What Are Interrogative Pronouns? (with Examples)

What Are Interrogative Pronouns? (with Examples)

The main interrogative pronouns are who, whom, whose, which, and what. (Whoever, whomever, whichever, and whatever can also be interrogative pronouns.)

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. (The interrogative pronoun represents the thing that the question is about.)

Examples of Interrogative Pronouns

Here are some examples of interrogative pronouns (shaded):
  • Who won the race?
  • Whom shall we ask?
  • Whose did they take?
  • Which is the greater?
  • What is that?
Now look at this question:
  • Which feat is the greater?
    • (This is not an interrogative pronoun. It is an interrogative adjective. The word Which modifies feat. Therefore, it's an adjective.)

Interrogative Pronouns Ending -ever

The interrogative pronouns with the suffix -ever are used for emphasis or to show surprise. They are quite rare. For example:
  • Whoever would want to eat such a gross thing?
  • Whatever did you say?

See Also

Take a test on interrogative pronouns What are interrogative adjectives? What is an interrogative sentence? Who or whom? What are pronouns? The different types of pronouns Demonstrative pronouns Indefinite pronouns Personal pronouns Possessive pronouns Reciprocal pronouns Relative pronouns Reflexive pronouns Glossary of grammatical terms