• A: "I went to ........ to visit the ........"
  • B: "You went where? To visit what?"

An echo question is a type of direct question that repeats part or all of something that someone else has just said to you. Usually we use an echo question because we have not heard what they said or because we are surprised by what the speaker has told us.

Examples

  • A: "I went to Iceland to visit the volcanos"
  • B: "You went where? To visit what?"
  • A: "I loved all the optical illusions at Camera Obscura"
  • B: "You loved all the what at Camera Obsucra?"
  • A: "My new Iphone cost me £800."
  • B: "Your new Iphone cost you how much?"
  • "What do you want"
  • "What do I want? I just want a cup of tea."

When you use an echo question it is spoken with a rising intonation and also with an emphasis on the question word (what, how, who, where etc.). Watch the video for another explanation about echo questions.

Echo questions Echo Answers Echo Responses - Rhetoric Devices - ESL British English Pronunciation