1. Which flower in the bunch do you like?

2. Who is the guy standing next to Winston?

3. What food would you like to have?

4. Whose keys are these?

5. What are you holding in your hands?

6. Have you decided which movie to watch?

7. Who is your boss?

8. Would you mind telling me which article I should work on next?

9. What did Susan find in the box?

10. I was asking him whose phone that was.

Ready to find out how much you have learnt. Check your answers here.

1. Which flower in the bunch do you like? – Interrogative Adjective

2. Who is the guy standing next to Winston? – Interrogative Pronoun

3. What would you like to have? – Interrogative Pronoun

4. Whose keys are these? – Interrogative Adjective

5. What are you holding in your hands? – Interrogative Pronoun

6. Have you decided which movie to watch? – Interrogative Adjective

7. Who is your boss? – Interrogative Pronoun

8. Would you mind telling me which article I should work on next? –

Interrogative Adjective

9. What did Susan find in the box? – Interrogative Pronoun

10. I was asking him whose phone that was. – Interrogative Adjective
  What – Used to ask questions about people or objects.
Examples:
o What do you want for dinner?
o I wonder what we’re doing tomorrow.
o What is your friend’s name?
o What animal has horns?
 Which – Used to ask questions about people or objects.
Examples:
o Which shirt should I wear?
o Which way to the bathroom?
o Which book did you read?
o Which seat would you like?
 Who – Used to ask questions about people. Examples:
o Who is that?
o Who was driving the car?
o I’m wondering who will be at the party.
o Who is going to take out the trash?
 Whom – This interrogative pronoun is rarely seen these days,
but when it shows up, it is used to ask questions about people.
Examples:
o Whom did you speak to?
o Whom do you prefer to vote for?
o You should ask whom to call.
o Whom do you live with?
 Whose – Used to ask questions about people or objects,
always related to possession. Examples:
o Whose sweater is this?
o Whose cat is that?
o I wonder whose dog knocked our garbage can over.
o Whose phone is that?
In some cases, interrogative pronouns take on the suffix –ever. A few
can also take on the old-fashioned suffix –soever, which is rarely
seen in writing these days. For example:
 Whatever
 Whatsoever
 Whichever
 Whoever
 Whosoever
 Whomever
 Whomsoever
 Whosever
Interrogative pronouns are very easy to remember and use.
Memorize them to make things even simpler.
Examples of Interrogative Pronouns
Sentences containing interrogative pronouns are always questions,
so they always end with a question mark. In the following examples,
interrogative pronouns have been italicized for ease of identification.
1. What do you want for your birthday?
2. Which shirt do you think looks better on me?
3. Who do you think will win the playoff game?
4. To whom are you speaking?
5. Whose socks are those?
Interrogative Pronouns Exercises
Fill in the blanks with an interrogative pronoun.
1. __________ threw the football?

A. who

B. what

C. which

D. whose

2. ____________ would you prefer, coffee or tea?

A. who

B. whom

C. which

D. whose

3. ______________ time do we need to be at the airport?

A. which

B. what
 C. whose

D. whom

4. _____________ car is that?

A. whom

B. whose

C. what

D. who

5. ____________ is your sister’s name?

A. who

B. whom

C. what

D. whose

6. _____________ did you tell?

A. whom

B. what

C. whose

D. which

7. _____________ of these books have you read?

A. what

B. whom
 C. whose

D. which

8. ______________ wants ice cream?

A. what

B. whom

C. who

D. whose

Answer Key:
1. A – Who threw the football?
2. C – Which would you prefer, coffee or tea?
3. B – What time do we need to be at the airport?
4. B – Whose car is that?
5. C – What is your sister’s name?
6. A – Whom did you tell?
7. D – Which of these books have you read?
8. C – Who wants ice cream

Interrogative pronouns in indirect questions

Interrogative pronouns are used in both direct and indirect questions:

 A direct question is a sentence ending in a question mark, like the

examples above.
 An indirect question is a sentence that doesn’t end in a question mark
but still implicitly asks a question, reports a question asked by
someone else, or states whether the answer to a question is known.

Examples: Interrogative pronouns in indirect questionsI wonder whose those sneakers

are.
He asked me what I thought of his tie, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I
thought it was a bit much.

Shauna knows who the winner is, but she won’t tell me.
Even when an indirect question is implicitly a request for information, it should
still end in a period, not a question mark, according to most style guides.
  I was wondering what you think?
 I was wondering what you think.
 What do you think?

NoteAn indirect question may also be embedded within a direct question, in which
case it does end in a question mark.
For example, in the direct question “Do you know what this is?” the secondary
question “What is this?” may be what the person asking really wants answered, but it
is posed only indirectly.

Who vs. whom

Who and whom play different roles in a sentence, and it’s important to use
them correctly in academic writing (even though in everyday communication,
people rarely use “whom” at all).

 Who functions as a subject pronoun (i.e., the person/people performing

an action)
 Whom functions as an object pronoun (i.e., the person/people being
acted upon)

Examples: “Who” and “whom” as interrogative pronounsWho is making that noise?

Whom have you told about this?

I’m not sure from whom he got that idea.

TipIf you struggle to remember the difference, try imagining how the question could
be answered using a personal pronoun. If you use “he,” “she,” or “they,” then who is
the right choice. If you use “him,” “her,” or “them,” then whom is correct.
For example, “Whom have you told?” becomes “I have told her.”

What vs. which

What and which are sometimes used interchangeably, but they differ slightly
in meaning.

 What is used in questions where there is a wide range of possible

answers.
 Which is used when there are only a few possible answers to choose
from, either explicitly listed or implied by the nature of the question.

Examples: “What” and “which” as interrogative pronounsWhat is your favorite food?

Which is better, The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings?

It’s difficult to say what will happen next.

Which of the following statements is true?

Compound interrogative pronouns

You can add “-ever” to any of the interrogative pronouns mentioned above to
create the compound interrogative
pronouns whatever, whichever, whoever, whomever, and (quite
rarely) whosever.

These pronouns are used to add emphasis, suggesting that the question is
particularly perplexing to the person asking it. They are often used in
a facetious way to suggest that you know very well what the answer to your
question is. It’s generally not appropriate to use them in academic writing.

Examples: Compound interrogative pronounsWhomever could this scarf belong to?

Whatever do you mean?

Whoever is knocking at the door at this time of night?

Other interrogative words (adverbs and

determiners)
Interrogative pronouns are not the only words used to ask questions. Other
words used for the same purpose are classified as different parts of speech.
The other interrogative words are:

 The interrogative adverbs (when, where, why, and how)

 The interrogative determiners (what, which, and whose)

In the cases of what, which, and whose, whether they’re classed as

pronouns or determiners depends on their role in the question. When they
replace nouns, as in the earlier examples, they are pronouns; when they
modify nouns, they are determiners.

Examples: Interrogative adverbs and determinersWhen did the Second World War
end?
Which dress do you prefer?

How is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosed?

It’s important to consider whose perspectives are given most prominence.

NoteThe conjunction whether can also be classed as an interrogative word, but it
can’t introduce a direct question on its own. Instead, it’s used in indirect yes-or-no
questions (e.g., “I asked him whether he’d seen her,” “Do you know whether they’ve
arrived?”).

Interrogative vs. relative pronouns

All the interrogative pronouns can also function as relative pronouns.
Relative pronouns are words used to introduce a relative clause: a clause
providing extra information about the preceding noun or noun phrase.

Examples: Relative pronounsI know I have friends who will be there for me when I
need them.
The lost hat, which was green, wasn’t easy to locate underwater.
The staff member whom I spoke to pointed me in this direction.

Frequently asked questions

What is an interrogative pronoun?
An interrogative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to introduce a
question. The main English interrogative pronouns
are what, which, who, whom, and whose.

They can be used in a direct question, which ends in a question

mark (e.g., “What is your favorite color?”) and indirect questions, which
don’t have a question mark (e.g., “I asked what her favorite color
was”).

What does “interrogative” mean?

“Interrogative” is an adjective that means “used in a question” or
“having the form of a question.”

Interrogative words (sometimes simply called “interrogatives”) are

words used to introduce questions: interrogative pronouns such as
“who,” interrogative adverbs such as “why,” and interrogative
determiners such as “which.”

“Interrogative sentence” is another way of saying “question”: a

sentence ending in a question mark that functions as a request for
information.

What is an interrogative sentence?

An interrogative sentence is a question. An interrogative sentence
always ends in a question mark.

Interrogative sentences are marked by the use of interrogative words

(interrogative pronouns, interrogative adverbs, and interrogative
determiners; e.g., “who,” “why”) or by a form of the auxiliary verb “do”
(e.g., “Do you like me?”) or the main verb “be” (e.g., “Are you warm?”).

Note that an indirect question (e.g., “I wonder what he thinks”) does not
count as an interrogative sentence and should not end in a question
mark.

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Articles
1. Grammar
2. Parts of Speech
3. Pronouns
What Is an Interrogative Pronoun?
Usage Guide and Examples By Jennifer Gunner, [Link]. Education , Senior Writer

UPDATED OCTOBER 26, 2022

Image Credits

What is an interrogative pronoun. No, there shouldn’t be a question

mark at the end of that sentence — the word what is an interrogative
pronoun. So what are the other interrogative pronouns? (That one
really was a question.)
What Is an Interrogative Pronoun?
An interrogative pronoun replaces a noun in a sentence to ask a
question. You don’t know which noun it's replacing until someone
answers the question.

List of Interrogative Pronouns

The five main interrogative pronouns are:

 what (What do you want?)

 which (Which do you prefer?)
 who (Who is that?)
 whom (Whom did you ask?)
 whose (Whose are these?)

Each of these pronouns stands in for a noun — which is the answer

to the question. For example, in the sentence “What do you
want?”, what can be a hamburger, a hug, or a new car, depending
on what the speaker answers.

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Interrogative Pronouns Ending in -ever

When you add -ever to interrogative pronouns, you get whatever,

whichever, whoever, whomever, and whosever (yes, it’s a word).
They typically function as object pronouns, but they can also function
as interrogative pronouns with a fancier feel.

 Whatever happened to my slippers?

 Whichever did you choose?
 Whoever would have taken it?
 Whomever would you select?
 Whosever is this?

Where Are “Where,” “When”, “Why,” and “How”?

Don’t when, where, why, and how belong on that list of interrogative
pronouns? The answer is no — even though they do make up the
famous 5 W’s (and H). They are not interrogative pronouns because
they are not pronouns.

When, where, why, and how are interrogative adverbs. They function
as adverbs to modify verbs.
  When - adverb of time (When is the meeting? Tomorrow.)
 Where - adverb of place (Where is the bathroom? Upstairs.)
 Why - adverb of manner (Why did you leave? Because I was
late.)
 How - adverb of manner (How are you? I am well.)

The answers to these questions aren’t nouns — they’re adverbs

or adverbial clauses.

Tip: Questions that begin with interrogative pronouns always have

answers that are nouns.

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How To Use Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns also function differently in a sentence. Some
can be either the subject or the object of a sentence, while others
have more specific roles.
Image Credits

Subject Interrogative Pronouns

What, which and who replace the subject of a sentence — the noun
performing the verb — when asking a question.

 What is your favorite? Chocolate is my favorite. (Chocolate is

the subject)
 Who asked you? Oliver asked me. (Oliver is the subject)
 Which costs more? The Toyota costs more. (The Toyota is the
subject)

Object Interrogative Pronouns

What and which can also function as object pronouns, which receive
the action or item in a sentence. Whom is also an object interrogative
pronoun (which should settle the who vs. whom debate).

 What did you buy? I bought a necklace. (I is the

subject; necklace is the object)
 Which does Becky want? Becky wants the green
shirt. (Becky is the subject; the green shirt is the object)
 Whom do you like more? I like Paul more. (I is the
subject; Paul is the object)
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Possessive Interrogative Pronoun

Whose replaces a possessive noun in a sentence to show who

something belongs to. Notice that there’s no other noun in the
sentence when whosefunctions as an interrogative pronoun.

 Whose is this? It’s Yolanda’s.

 Whose did you find? I found Marty’s.
 Whose are you buying? I’m buying Tom’s.

Can Interrogative Pronouns Describe Nouns?

Replacing nouns in questions isn’t the only job for what, which, who,
whom,and whose. They can function as interrogative determiners —
words that describe nouns, not replace them.

 Whose shirt is this? (Whose modifies shirt)

  What movie should we watch? (What modifies movie)
 Which car is better? (Which modifies car)

Try removing the nouns shirt, movie, and car from the
sentences. Now you’ve got interrogative pronouns again!

 Whose is this? (Whose replaces shirt)

 What should we watch? (What replaces movie)
 Which is better? (Which replaces car)

When interrogative pronouns appear in sentences that are not

questions, they function as relative pronouns. Relative pronouns
connect a noun and another clause. Whom, whose, who,
and which are relative pronouns — and instead of what, you’d
use that.

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Interrogative Pronoun Exercise

Determine whether the bolded word in each sentence is an
interrogative pronoun or not.

1. Today I went to the movies with Lila, who is my girlfriend.

2. She asked, "What’s playing?”
3. “A comedy that you haven’t seen before,” I said.
4. “Great!” Lila said. “When does it start?”
5. “Three o’clock and six o’clock,” I said. “Which time do you
prefer?”
6. “Six,” she said. “Who is in the movie?”
7. “The actress who stars in all your favorite movies,” I said.
8. Lila nodded. “Whose car should we take?”
9. “Let’s take yours,” I said. “Where is it parked?”
10. “In the driveway,” said Lila. “What are you waiting for?
Let’s go!”

Interrogative Pronoun Exercise Answers

Are there interrogative pronouns in these sentences?

1. Today I went to the movies with Lila, who is my girlfriend. (No

— it’s a relative pronoun)
2. She asked, "What’s playing?” (Yes)
 3. “A comedy that you haven’t seen before,” I said. (No — it’s a
relative pronoun)
4. “Great!” Lila said. “When does it start?” (No — it’s
an Interrogative adverb)
5. “Three o’clock and six o’clock,” I said. “Which time do you
prefer?” (No — it’s an interrogative determiner)
6. “Six,” she said. “Who is in the movie?” (Yes)
7. “The actress who stars in all your favorite movies,” I said. (No
— it’s a relative pronoun)
8. Lila nodded. “Whose car should we take?” (No — it’s an
interrogative determiner)
9. “Let’s take yours,” I said. “Where is it parked?” (No — it’s
an Interrogative adverb)
10. “In the driveway,” said Lila. “What are you waiting for?
Let’s go!” (Yes)
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