1. What color is your dress?
   你的衣服是什么顏色？
2. She certainly knows what's what.
   她可知道都是怎么回事。
3. What, do you really want to go?
   什么！你真的要去？
4. She is not what she was a few years ago.
   她已經不是幾年前的她了。

what

pron.（代詞）

Which thing or which particular one of many:
什么：哪個東西或許多中的特定一個：
例句：
What are you having for dinnerô What did she sayô
你晚飯吃什么ô也說什么了ô

Which kind, character, or designation:
什么：什么種類特性或名稱：
例句：
What are these objectsô
這些東西是什么ô

One of how much value or significance:
什么用：價值多少或重要性多大：
例句：
What are possessions to a dying manô
對臨終的人來說財產有什么意義ô

That which; the thing that:
…那樣的事，…那樣的一個：
例句：
Listen to what I tell you.
聽我跟你說

Whatever thing that:
無論什么：
例句：
come what may.
該怎樣就怎樣罷（該來什么就來什么罷）

Informal Something:
【非正式用語】 某事：
例句：
I`ll tell you what.
我將告訴你些什么

Non-Standard Which, who, or that:
【非標準用語】 …的事物或人物：
例句：
It`s the poor what gets the blame.
是窮人們受到了責難

adj.（形容詞）
Which one or ones of several or many:
哪個、哪些：
例句：
What college are you attendingô You should know what musical that song is from.
你在念什么大學ô你應該知道哪首歌出自哪部音樂片

Whatever:
不管什么：
例句：
They soon repaired what damage had been done.
他們很快修復了所受到的一切損壞

How great; how astonishing:
多么的，何等的：
例句：
What a fool!
多蠢啊!

adv.（副詞）
How much; in what respect; how:
多少；在哪個方面；怎樣：
例句：
What does it matterô
這有什么關系ô

conj.（連接詞）
That:
與that作連詞時意思一樣：
例句：
I don`t know but what I`ll go.
我只知道我要走去

interj.（感嘆詞）
Used to express surprise, incredulity, or other strong and sudden excitement.
什么!：用于表示驚訝，不相信或其它強烈且突然的繳動情緒
Chiefly British Used as a tag question, often to solicit agreement.
【多用于英國】 是不是，不是嗎ô：用作附加疑問句，常用以征求對方同意

<習慣用語>what for【非正式用語】
A scolding or strong reprimand:
責備或嚴厲的訓斥：
例句：
The teacher gave the tardy student what for.
老師痛斥了遲到的學生

what have you
What remains and need not be mentioned:
等等：剩下的不需要提及的：
例句：
a room full of chairs, lamps, radios, and what have you.
一間屋子，放滿了椅子、燈、收音機等等的

what if
What would occur if; suppose that.
假設；如果…將會怎么樣
What does it matter if.
即使…又有什么關系
what it takes
The necessary expertise or qualities needed for success:
成功的必要條件：得以成功所需的必要的專門知識或品性：
例句：
She has what it takes to be a doctor.
她具有獲取成功的必要條件

what`s what【非正式用語】
The fundamentals and details of a situation or process; the true state or condition.
局勢或過程的原理或細節(jié)；真實的狀態(tài)
what with
Taking into consideration; because of:
因為，由于考慮到：考慮到，由于：
例句：
.I`ve often wondered why some good crime writer . . . hasn`t taken up with New Orleans, what with its special raffishness, its peculiar flavor of bonhomie and a slightly suspect charm.(Walker Percy)
.考慮到它那特殊的大膽不羈，它特有的歡樂氣氛的風味以及它略為人所懷疑的魅力，我時常納悶為什么一些很好的犯罪小說作家還沒有對新奧爾產生興趣.(沃克·珀西)

來源：
Middle English
中古英語
from Old English hwôt * see k wo-
源自 古英語 hwôt *參見 k wo-

Whenwhat is the subject of a clause, it may be construed as singular or plural, depending on the sense.It is singular when taken as the equivalent ofthat which or the thing which, as inI see what seems to be a dead tree; and it is plural when it is taken as the equivalent ofthose which or the things which, as inHe sometimes makes what seem to be gestures of aloofness. ô When awhat clause is itself the subject of a sentence, it may be construed as singular or plural,but the conditions governing this choice are somewhat more complicated.In general, awhat clause will be taken as a plural when the clause contains an explicit indication of its own plurality. There are two principal cases.First, the clause is plural ifwhat is the subject of the clause and the verb of the clause is itself plural: What seem to be two dead trees are blocking the road. What most surprise me are the inflammatory remarks at the end of his article. If the verb in thewhat clause does not anticipate the plural sense of the predicate in this way, a singular verb is generally used in the main clause as well,though the plural is sometimes found:What truly commands respect is (sometimes are ) a large navy and a resolute foreign policy. Second, thewhat clause is treated as plural when its predicate contains a plural noun phrase that unambiguously establishes the plurality of the clause as a whole, as inWhat traditional grammarians called .predicates. are called .verb phrases. by modern linguists. What the Romans established as military outposts were later to become important trading centers. In the absence of explicit plural marking of either of these types in a subjectwhat clause, the clause is usually treated as singular for the purposes of agreement, regardless of the sense:What she held in her lap was four kittens. What the apparent diamonds turned out to be was paste. In some cases, however, a clause withwhat as the subject may be treated as singular or plural, depending on a subtle distinction of sense. InWhat excite him most are money and power, the implication is that money and power are distinct elements; inWhat excites him most is money and power, the implication is that money and power are taken as constituting a single entity.See Usage Note at which
當what 作為從句中的主語時， 它既可被當作單數(shù)也可以為復數(shù)，這取決于詞義。當被看作是that which 或 the thing which 時它就是單數(shù)， 如在I see what seems to be a dead tree（我看到個象棵死樹的物體）. 這句話中； 當它被用作those which 或 the things which 的對應詞時它是復數(shù)， 如在He sometimes makes what seem to be gestures of aloofness（他有時做一些似乎很超然的手勢） 中。 當what 從句本身是句子的主語時， 它可被當作單數(shù)或復數(shù)，但決定這種選擇的條件略為復雜些?？傮w上說，what 從句的含有對其數(shù)性明確指示時，它就可以將當作復數(shù)。 這有兩種最主要的情況：首先，如果what 是從句的主語而該從句的謂語動詞本身是復數(shù)，從句就是復數(shù)： What seem to be two dead trees are blocking the road.（象兩棵死樹的物體擋著路）； What mostsurprise me are the inflammatory remarks at the end of his article.（最令我吃驚的是他文章結尾處的煽動性言詞） 。 如果what 從句的謂語動詞并不預示謂語是復數(shù)， 主句中通常也用單數(shù)動詞，盡管有時也可以發(fā)現(xiàn)有復數(shù)：What truly commands respect is（有時 are ) a large navy and a resolute foreign policy（真正博得尊敬的是強大的海軍和堅定的外交政策） ； 其次what 從句在其謂語含有復數(shù)名詞短語，并且其明顯可建立整個從句的復數(shù)性時是被當作復數(shù)的， 如在What traditional grammarians called "predicates" are called "verb phrases" by modern linguists.（那些傳統(tǒng)語法家所稱為.謂語.的則被現(xiàn)代語言學家稱作.動詞短語.） What the Romans established as military outpostswere later to become important trading centers.（那些羅馬人設為軍事前哨基地的地方后來成為了重要的貿易中心）。 當what 從句主語缺乏這兩類明確表示復數(shù)性的標記時， 從句通常為了一致性而不顧及詞義地被當作單數(shù)：What she held in her lap was four kittens.（她抱在膝蓋上的是四只小貓）。 What the apparent diamonds turned out to bewas paste.（那些看上去象真的鉆石結果卻是人造寶石） 。 然而，在一些情況下，以what 作主語的從句可被當單數(shù)或復數(shù)，取決于語義上微妙的差異。 在What excite him most are money and power（最讓他興奮的是金錢和權力）， 這句話中暗含著金錢和權力是不同的成分； 在What excites him most is money and power（最讓他興奮的是金錢和權力）， 這句話中暗含著金錢和權力是作為構成一個單一整體的成分參見 which