Interrogative Pronouns
Have you ever asked, Who ate my cake? or What are you doing?
The words Who and What in those sentences act as pronouns representing the answer you are looking for. In English, question words that function like this are called Interrogative Pronouns.
What are Interrogative Pronouns?
Interrogative Pronouns are pronouns used specifically to ask questions. They represent the noun (a person, a thing, or a choice) that is the answer to the question.
There are only 5 main Interrogative Pronouns in English, and their usage is very similar to the Relative Pronouns we discussed earlier.
| Pronoun | Used to Ask About | Function / Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Who | People | Who (as Subject) |
| Whom | People | Who (as Object) |
| Whose | People | Whose (Ownership) |
| What | Things / Information | What |
| Which | Choices (People/Things) | Which one |
Let’s look at the differences one by one:
1. Who (Subject)
Used to ask about the identity of the person performing the action (Subject). The answer to a who question is usually he, she, they, or a person’s name.
- Who is calling? (The answer might be: John is calling).
- Who won the game?
2. Whom (Object)
Used to ask about the identity of the person receiving the action (Object). Just like who, the answer is a person, but usually him, her, them. In everyday conversation, who is used much more frequently than whom, but whom is required in formal writing or immediately following a preposition.
- Whom did you see at the party? (The answer might be: I saw him).
- With whom are you going?
3. Whose (Ownership)
Used to ask about the ownership of an object.
- Whose is this car?
- Whose are these shoes?
Note: If the word whose is immediately followed by a noun like Whose car is this?, then it functions as an Interrogative Adjective, not a Pronoun.
4. What
Used broadly to ask about things, ideas, information, or actions. The answer is not a person.
- What is your name?
- What do you want for dinner?
5. Which (Choices)
Used to ask for a specific choice from a limited set of options. It can be used for things or people.
- Which is your favorite color, red or blue?
- Which of these bags is yours?
Conclusion
Using the correct question word is the key to getting the answer you want. Use who / whom for people, what for general information or things, which when there are limited choices, and whose to ask about ownership.