what提问时，我们在询问信息，因为我们不知道答案。

The information can be about things or actions.

这些信息可以是关于事物或行为的。

For example: What is your favorite kind of pizza?

例如：你最喜欢什么样的披萨？

In this example, the person who asks the question does not know what kind of pizza the other person likes.

在这个例句中，提出问题的人不知道对方喜欢什么样的披萨。

There can be an unlimited³ number of possible answers.

这个问句可以有无数种可能的答案。

This is important when trying to decide between the two question words.

在这两个疑问词之间做出选择时，这一点很重要。

A person answering the pizza question could say a favorite combination⁴ of toppings, like meat and cheese, or even a favorite style of pizza.

回答披萨问题的人可以说出最喜欢的配料组合，比如肉和奶酪，甚至也可以说出最喜欢的披萨风格。

We use “which” to ask questions about specific information or when we are presenting a set of choices.

当我们询问特定信息或我们有一些选择时，用which来提问。

We may have some background information that we want to explore more by using a “which” question.

用which提问时，我们可能有一些背景信息，想进行更深入的探索。

For 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.”

例如，如果我和我的朋友在停车场，我知道她有一辆车，但不确定哪辆是她的，我可以用which提问。

Which is yours, the blue truck or the red car?

哪辆是你的，蓝色卡车还是红色小汽车？

Here, the question deals with a limited choice.

在这里，这个问题涉及有限的选择。

So we use the question word “which.”

所以我们用疑问词which。

We can use an example using geography to easily show the difference between “what” and “which.”

我们可以用一个涉及地理的例子来简明地说明what和which之间的区别。

What is the capital of the United States?

美国的首都是哪里？

The answer is unknown, and the choices are unlimited.

答案是未知的，选择是无限的。

Which is the capital of the United States: Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.?

美国的首都是费城还是华盛顿特区？

There are only two choices.

只有两个选择。

Using “what” suggest that the questioner does not know the answer and that there is no limit to the number of possible answers.

使用what表示提问者不知道答案，并且可能答案的数量没有限制。

If you choose “which” as your question word, you may have prior⁵ knowledge and you are asking for information that is more specific.

如果你选择which作为疑问词，你可能已经事先知道了一些信息，你在询问更具体的信息。

You may also be limiting the decision to a few choices.

你也可能会把决定限制在几个选择之内。

Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Zehra!

请让我们知道这些例子和解释是否对你有帮助，泽拉！

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

以上就是《名师答疑》。

I’m Faith Pirlo.

我是费思·皮尔洛。

1 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

2 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

3 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

5 prior   

adj.更重要的，较早的，在先的；adv.居先；n.小修道院院长；大修道院副院长

参考例句：

• The duty to protect my sister is prior to all others.保护我的妹妹是我最重要的责任。
• I took up one-year prior course in German in this college.我在这所大学读了一年的德语预科。