“Who let the dogs out?”
Interrogative pronouns are used quite often in English. This article will discuss what they are and how you can use them.
What they are
- Interrogative pronouns are pronouns that introduce questions. They essentially “interrogate” to find out information. They stand in for the unknown person or thing that you’re asking about.
The main interrogative pronouns
- Who: Used to ask about people (subject).
- Whom: Used to ask about people (object).
- Whose: Used to ask about possession.
- What: Used to ask about things.
- Which: Used to ask about choices from a group.
How they are used
- Beginning of questions: Interrogative pronouns typically appear at the beginning of a question.
- Replacing unknown nouns: They take the place of the noun that the question is seeking to identify.
- Function in sentences: They can function as subjects, objects, or possessive determiners within a sentence.
Examples
- Who is coming to the party?
- Whom did you see?
- Whose book is this?
- What are you doing?
- Which is your favorite color?
A quick review
- “What” and “which” can sometimes overlap, but “which” implies a selection from a limited set of options.
- “Who” and “whom” can be tricky. “Who” is used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence, and “whom” is used when it’s the object. In modern spoken English, “who” is often used in place of “whom.”
- “Whose” indicates possession. It can act as a pronoun or a determiner, depending on whether it’s followed by a noun.
