Interrogative Pronouns: Meaning, Usage, Types, and Examples

Interrogative Pronoun : The pronoun is a word that replaces a noun. In English, pronouns are used in questions too. An interrogative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to ask questions and find out information about people, things, or ownership.

The main interrogative pronouns are who, whom, whose, what, and which. Knowing how to use these pronouns can make your questions clearer and easier to understand.

Interrogative Pronoun

An interrogative pronoun is a word used to ask questions. These pronouns help find out information by replacing the thing or person you want to ask about, like "who," "what," or "which."

What is Interrogative Pronoun?

Interrogative pronouns are words used to ask questions. They help us inquire about a person, thing, place, or concept. These pronouns are essential in everyday communication and formal contexts, providing clarity and structure to the questions we ask. The main interrogative pronouns in English are:

• What
• Which
• Who
• Whom
• Whose

These pronouns often appear at the beginning of a question, but depending on the structure of the sentence, they can also appear in the middle or at the end.

Read More - Conjunctions: Definition, List, Types and Examples

Interrogative Pronoun Definition

The definition of an interrogative pronoun is a pronoun that introduces a question. It represents the person or thing you want to know about without naming it directly.

Interrogative Pronoun Examples

Examples of interrogative pronouns are words like "who," "whom," "what," "which," and "whose." For example, in the question "Who is at the door?" the word "who" is an interrogative pronoun.

Interrogative Pronoun Definition and Examples

An interrogative pronoun is a word that asks questions. For example, "Which book do you like?", "which" asks to choose one or more from a group. Another example is "Whose bag is this?" where "whose" asks about ownership.

Define Interrogative Pronoun

An interrogative pronoun is a word used in questions to ask about people or things, like "who," "what," or "which."

Interrogative Pronoun Sentences

Some sentences using interrogative pronouns are: "Who is your teacher?" "What is that noise?" and "Which is your bag?" These pronouns help us ask questions clearly and simply.

Read More - Pronouns - Definition, Types and Examples

How to Use Interrogative Pronouns? 

• Nominative (Subject): Who is at the door? – Who asks about the person doing the action.
• Accusative (Object): Whom did you see at the park? – Whom asks about the person receiving the action.
• Possessive (Ownership): Whose jacket is this? – Whose asks about who owns the jacket.

Use of Interrogative Pronouns in Singular and Plural Subjects

Interrogative pronouns look the same whether the answer is singular or plural. However, the verb in the question must match the number (singular or plural) of the answer.

• What is your favorite book? – Singular subject (book)
• What are your favorite books? – Plural subject (books)

• Which car is fast? → The fast car is which? – Singular verb ( is ) for a singular subject ( car ).
• Which cars are fast? → The fast cars are which? – Plural verb ( are ) for a plural subject ( cars ).

Types of Interrogative Pronoun

Types of Interrogative Pronouns

1. What

The pronoun what is used to ask questions that require specific information. It is used when the answer could be any object, event, or idea. What can be used to ask about things, actions, or information.

Examples:

• What are you doing?
• What is your favorite movie?
• What happened at the meeting?

Usage:

• What is generally used when the range of possible answers is wide or unspecified. It does not assume any prior information about the options available.

2. Which

The pronoun which is used when there is a limited range of options or possibilities. The question often suggests that there are specific choices from which the person being asked must select.

Examples:

• Which color do you prefer, red or blue?
• Which book do you want to borrow?
• Which of the following statements is true?

Usage:

• Which is used to narrow down the options, and it assumes that the questioner knows the possible answers or that the choices are clearly defined.

   Enroll Now for Kids Online Classes 

3. Who

The pronoun who is used to ask about people, specifically to identify the person performing an action. Who functions as a subject pronoun, meaning it refers to the subject of the sentence—the one performing the action.

Examples:

• Who is coming to the party?
• Who called you yesterday?
• Who made this beautiful painting?

Usage:

• Who is used when asking for the identity of a person or people in a question. It is the most common interrogative pronoun used to inquire about subjects.

4. Whom

The pronoun whom is used to ask about people in situations where the pronoun is the object of the verb or preposition in the sentence. Whom is less common in informal English, and in many cases, it is replaced by who, but it remains important in formal writing and speech.

Examples:

• Whom did you invite to the party?
• To whom are you speaking?
• Whom did you tell about the news?

Usage:

• Whom is used in more formal contexts, especially in academic or professional settings. It’s often used when the question focuses on the object of the sentence (the receiver of an action).

5. Whose

The pronoun whose is used to ask about possession or ownership. It is a possessive interrogative pronoun and is used when the answer to the question involves ownership or belonging.

Examples:

• Whose book is this?
• Whose car is parked outside?
• Whose idea was it to go on the trip?

Usage:

• Whose helps determine to whom something belongs, or who has ownership over something. It’s used to inquire about possession in various contexts.

Read More - Adjectives - Definition, Types, Forms, Usage, Examples

Interrogative Pronouns in Indirect a nd  Direct Questions

• Who is your favorite singer?
• What did you do today?

• I wonder who left the book on the table.
• She asked what the homework assignment was.
• They do not know which team won the game.

Difference Between Interrogative Pronoun and Interrogative Adjective

An interrogative pronoun asks a question by itself, like "Who is coming?" An interrogative adjective describes a noun while asking, such as "Which book do you want?" Here, "which" tells more about the noun "book."

Difference Between Interrogative Pronouns and Relative Pronouns 

Interrogative Pronouns Practice Questions

1. _______ animal is known as the fastest animal on land?

2. _______ did you call last night to discuss the project?

3. _______ of these books is your favorite?

4. _______ took the last piece of cake from the kitchen?

5. _______did you lend your pen to?

6. _______ shoes are those by the door?

7. _______ do you want to bring on the school trip?

8. _______ is your favorite movie of all time?

9. _______ are you planning to invite to your birthday party?

10. _______ idea was it to organize the school play?

1. Which
2. Whom
3. Which
4. Who
5. Whom
6. Whose
7. Whom
8. What
9. Whom
10. Whose