Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. There are five: who, whom, whose, which, and what.

The Interrogative Pronouns

| Pronoun | Used For | Example | | ------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------ | | who | people (subject) | Who called you? | | whom | people (object, formal) | Whom did you call? | | whose | possession | Whose is this? | | which | choice (limited options) | Which do you prefer? | | what | general information | What is your name? |

Who vs. Whom

Who is used as a subject. Whom is used as an object (formal).

• Who wrote this book? (subject — the person who did the action)
• Whom did you invite? (object — the person receiving the action)

In everyday English, "who" is commonly used for both, but "whom" is still expected in formal writing and after prepositions.

• To whom should I address this letter? (formal)
• Who should I talk to? (informal)

Which vs. What

Which implies a limited set of choices. What is more open-ended.

• Which color do you want — red or blue? (limited choice)
• What color do you want? (any color)

Whose (Possession)

Whose asks about ownership. It can be used with or without a noun.

• Whose phone is this? (with noun)
• Whose is this? (without noun)

Common Mistakes

• Incorrect: Who's coat is this?

• Correct: Whose coat is this? (possession)

• Incorrect: What book do you want — the red one or the blue one?

• Correct: Which book do you want? (limited choice)

Question Formation

Interrogative pronouns usually come at the beginning of the question.

| Pronoun | Question | Answer | | ------- | ----------------------- | ------------- | | Who | Who is at the door? | Maria is. | | What | What do you want? | Coffee. | | Which | Which is yours? | The blue one. | | Whose | Whose is this? | Mine. |