Interrogative pronouns

 Interrogative pronouns

Definition: To interrogate is to ask someone questions. Interrogative pronouns ask questions.

Interrogative Pronouns
Things	Things or People	People
What	Which	Who	Whom	Whose

What is used to ask about things. Do not use it to ask about people.

There's a really strange mixture in that pot. What did you put in there?
What is being used to ask about the ingredients in the pot.

Which is used to show a choice among two or more items.

Of all the items on the menu, which do you recommend?
In this scenario, the waiter is being asked to choose which menu item he likes best.

Note:

Which can also be used to indicate a choice or distinction among two or more people.

I see two girls making a sand castle. Which is your sister and which is your cousin?

Whose is a possessive pronoun used to find out whom something belongs to.

I see a stray flip flop on the floor. Whose is it?
Using whose is a shorter way to ask questions such as Who owns the flip flop? or Whom does the flip flop belong to?

Hint:

Do not confuse the possessive pronoun whose with the contraction who's, which is short for who is. Remember, if you are trying to show possession, use whose, but if you want to say who is, use who's.

Who's going to the concert? ⇒ Who is going to the concert?
Use who's because you are not trying to indicate possession.

I found some concert tickets on the ground. Whose are they?
The tickets belong to someone, so use whose.

Each of these interrogative pronouns can be used as either singular or plural. Most of the examples in this lesson are singular, but below are a few plural examples.

What are these bugs called?
Of all these brand names, which are the best quality?
There are five cars parked in front of this house. Whose could they be?

Note:

When what, which, and whose are used in front of a noun, they are no longer interrogative pronouns, but interrogative adjectives. For example, in the question What time is it? the interrogative what is not a pronoun because it is followed by the noun time.