Interrogative and relative pronouns. All interrogative pronouns in English

Hello my dear readers.

If you are still a fan of asking questions, then the topic " Interrogative pronouns in English" may become one of your favorites. In it, my students and I analyze in detail what is used and for what. Therefore, today wait for examples, rules and exercises.

What is it?

Interrogative pronouns usually begin. That is, they are used to identify the person or subject of the action. The main words are who, what, which, whose. But we will analyze a couple more not so popular ones.

Total analysis

I have a table for you with a translation and transcription of all the pronouns that you can use in interrogative sentences. It will be understandable for both children and adults who are just starting to learn.

Tips to learn

Of course, in general, everything is quite simple. But there are a few more features that you need to remember.

• in modern English question most often placed at the end of a sentence.

Who are you going to spend Christmas with?- Cby whom you gonna spend Christmas?

With whom are you going to spend Christmas?

• If you don't know what to put: which or what- check if you have a choice. If, for example, you need to choose from 2 colors, then use which. If there is no choice - use what.

There is only red and green pencil. Which color do you prefer? - There are red and green pencils. What color do you like more?

What colors do you like the most? - What colors do you like the most?

• Very often in the language you can find forms how much or how many. And both options have the meaning "how much". The only difference is that the first form is used with items that cannot be counted. For example, time- time. The second form is with objects that can be counted. For example, pictures- paintings.

how much time does it takeHow time this is takes?

How many pictures did you buy? -How paintings you bought?

• The pronoun whose is used more like an adjective. It is usually followed by a noun.

Whose doll is it? -Whose this is doll?

Whose folder is this? -Whose this is folder?

Well, my dears, I hope that I have covered all the ambiguities that you have in this topic. Of course, as without practice. It wouldn't be me if I forgot such an important part. Therefore, you will find further. And of course, I will not leave you in the dark - you can read the answers when you are done.

Share in the comments if you have any ambiguities in this lesson and what questions you have. I will definitely answer everything.

Until then, it's time to say goodbye.

See you soon, my dears.

Hi all!
How important it is sometimes to be able to ask the right questions. Getting abroad, you are on every corner only and will do it. How to get? How to get to? What is the price? What time does the train leave? Interrogative pronouns in English will help you with this.

From this article you will learn:

Everything is very simple

Simple wh-
In total, there are 7 of them in English. They are called so because one way or another they contain the letters w and h. To get acquainted with interrogative pronouns, I offer you a table with translation and transcription in Russian:

As we can see, Who can be used when you need to get a person's name in response. What - When you request specific information, something inanimate. Why - You need to know the reason. When - You are interested in a place. How - how something was done. Where - you need to get information about the place. Which - when you are given a limited choice: Which ice-cream would you like? Strawberry or chocolate one? (Which ice cream would you like? Strawberry or chocolate?)

Simple, right?

Interrogative pronouns

Sometimes you may come across questions in which the preposition is at the end of the sentence, which seems illogical from the point of view of the Russian language. For example, in the question Who did you go to the cinema with in English, we will put with at the end. Who did you go to the cinema with? However, for English this construction is more natural.

Subscribe to my blog. Find even more useful articles and rules, and you will also receive as a gift - a basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is a Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

Sometimes interrogatives can also be used as relatives. In cases where it is necessary to combine the main and subordinate clause. For example, The man who is standing over there is my brother (The man who is standing there is my brother).
The park which we went to last week was really nice More examples look at the picture:

Relative pronouns

Composite Wh-
It also happens that an interrogative word becomes a whole phrase. For example, How much (how much about uncountable nouns), how many (how much about countable nouns), how often (how often), what time (at what time), what kind (what kind).
Have you seen similar designs?

Need to remember

Questions with How

Let's put it into practice
Now I suggest you consolidate what you just learned and do the exercise. Put the appropriate interrogative pronoun in the gaps:

1. ______is your best friend?
   For example, Who is your best friend?
2. ______time do you usually go to bed?
3. ______do you normally get to work?
4. ______didn't you come to the party last night?
5. ______often do you go swimming?
6. ______are my shoes? I can't find them.
7. ______tea do you prefer? Black or green?
8. ______is the time?
9. ______is your favorite food?
10. ______do the shops open?

I was with you, a philologist of English language, Ekaterina Martynova.
Good mood to you all!

Are interrogative pronouns ( interrogative pronouns). There are also few of them, like. Interrogative pronouns in English include the following words: who(who), what(what, what; and also with the meaning of "who", if we are talking about a person's profession or position), whose(whose), which(which the). Interrogative pronouns in English we need for education. Each of the listed pronouns has its own nuances of use, so we will analyze them in order.

How to use interrogative pronouns in English?

Pronoun first in line who. This pronoun is used for persons. This pronoun has two case forms: nominative case - directly who, object case - whom. The form of this pronoun in the objective case is rarely used, mainly in official and book styles of speech. In colloquial speech, they use who. What function does this interrogative pronoun perform in the sentence in English? It can be:

• . Note that in this case the verb-predicate accompanying who will be in the third person singular.
  

  Who knows the answer to this question? Who knows the answer to this question?

  Who broke the window? - Who broke the window?

• The nominal part of the predicate. Now we will agree in person and number with the subject.
  

  Who are those strange women? Who are those strange women?

  Who is your husband? - Who is your husband?

• Direct and indirect prepositional. Note that the , which accompanies these interrogative pronouns in English, is usually placed at the end of the sentence.
  

  Who (whom) did you invite to the party? Whom did you invite to the party?

  Who (whom) did you show this book to? Who did you show this book to?

  Who (whom) are you waiting for here? Who are you waiting for here?

  Who (whom) are you going to spend the holidays with? Who will you be spending the holidays with?

Next, let's talk about interrogative pronouns. what. This pronoun is used for inanimate objects. Its functions in a sentence are the same as pronouns. who. That is, in the sentence, the pronoun what may be:

• Subject. The verb-predicate in this case is also used in the form of the third person singular.
  

  What was written in this article? What was written in this article?

  What is it? - What is it?

• The nominal part of the predicate. The linking verb agrees in person and number with the subject.
  

  What is the cost of this yellow bag? How much is this yellow bag?

  What are the results of this competition? - What are the results of the competition?

• Direct and prepositional indirect object. The preposition referring to this interrogative pronoun is usually placed at the end of the sentence.
  

  What did you choose? - What did you choose?

  What have you lost? - What did you lose?

  What were you talking about? - What were you talking about?

Interrogative pronoun what can also be used in relation to persons, if we are trying to find out the profession or position of a person. For example:

– What is he? - Who is he?
– He is a builder. - He is a builder.

But this nuance does not apply to questions aimed at clarifying the name, surname, family relationship. In this case, we use the pronoun who.

An interrogative pronoun in English like whose, plays a function in a sentence and stands before the noun it defines.

Whose document have you brought? - Whose document did you bring?

Whose bag is it? - Who's bag is this?

Interrogative pronoun which can be applied to both animate and inanimate objects. It involves choosing from a limited number of persons or objects:

Which dish did you like? - What dish did you like? (there were several)

Which language would you like to learn? – What language would you like to learn? (for example, in courses, the choice is only among 5-6 languages)

A range of pronouns (beginning with k, given historical changes) that ask questions and also link parts complex sentence(then they are called relative pronouns): who, what, which, how much, which, how, ... ... Literary Encyclopedia

In their original meaning they contain a question about a person or object, its sign, belonging, number of objects (interrogative pronouns). Who, what, what, what, which, whose, how many Can attach a subordinate clause as allied words ... ... Dictionary linguistic terms

In Japanese, pronouns are generally used less frequently than in other languages. One of the reasons for this is the optional mention of the subject in the sentence. Therefore, in the general case, when translating, it is allowed to add missing pronouns to ... ... Wikipedia

interrogative pronoun sentences- Sentences that require a detailed answer, including interrogative words - pronouns and pronominal adverbs: who, what, what, whose, which, how much, where, where, where, when, why, why, etc. The answer should contain new ... … Syntax: Dictionary

interrogative pronouns- 1) who? what? (refer to noun pronouns); 2) what? which? whose? which the? (refer to adjective pronouns); 3) how much? which the? (refer to numeral pronouns); 4) how? where? when? why? where? (refer to… … Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

The category of pronouns (the same as interrogative ones) used to link parts of a complex sentence and text. The name of this category of pronouns is based on their property to refer (attribute) to the one already named: The village where Eugene was bored was ... ... Literary Encyclopedia

The pronoun is a part of speech devoid of its own lexical meaning and used instead of one or another noun or adjective, without naming the object (phenomenon, etc.) or its characteristic, but only pointing to them or to them ... ... Wikipedia

The pronoun is a part of speech devoid of its own lexical meaning and used instead of one or another noun or adjective, without naming the object (phenomenon, etc.) or its characteristic, but only pointing to them or to them ... ... Wikipedia

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A pronoun is a special class of significant words that point to a subject without naming it. To avoid tautology in speech, the speaker may use a pronoun. Examples: I, yours, who, this, everyone, the most, the whole, myself, mine, another, another, that, somehow, someone, something, etc.

As can be seen from the examples, pronouns are most often used instead of a noun, and also instead of an adjective, numeral or adverb.

Pronouns tend to be divided into categories according to their meaning. This part of speech focuses on names. In other words, pronouns replace nouns, adjectives, numerals. However, the peculiarity of pronouns is that, replacing names, they do not acquire their meaning. According to the established tradition, only inflected words belong to pronouns. All invariable words are treated as pronominal adverbs.

This article will present the meaning and grammatical features, as well as examples of sentences in which certain pronouns are used.

Table of pronouns by category

Pronouns are divided into three categories:

1. Pronominal nouns.
2. Pronoun adjectives.
3. Pronominal numerals.

Personal pronouns

Words that indicate persons and objects that are participants in a speech act are called "personal pronouns". Examples: I, you, we, you, he, she, it, they. I, you, we, you denote participants in speech communication. The pronouns he, she, they do not participate in the speech act, they are reported by the speaker as non-participants in the speech act.

• I know what you want to tell me. (Participant in a speech act, object.)
• You must read all fiction from the list. (The subject to which the action is directed.)
• We have had a wonderful holiday this year! (Participants of the speech act, subjects.)
• You played your part perfectly! (The addressee, the object to which the appeal is directed in the speech act.)
• He prefers a quiet pastime. (Non-participant in the speech act.)
• Is she definitely going to America this summer? (Non-participant in the speech act.)
• They jumped with a parachute for the first time in their lives and were very pleased. (Non-participant in the speech act.)

Attention! The pronouns his, her, their, depending on the context, can be used both in the category of possessive and in the category of personal pronouns.

Compare:

• He was not at school today, neither at the first nor at the last lesson. - His performance at school depends on how often he attends classes. (In the first sentence of his - a personal pronoun in the genitive case, in the second sentence of his - possessive pronoun.)
• I asked her to keep this conversation between us. She ran, her hair flowing in the wind, and the silhouette was lost and lost with every second, moving away and dissolving in the light of day.
• They should always be asked to turn the music down. - Their dog very often howls at night, as if yearning for some unbearable grief of his.

reflexive pronoun

This category includes the pronoun itself - indicates the person of the object or addressee, which are identified with actor. This function is performed by reflexive pronouns. Suggestion examples:

• I have always considered myself the happiest person in the whole wide world.
• She constantly admires herself.
• He does not like to make mistakes and trusts only himself.

May I keep this kitten?

Possessive pronouns

A word that indicates the belonging of a person or object to another person or object is called a "possessive pronoun". Example: mine, yours, ours, yours, yours. Possessive pronouns indicate belonging to the speaker, interlocutor or non-participant in the act of speech.

• My The decision is always the correct one.
• Your wishes will surely come true.
• Our the dog behaves very aggressively towards passers-by.
• Your the choice will be yours.
• Finally I got mine gift!
• Their keep your thoughts to yourself.
• My the city misses me and I feel like I miss it.

Words like her, him, them can act as a personal pronoun in or as possessive pronoun. Suggestion examples:

• Them the car is at the entrance. - They haven't been in the city for 20 years.
• His the bag is on the chair. - He was asked to bring tea.
• Her the house is located in the city center. - They made her the queen of the evening.

The belonging of a person (object) to a group of objects also indicates a possessive pronoun. Example:

• Our Joint trips will be remembered to me for a long time!

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative is the second name of the demonstrative pronoun. Examples: this, that, such, so much. These words distinguish one or another object (person) from a number of other similar objects, persons or signs. This function is performed by the demonstrative pronoun. Examples:

• This the novel is much more interesting and informative than all those that I have read before. (Pronoun this distinguishes one object from a number of similar ones, indicates the peculiarity of this object.)

Pronoun this is also performs this function.

• it sea, these the mountains, this is the sun will forever remain in my memory the brightest memory.

However, you should be careful with the definition of the part of speech and not confuse the demonstrative pronoun with the particle!

Compare examples of demonstrative pronouns:

• it it was excellent! - Did you play the part of the fox in the school play? (In the first case, this is is a pronoun and fulfills the predicate. In the second case this is- the particle has no syntactic role in the sentence.)
• That the house is much older and more beautiful than this one. (Pronoun that selects an object, points to it.)
• Neither such, no other option suited him. (Pronoun such helps to focus on one of the many subjects.)
• So many once he stepped on the same rake, and again he repeats everything anew. (Pronoun so many emphasizes repetition.

Definitive pronouns

Examples of pronouns: himself, the most, all, everyone, each, any, other, other. This category is divided into sub-categories, each of which includes the following pronouns:

1.Himself, the most- pronouns that have a distinguishing function. They elevate the object in question, individualize it.

• Myself director - Alexander Yaroslavovich - was present at the party.
• He was offered most a highly paid and prestigious job in our city.
• Most The greatest happiness in life is to love and be loved.
• Samo Her Majesty condescended to praise me.

2.Whole- a pronoun that has the meaning of the breadth of coverage of a characteristic of a person, object or feature.

• Whole the city came to watch him perform.
• All the road passed in remorse and the desire to return home.
• Everything The sky was covered with clouds, and not a single gap was visible.

3. Anyone, everyone, anyone- pronouns denoting the freedom to choose from several objects, persons or features (provided that they exist at all).

• Semen Semenovich Laptev - a master of his craft - this is for you any will say.
• Any a person is able to achieve what he wants, the main thing is to make an effort and not be lazy.
• Each blade of grass, each petal breathed life, and this desire for happiness was transmitted to me more and more.
• Anything the word he said turned against him, but he did not seek to correct it.

4.Other, different- pronouns that have the meaning of non-identity with what was said earlier.

• I chose different a path that was more accessible to me.
• Imagine another Would you have done the same in my place?
• AT different once he comes home, silently, eats and goes to bed, today everything was different ...
• The medal has two sides - another I did not notice.

Interrogative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: who, what, which, which, whose, how much, which.

Interrogative pronouns include a question about persons, objects or phenomena, quantities. A sentence containing an interrogative pronoun usually ends with a question mark.

• Who Was that the man who came to us this morning?
• What what will you do when the summer exams are over?
• What there should be a portrait of an ideal person, and how do you imagine him?
• Which the of these three people could know what really happened?
• Whose is it a briefcase?
• How much is the red dress which did you come to school yesterday?
• Which your favorite season?
• whose I saw a child in the yard yesterday?
• How Do you think I need to enter the Faculty of International Relations?

Relative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: who, what, how, which, which, whose, how much, which.

Attention! These pronouns can act as both relative and interrogative pronouns, depending on whether they are used in a particular context. In a complex sentence (CSP), only a relative pronoun is used. Examples:

• How are you making a biscuit pie with cherry filling? - She told how she makes a cherry pie.

In the first case how - the pronoun has an interrogative function, i.e. the subject concludes a question about a certain object and about the method of obtaining it. In the second case, the pronoun how is used as a relative pronoun and acts as a connecting word between the first and second simple sentences.

• Who knows in which the sea flows into the Volga river? - He did not know who this man was to him, and what could be expected from him.
• What do you need to do to get hired Good work? - He knew what to do in order to get a well-paid job.

What- pronoun - is used both as a relative and as an interrogative pronoun, depending on the context.

• What shall we do tonight? - You said that today we should visit grandma.

To accurately determine the category of pronouns, choosing between relative and interrogative, you need to remember that the interrogative pronoun in a sentence can be replaced by a verb, a noun, a numeral, depending on the context. The relative pronoun cannot be replaced.

• What do you want to have dinner tonight? - I would like vermicelli for dinner.
• Which do you like the color? - Purple do you like it?
• Whose is this a house? - Is this your mother's house?
• Which the are you in line? Are you eleventh in line?
• How do you have candy? - Do you have six sweets?

A similar situation with the pronoun than. Compare examples of relative pronouns:

• What would you like to do for the weekend? He completely forgot what wanted to do it for the weekend. (As we can see, in the second version the pronoun how enters the category of relative and performs a connecting function between the two parts of a complex sentence.)
• How did you get into my house yesterday? - Anna Sergeevna looked at the boy inquiringly and did not understand how he got into her house.
• How does it feel to know that you are in trouble? - I know for myself what it's like to realize that your plans are collapsing rapidly and irrevocably.
• How many times do I ask you not to do this again? - She has already lost count, which time her son brought his class teacher to tears.
• Whose car is parked at the gate of my house? - He was at a loss, so he could not figure out whose idea it was to provoke a fight.
• How much is this Persian kitten worth? - He was told how much a red Persian kitten costs.
• Who knows what year the Battle of Borodino took place? - Three students raised their hands: they knew in what year the Battle of Borodino took place.

Some scholars propose to combine relative and interrogative pronouns into one category and call them "interrogative-relative pronouns". Examples:

• Who is there? He didn't see who was here.

However, at present, it has not yet been possible to reach a common agreement, and the categories of interrogative and relative pronouns continue to exist separately from each other.

Negative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: no one, nothing, none, no one, no one, nothing. Negative pronouns have the meaning of the absence of persons, objects, and also to indicate their negative characteristics.

• Nobody didn't know what to expect from him.
• Nothing he was not so interested that he could devote his whole life to this cause.
• No debt and none money could not keep him from running away.
• A lonely dog ​​ran along the road, and it seemed that she had never had a master, a home and tasty food in the morning; She was draw.
• He tried to find excuses for himself, but it turned out that everything happened precisely on his initiative, and no one was to blame.
• He was completely there is nothing to do, so he slowly walked through the rain past the glowing storefronts and watched the oncoming cars passing by.

Indefinite pronouns

From interrogative or relative pronouns, an indefinite pronoun is formed. Examples: someone, something, some, some, several Indefinite pronouns contain the meaning of an unknown, indefinite person or object. Also, indefinite pronouns have the meaning of deliberately concealed information that the speaker specifically does not want to communicate.

Such properties have Examples for comparison:

• someone's the voice was heard in the darkness, and I did not quite understand to whom it belonged: a man or a beast. (Lack of information from the speaker.) - This letter was from my no one an acquaintance who had been absent from our city for a long time and was now about to come. (Intentionally withheld information from listeners.)
• Something an incredible thing happened that night: the wind tore and threw leaves from the trees, lightning flashed and pierced the sky through and through. (Instead of something you can substitute indefinite pronouns similar in meaning: something, something.)
• Some of my friends consider me a strange and wonderful person: I do not strive to earn a lot of money and live in a small old house on the edge of the village . (Pronoun some can be replaced by the following pronouns: someone, a few.)
• Several a pair of shoes, a backpack and a tent were already packed and waiting for us to pack up and leave far, far from the city. (The subject does not specify the number of items, generalizes their number.)
• someone informed me that you received a letter, but do not want to acknowledge in e volume.(The speaker deliberately hides any information about the face.)
• If a anyone saw this person, please report it to the police!
• anyone knows what Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky were talking about at the ball?
• When you see anything interesting, do not forget to write down your observations in a notebook.
• some moments in learning English remained incomprehensible to me, then I returned to the last lesson and tried to go through it again. (Deliberate concealment by the speaker of information.)
• how much I still had money in my purse, but I didn't remember how much. (Lack of information about the subject from the speaker.)

Grammar categories of pronouns

Grammatically, pronouns are divided into three categories:

1. Pronoun noun.
2. Pronoun adjective.
3. Pronominal numeral.

To pronominal noun include such categories of pronouns as: personal, reflexive, interrogative, negative, indefinite. All these digits are likened to nouns in their grammatical properties. However, pronominal nouns have certain features that a pronoun does not have. Examples:

• I came to you . (AT this case this is masculine, which we determined by the past tense verb with a zero ending). - You came to me. (The gender is determined by the end of the verb "came" - feminine,

As you can see from the example, some pronouns are devoid of the category of gender. In this case, the genus can be restored logically, based on the situation.

Other pronouns of the listed categories have the category of gender, but it does not reflect the real relationship between persons and objects. For example, the pronoun who always combined with a past tense masculine verb.

• Who was the first woman in space?
• Ready or not, here I come.
• She knew who would be the next contender for her hand and heart.

The pronoun what is used with past tense neuter nouns.

• What enabled you to do this?
• He did not suspect that something similar to his story could be happening somewhere.

Pronoun he has generic forms, but the gender here acts as a classification form, and not as a nominative.

To pronominal adjective demonstrative, definitive, interrogative, relative, negative, indefinite pronouns. They all answer the question which? and are likened to adjectives in their properties. They have dependent forms of number and case.

• This tiger cub is the most playful in the zoo.

Pronouns are pronouns as many as, several. They are likened to numerals in their meaning in combination with nouns.

• How many books did you read this summer?
• So many opportunities now I had!
• Grandma left a few hot pies for me.

Attention! However, in combination with pronoun verbs how many, how many, several are used as adverbs.

• How much is this orange blouse?
• So much can be spent on vacation.
• I thought a little about how to live and what to do next.