Interrogative Pronouns

There are five interrogative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which & what. Read the examples below.

1. Who broke the glass? 
   
2. Whom did you see there?
3. Whose is the book?
4. What is your name?
5. Which is your brother?

Interrogative pronouns can be subjects, objects, or possessives. Look at the table and remember their forms. 

WHO, WHOM & WHOSE

Who as Subject

Who, whom and whose stand for people. Who is used as subject. It is singular and plural. 

• A: Who wants to go there?
  
• B: John wants to go there.

[ Here who takes the place of the subject noun John. Who is singular.]

• A: Who want to go? 
  
• B: John and Marry want to go.

[Here who takes the place of the subject noun John and Marry. Who is plural.]

Whom as Object

Whom is always used as object. It is both singular and plural.

• A: Whom did you see in the garden? 
  
• B: I saw Mike. 

[Here whom takes the place of the object noun Mike. Whom is singular.]

• A: Whom are they calling?
  
• B: They are calling Willy and Paul. 

[Here whom takes the place of the object noun Willy and Paul. Whom is plural.]

Who as Object

Who can be used as object. It is both singular and plural.

• A: Who did you see in the garden? 
  
• B: I saw Mike. 

[Here who takes the place of the object noun Mike. Who is singular.]

• A: Who are they calling?
  
• B: They are calling Willy and Paul. 

[Here who takes the place of the object noun Willy and Paul. Who is plural.]

Whose as Subject

Whose is possessive. It can be both pronoun and adjective. 

• A: Whose goats are there? [Whose is an interrogative possessive adjective]
  
• B: Here is a purse on the table. Whose is this? [Whose is a possessive pronoun, and it is singular]
• C: Here are five purses on the table. Whose are these? [Whose is a possessive pronoun, and it is plural]

WHICH & WHAT

WHICH

Which can be both personal and non-personal. We use which when the choice is restricted. Which can be both pronoun and adjective.

• Which is your car? [Which is an interrogative pronoun] 
  
• Which car did you buy? [Which is an interrogative adjective]

WHAT

What is always non-personal. What can be both pronoun and adjective.

• What is your name? [What is an interrogative pronoun]
  
• What class are you in? [What is an interrogative adjective]

Assertive Verb Pattern [Subject + Verb]

When who, whose, what, and which are used as subject, they follow assertive verb pattern. 

• Who writes the letter? 
  
• Whose horse won the race?
• Which boy stood first in the exam?
• What made you angry?

Interrogative Verb Pattern [Verb + Subject]

When who, whom, whose, what, and which are used as object, they follow interrogative verb pattern. 

• Who is he talking to?
  
• Whom is he talking to?
• Whose car do you drive? 
• Which house has he chosen? 
• What class are you in?