Interrogative and Relative Pronoun

Interrogative Pronoun

Pronoun used for asking questions is called interrogative pronoun.

Example:

Who is there? Who the hell are you?

Whom do you want?

Whose is this book?

Which one do you prefer?

Who were you speaking to?

v    Interrogative pronouns can be used for asking indirect question. As-

I asked who was speaking.

I don’t know who is there.

Tell me what you have done.

Ask what he wants.

NOTE:

1.     ‘Who’ is used only for persons. As- who goes there?

2.     ‘Which’ is used for both persons and things. As- which is your girlfriend? Which of the picture do you like best?

3.     ‘What’ is used only for things. As- what the hell you want?

4.     What are you? What is he? What is this man? In these expressions what refers to the persons profession.

5.     Compound interrogative pronouns: whoever told you so?

                     Relative Pronoun

A pronoun which refers to some noun or pronoun previously mentioned and at the same time joins two sentences. It replaces one of two identical noun phrases and relates the clauses to each other.

Pronoun	Refers
That	Things
Which	Things
Who	People
whom	People
Whose	Usually people

NOTE: In speaking that can be used for people, but not in formal written English.