1) What are interrogative pronouns?
Interrogative pronouns are 'Who', 'What', 'Which', 'Whose', 'When', 'Where', 'Why' and 'How'. They are used to form questions.
Example:
Who did John help? (Question)
John helped Helen. (Answer)
2) Use
❖ We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions.
- Who: It is used to ask questions about people.
Examples:
Who lives in that house? (Question)
My uncle lives in that house. (Answer)
Who did you meet yesterday? (Question)
I met John yesterday. (Answer)
Who are they talking about? (Question)
They are talking about the director. (Answer)
Who is Angelo writing to? (Question)
Angelo is writing to his friend. (Answer)
- What: It is used to ask questions about things and people’s work.
Examples:
What is your name? (Question)
My name is Susan. (Answer)
What does your husband do? (Question)
My husband is a teacher. (Answer)
- Which: It is used to ask questions for a choice between a few things.
Examples:
Which is better exercise, swimming or tennis? (Question)
Swimming is better exercise than tennis. (Answer)
Which of these sports is popular in Spain, football or volleyball? (Question)
The popular sport in Spain is football. (Answer)
- Whose: It is used to ask questions about the possession.
Examples:
Whose is this jacket? (Question)
This jacket is mine. (Answer)
Whose are these keys? (Question)
They are my father’s keys. (Answer)
- When: It is used to ask questions about time.
Examples:
When did you see her? (Question)
I saw her yesterday. (Answer)
When is your birthday? (Question)
My birthday is in January. (Answer)
- Where: It is used to ask questions about places.
Examples:
Where do you live? (Question)
I live in London. (Answer)
Where are you from? (Question)
I am from Germany. (Answer)
- Why: It is used to ask questions about the reason.
Examples:
Why is he late? (Question)
He is late because of the traffic jam. (Answer)
Why isn’t he coming? (Question)
He isn’t coming because he is sick. (Answer)
- How: It is used to ask questions about the manner.
Examples:
How did you come to school? (Question)
I came to school by bus. (Answer)
How do you open this bottle? (Question)
I open this bottle easily. (Answer)