grammar - Difference between "where is he from" and "where he is from"



what will be the question of he is from the USA? Is it "where he is from?"/"where is he from?". And why is it so?



Answer



To convert the statement



  • He is from the USA.


into a Yes/No question, one



  1. moves the first auxiliary verb (is in this example; all forms of be are auxiliaries)
    to a position before the subject noun phrase (he in this example), and

  2. adds a question intonation if speaking, or a question mark if writing.


So the result is



  • Is he from the USA?


That's an actual question; if you say it, you're requesting the addressee to give you information.


However, Yes/No questions can also be signalled just by the intonation in a simple sentence.
This is mostly done in speech, so He is sounds wrong, since pronouns are usually contracted.
You could just say



  • He's from the USA?
    (with the question intonation -- it can't be left out)


and folks will generally interpret it as a Yes/No question.


If you want to make a Wh-question, first you make a Yes/No question,
then you select the appropriate Wh-word for the word you're questioning,
and then you put that Wh-word at the beginning of the question, and delete the part it questions.



  • He is from the USA.

  • Is he from the USA? (Y/N question; the USA is what you're questioning)

  • Where is he from? (where is the appropriate Wh-word for the USA, which is deleted)


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