What Is an Interrogative Pronoun? Definition, Types & Examples

What Is Interrogative Pronoun?

The interrogative pronoun is a type of pronoun that replaces a noun when it is unknown. In English, the main interrogative pronouns are who, whom, whose, what, and which. These pronouns replace nouns when asking a question, for example, in the sentence "Who is the manager here?".

Below are some of the examples of Interrogative pronoun, that will make it easy for you to understand their usage in daily conversations.

1. Who is at the door?
2. Whom did you invite to the party?
3. Whose book is this?
4. What did you say?
5. Which is your favorite color?
6. Whoever left this mess?
7. Whoever did she marry?
8. Whosever coat is on the floor?
9. Whatever happened to the cookies?
10. Whichever way should we go?
11. To whom did you address the letter?
12. What are you thinking about?
13. Which of these options is correct?
14. By whom was the window broken?
15. Who wants pizza for dinner?
16. Whose idea was that?
17. What time is it?
18. Which movie should we watch?
19. For whom are these flowers?
20. Whoever will clean up this spill?

These are the examples of Interrogative pronoun that will help you in understanding the topic better and using them in your daily life.

Types of Interrogative Pronouns

There are 5 main types of interrogative pronouns which are: who, whom, whose, what, and which. Go through the further breakdown of each type for a better understanding of the type.

1. Who: Used when asking about the subject of a sentence, that usually refers to a person.

Examples:

• Who is the new student?
• Who will be speaking at the conference?
• Who is the best player on the team?
• Who was there yesterday?
• Who is your best friend?

2. Whom: Used when asking about the object of a sentence, that again refers to a person.

Examples:

• Whom do you prefer to go out with?
• Whom should we ask for help?
• I do not know with whom I will go to the concert.
• Whom are you speaking to?
• Whom did you talk to at the school?

3. Whose: Used to ask about possession or ownership, referring to a person or thing it belongs to.

Examples:

• Whose pencil is this?
• Whose turn is it?
• Whose anniversary is it today?
• Whose are these shoes?
• Whose book is this?

4. What: Used to ask about things or actions when the possible answers are open-ended and multiple in number.

Examples:

• What’s in your bag?
• What is this behavior?
• What color are you wearing?
• What do you want in Breakfast?
• What is his favorite book?

5. Which: Used when asking about a specific choice from a limited number of options, referring to people or things.

Examples:

• Which hotel is your favorite?
• Which car is yours?
• Which pencil do you use?
• Which of these options do you prefer?
• Which place do you live at?

These are the types and examples of interrogative pronoun sentences. So, read them thoroughly and gain better knowledge about them.

How to Use Interrogative Pronouns?

It is important to know that interrogative pronoun function similarly to other pronouns, but specifically target unknown nouns in interrogative sentences (questions). So, things to remember to use them accurately are:

1. Proper Identification: Interrogative pronouns often begin with direct questions. These are put at the place that can be replaced with the answer to the question. They can also be used in indirect questions.
2. Formal & Informal Use: "Whom" is generally considered formal and less common in everyday speech, while "who" is more frequently used.

Go through the table below for a better understanding.

Hopefully, you are now completely aware of the proper usage of the interrogative pronoun. You can make them a part of your daily conversations and get practical knowledge about the same.

Difference Between Interrogative Pronoun and Interrogative Adjective

People are usually confused about the difference between interrogative pronoun and interrogative adjective. So, read below for complete knowledge of this.

Interrogative Pronoun:

• An interrogative pronoun is used to replace a noun when asking a question. It can serve as the subject or object of a verb, or as the object of a preposition.
• The primary interrogative pronouns are: who, whom, whose, what, and which.
• There are also compound interrogative pronouns, including whoever, whomever, whatever, whichever, and the rarely used whosever.

Examples:

1. Who is at the door? (Who is the subject of the verb "is")
2. Whom did you see? (Who is the direct object of the verb "did see")
3. Whose is this book? (Whose stands alone, implying "Whose book is this?")
4. What happened? (What is the subject of the verb "happened")
5. Which do you prefer? (Which is the object of the implied verb "do prefer")

Interrogative Adjective:

• An interrogative adjective modifies a noun and is used to ask a question about that noun.
• It always precedes the noun it describes.
• The main interrogative adjectives are: whose, what, and which.

Examples:

1. Whose car is parked outside? (Whose modifies the noun "car")
2. What time is it? (What modifies the noun "time")
3. Which movie did you see? (Which modifies the noun "movie")

Go through the table below to understand the difference between interrogative pronoun and interrogative adjective better.

These are the main differences between the both. Go through the table to get the important outline of this and be ready to answer next time when someone asks you the same.

Exercises for Practicing Interrogative Pronoun

Go through the interrogative pronoun worksheet with answers to know your present knowledge about the topic. It will also help you know where you need to improve.

Worksheet 1: Identifying Interrogative Pronouns

1. Who is coming to the party?
2. To whom did you give the present?
3. Whose car is parked outside?
4. What happened to my sandwich?
5. Which of these shirts do you like best?
6. Who wants to go to the park?
7. To whom should I address this email?
8. What are you talking about?
9. Whose book are you reading?
10. Who will help me with this heavy box?

Answers:

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

Worksheet 2: Fill in the Blanks Using Interrogative Pronouns

1. _________ is your favorite subject in school?
2. _________ did the teacher choose for the lead role?
3. _________ keys are these on the table?
4. _________ are you planning to do this weekend?
5. _________ of the cakes looks the most delicious?
6. _________ knocked on the door?
7. With _________ did you go to the concert?
8. _________ is making that loud noise?
9. _________ phone number did you give him?
10. _________ movie did you decide to watch?

Answers:

1. What is your favorite subject in school?
2. Whom did the teacher choose for the lead role?
3. Whose keys are these on the table?
4. What are you planning to do this weekend?
5. Which of the cakes looks the most delicious?
6. Who knocked on the door?
7. With whom did you go to the concert?
8. Who is making that loud noise?
9. Whose phone number did you give him?
10. Which movie did you decide to watch?

Conclusion

Hopefully, it is now clear what is interrogative pronoun. This blog is the perfect guide to help you understand the topic well. Go through the proper definition, and several examples to use them in sentences and understand their usage better. Moreover, understand the difference between interrogative pronouns and interrogative adjectives for a better approach. At last, solve the 2 worksheets given above to know where you stand. You can also enroll in online English classes to become a master of topics such as sentence structure and other new words. So, prepare well and become a master of the English language.

FAQs

1. What Is Interrogative Pronoun and Examples?

An interrogative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to form questions. It replaces a noun or noun phrase in a question to seek information about people, things, or ideas.

Examples:

Which is your favorite color?

Whatever happened to the cookies?

What are you thinking about?

Who wants pizza for dinner?

Which movie should we watch?

2. What Are 10 Examples of Interrogatives?

1. Who is calling?
2. Whom did you ask for help?
3. Whose pen is this?
4. What are you cooking?
5. Which way should we go?
6. Whoever left the door open?
7. Whomever did she choose?
8. Whatever is in that box?
9. Whichever dress do you prefer?
10. To whom should I address my concerns?

3. How Do We Use Interrogative Pronouns in Sentences?

Interrogative pronouns are words used to introduce questions and replace a noun when it is unknown. In more easy terms, they typically replace whatever or whoever the answer to the question is.

4. What Is the Difference Between an Interrogative Pronoun and an Interrogative Adjective?

An interrogative pronoun acts as a noun or pronoun in a question, while an interrogative adjective modifies a noun or pronoun in a question.

5. What’s the Difference Between Regular Pronouns and Interrogative Pronouns?

Regular pronouns replace nouns with words like "he," "she," "it," or "they," while interrogative pronouns are used specifically to ask questions. These words are "who," "what," "which," "whose," and "whom".