Interrogative Determiners: Definition, Examples, Worksheet

What Are Interrogative Determiners?

To start with, interrogative determiners, also known as interrogative adjectives, are words like “what," "which," and "whose" that we use to form direct or indirect questions about the noun or noun phrase in a sentence. These types of determiners are mainly used to either introduce the noun or simply specify which noun is being referred to in the question.

Apart from this interrogative determiner definition, let’s understand them with the help of examples.

• Direct question: Whose car hit the truck?
• Indirect question: I wonder whose car hit the truck

The interrogative determiners meaning can easily be understood by knowing that they are formed with interrogative + determiners. Interrogatives refer to the function of asking a question, similar to how an adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb. And determiners, which come before a noun to specify or limit it. Combined, they work as determiners with the function of asking a question.

Types of Interrogative Determiners

There are three main types of interrogative determiners: “what," "which," and "whose.” Below is their function and use case, along with how to use them to make interrogative determiner sentences. Check it out:

1. “What” as Interrogative Determiner

“What” is generally used for non-specific or general questions about someone or something. However, do keep in mind that, unlike “what” in an interrogative pronoun, in determiners, it does not stand alone and always comes before the noun or a noun phrase it modifies. Here are interrogative determiners examples of “what” in a sentence:

• What time did he say?
• What flavour is your ice cream?
• What kind of car is it?

2. “Which” as Interrogative Determiner

We use “which” when it comes to asking about more specific choices or information about a singular or multiple things from a definite set. Also note that “which” is also known as a specific determiner, which we use with a noun that has a limited range of answers. Let’s take a look at some interrogative determiner sentences that use “which” below:

• Which of these seats is yours?
• Which ride are you excited about?
• Which game did you play?

3. “Whose” as Interrogative Determiner

“Whose”, which is the passive form of “Who”, is generally used for a person, and more specifically when we talk about possession or ownership of something. But do you know that “whose” works as both an interrogative determiner and a possessive determiner? This makes it the only interrogative possessive determiner in English.

• Whose plan was it?
• Whose handwriting is better?
• Whose house are we going to?

Interrogative Determiner vs. Interrogative Pronoun

Since both interrogative determiners and interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions, most people end up getting confused between them. However, there is one thing that separates them from each other. And that is their grammatical function. How? Let’s take a look below:

Interrogative Determiner

To use the interrogative determiner definition above, we use it to modify the noun and noun phrase to ask a question. There are generally three main determiners interrogative that we use. These are “what,” “which,” and “whose.” Additionally, they cannot stand alone and always come before the noun.

For example:

“Which restaurant should we go to tonight?” Here, the interrogative determiner “which” is modifying the noun “restaurant.”

Interrogative Pronoun

On the other hand, interrogative pronouns also ask questions, but replace nouns and can stand alone in a sentence or introduce a clause. In addition to this, they can also work as the subject, verb, or object in a sentence. There are five main interrogative pronouns: “who,” “whom,” “what,” “which,” and “whose.”

For example:

“Who is at the door with flowers?” Here, “who” is the subject and is replacing the unknown person.

Examples of Interrogative Determiners in Sentences

Now let’s take a look at 10 examples of interrogative determiners and how we can use them in different sentences. To start with, we generally use them to form both direct and indirect questions. For example:

1. “What flavour of ice cream do you want?”
2. “Which car is yours?”
3. “Whose clothes are lying there?”
4. “Which bag did she want?”

Whereas, in indirect sentences, we can use them as:

1. “Do you know what kind of food this is?”
2. “Can you tell me which chocolate you want?”
3. “Do you know whose bag this is?”

Additionally, we can also use interrogative determiners to form exclamations. But do note that these are generally used in interrogative constructions

1. “What a beautiful dress she’s wearing!”
2. “Which route he took was brilliant!”
3. “Whose idea was this? Truly impressive!”

Interrogative Determiners Worksheet with Answers

Here is an interrogative determiner worksheet that you can solve to better understand how to use these determiners in a sentence.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Here, you have to use the correct interrogative determiner in these sentences.

1. _______ decision do you think will have the biggest impact on the project?
2. _______ car was blocking the driveway this morning?
3. _______ topics should we revise before the final exam?
4. _______ keys did you leave on the kitchen counter?
5. _______ offer do you think we should accept, the first one or the second one?
6. _______ brother is studying abroad this year?
7. _______ book series did you enjoy more: Harry Potter or Percy Jackson?
8. _______ teacher gave you this assignment?
9. _______ laptop was left in the library without a name tag?
10. _______ strategy would work better in this situation?

Answer Key

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

Exercise 2: Rewrite the sentence

In this second exercise for the interrogative determiner worksheet, you have to rewrite each statement as a question using the correct interrogative determiner.

1. This phone belongs to Sarah.
2. The title of the movie is Inception.
3. I have two options for lunch: pasta or salad.
4. That is my friend’s bicycle.
5. My favourite subject is history.
6. The blue folder is mine, the red one is not.
7. This jacket was left on the chair.
8. That cat belongs to my neighbour.
9. The final decision is up to you.
10. I bought two notebooks — one with lines, one blank.

Answer Key

1. Whose phone is this?
2. What is the title of the movie?
3. Which option do you want for lunch: pasta or salad?
4. Whose bicycle is that?
5. What is your favourite subject?
6. Which folder is mine, the blue one or the red one?
7. Whose jacket was left on the chair?
8. Whose cat is that?
9. What is the final decision?
10. Which notebook did you buy — the lined one or the blank one?

Conclusion

In conclusion, interrogative determiners like what, which, and whose are an important part of the English grammar. These help in forming questions that seek information about a noun in a sentence. So whether you are asking about ownership, making a choice, or requesting clarification, using these determiners can help you make sure that your questions are both clear and grammatically correct. In addition to this, if you want to learn more about such grammar concepts or just simply want to improve your English language, then you can connect with our experts from Gradding.com.

FAQs

1. What are Interrogative Determiners with Examples?

Interrogative determiners are the wh-words like "what," "which," and "whose" that we use to form questions about the noun or noun phrase in a sentence. They are mainly placed before the noun and help in understanding which item is being referred to. For example, “What day is it?”

2. How are Interrogative Determiners Different from Interrogative Pronouns?

Even though both interrogative determiners and pronouns introduce a question. They differ from each other when it comes to their grammatical function. On one hand, the interrogative determiner introduces the question and modifies the noun. For example, “Which bag did she buy?” Whereas, on the other hand, interrogative pronouns are words that replace the nouns. For example, “Who is standing there?”

3. What is the Use of Interrogative Determiners?

The main use of interrogative determiners is that they help us understand which noun or noun phrase is being asked about. Words like "what," "which," and "whose" modify the noun and are important to form specific and informative questions. For example, “Whose phone is on the floor?”

4. What are some Examples of Interrogative Determiners?

The three main types of interrogative determiners are "what," "which," and "whose." Some of its examples are:

• Which house is his?
• Whose plan was this?
• What colour is his jacket?