Interrogative Pronouns

The words that form questions in English

Interrogative pronouns introduce direct or indirect questions by replacing unknown information. The five primary interrogative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and what, with whoever, whomever, whichever, and whatever as emphatic forms.

Core Characteristics (Oxford Grammar Rules)

  • Function: Always introduce questions (direct or indirect)
  • No antecedent: Refer to unknown information
  • Case-sensitive: Change form based on grammatical role (who vs. whom)
  • Limited set: Do not inflect for number or gender
  • Standalone: Replace nouns entirely ("What happened?")

The Interrogative Pronoun System

1. "Who" (Subject Pronoun)

Oxford Standard Usage:
  • "Who broke the vase?" (subject of verb)
  • "Who is coming to dinner?" (linking verb complement)
Regional Note:

In informal US English, "who" often replaces "whom" ("Who did you give it to?" vs. UK "To whom did you give it?").

2. "Whom" (Object Pronoun)

Formal Usage:
  • "Whom did you invite?" (object of verb)
  • "To whom should I address the letter?" (object of preposition)
Oxford Guidance:

Required after prepositions in formal writing ("For whom is this intended?"). Increasingly replaced by "who" in spoken English.

3. "Whose" (Possessive Pronoun)

  • "Whose book is this?" (modifying noun)
  • "Whose are these gloves?" (standalone)
Common Error:

❌ "Who's" (contraction) vs. ✅ "Whose" (possessive). Oxford cautions: "'Who's' is never a possessive form."

4. "Which" (Choice Between Known Options)

  • "Which of these dresses do you prefer?" (specific selection)
  • "Which way leads to the station?" (limited options implied)
Oxford Rule:

Used when the possible answers are restricted or known. Contrast with "what" for open questions.

5. "What" (Open-Ended Inquiry)

  • "What is your name?" (unrestricted answer)
  • "What caused the delay?" (no predefined options)
Regional Variation:

In some UK dialects, "what" replaces "who" as subject ("What stole my apples?" – West Country dialect). Non-standard.

Advanced Usage & Special Cases

1. Formal vs. Informal Register

Formal (Oxford Preferred):
  • "To whom does this belong?"
  • "Which of the applicants was selected?"
Informal/Colloquial:
  • "Who does this belong to?" (preposition stranding)
  • "Who all is coming?" (US Southern dialect)

2. Indirect Questions

  • "I wonder what time it is." (embedded question)
  • "Tell me who you saw at the event."
Oxford Note:

Word order changes from question to statement form in indirect questions ("What is it?" → "I asked what it was").

3. Compound Interrogatives

  • "What time does the train leave?" (modifying noun)
  • "Which book influenced you most?"
Regional Difference:

US English often uses "what" + noun for open questions ("What color is it?"), while UK may prefer "which" for defined options ("Which colour [red/blue]?").

4. Emphatic Forms (-ever Suffix)

  • "Whatever gave you that idea?" (surprise)
  • "Take whichever seat you prefer." (free choice)
Oxford Caution:

"Whoever" and "whomever" follow the same case rules as "who/whom" ("Give it to whoever asks" – subject of clause vs. "Whomever you choose" – object).

Regional Variations

1. UK vs. US English

UK Formal:
  • "To whom were you speaking?" (preposition fronting)
  • "Which train goes to London?" (specific options)
US Informal:
  • "Who were you speaking to?" (stranded preposition)
  • "What train goes to Boston?" (open reference)

2. Dialectal Forms

Scottish English:
  • "Whose all is this?" (emphatic plural)
African American Vernacular English (AAVE):
  • "Who all was there?" (plural emphasis)
Irish English:
  • "Which one of ye did it?" (plural "you")

Common Errors & Corrections

1. Case Confusion:
  • ❌ "Who did you give it to?" (informal) → Formal: "To whom did you give it?"
  • ❌ "Whom is coming?" → ✅ "Who is coming?" (subject position)
2. "Which" vs. "What":
  • ❌ "What of the two options?" → ✅ "Which of the two options?"
3. Possessive Errors:
  • ❌ "Who's jacket is this?" → ✅ "Whose jacket is this?"

Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the Blanks

  1. "______ shall I say is calling?" (Formal) (Who)
  2. "______ phone keeps ringing?" (Possessive) (Whose)
  3. "______ of these routes is fastest?" (Limited options) (Which)

2. Correct the Errors

  1. ❌ "Who did you send the email to?" → Formal: "To whom did you send the email?"
  2. ❌ "Which is your mother's name?" → ✅ "What is your mother's name?"

Historical & Comparative Notes

Old English Roots:
  • "Who" from hwā, "what" from hwæt, "which" from hwilc
  • Dative/accusative form hwǣm became "whom"
Cross-Linguistic Comparison:
  • French: "qui" (who), "que" (what), "lequel" (which)
  • German: Case system affects "wer/wen/wem" (who/whom)