Practice
Interrogative adjectives: questions and examples
Compare these two questions: "Which bus goes downtown?" and "Which goes downtown?" In the first question, which introduces the noun bus. In the second, which stands alone.
Recognize what, which, and whose before nouns in questions, then choose the form that fits the meaning.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Which train arrives before noon? /wɪtʃ treɪn əˈraɪvz bɪˈfɔr nuːn/
The short answer
Use what, which, or whose before a noun when you ask a question. Use what for an open choice, which when the choices are limited or known, and whose when you ask who owns something.
Which apartment has the larger kitchen?
Why it works: Which comes before the noun apartment and asks the listener to choose from apartments being considered.
5 more examples
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What size do you need?
What comes before the noun size and asks for the needed size.
Not this:
Whatdo you need? What changes: What stands alone here, so it works as an interrogative pronoun. -
Which train arrives before noon?
Which comes before train. The speaker expects a choice among trains.
Not this:
Whicharrives before noon? What changes: Which replaces the noun in this shorter question. -
Whose umbrella is by the door?
Whose comes before umbrella and asks who owns it.
Not this:
Whoseis by the door? What changes: Whose stands alone when the noun is understood from the situation. -
What color do you want for the walls?
What asks for information about the noun color.
Not this:
Which colordo you want, blue or green? What changes: Which is natural when the speaker gives a limited set of choices. -
Which documents should I bring to the appointment?
Which modifies documents and asks the listener to identify the required ones.
Not this:I should bring
the documentslisted in the email. What changes: This is a statement, not a request for information.
Read the full guide
First, look for the noun after the question word. If a noun follows, the word is doing the adjective or determiner job. Then use the meaning of the question to choose what, which, or whose.
Look for the noun after the question word
What, which, and whose can do more than one grammar job. When one comes directly before a noun in a question, it modifies that noun.
What time does the store open?
What introduces the noun time. The question asks for information about the opening time.
Does a noun follow what in this question?
Yes. Time follows what, so what modifies the noun.
Use what for an open question
Use what when you ask for information without pointing to a small set of choices. The answer may come from many possible options.
What subject are you studying this term?
The speaker asks for the subject, but does not name a list of subjects to choose from.
Choose the word: ___ food do you usually cook at home?
Use what: What food do you usually cook at home?
Use which for a limited choice
Use which when the listener can identify a limited group of choices. The group may be stated, visible, or already known in the conversation.
Which payment method do you prefer, card or cash?
The two choices are named, so which is a clear choice.
Complete the question: ___ bus should we take, the 12 or the 18?
Use which: Which bus should we take, the 12 or the 18?
Use whose to ask about ownership
Use whose before a noun when you ask who owns a person, thing, or idea connected with that noun. Whose does not change for singular or plural nouns.
Whose files are saved on this computer?
Whose asks about the owner, and files is the noun it modifies.
Choose the word: ___ coat did you find in the hallway?
Use whose: Whose coat did you find in the hallway?
Tell adjectives from pronouns
A question word is an interrogative pronoun when it stands in place of a noun. The meaning may stay similar, but the sentence structure changes.
Which folder contains the report?
Which modifies folder. In Which contains the report?, which would stand for a folder and work as a pronoun.
In Whose bag is this?, does whose modify a noun or stand alone?
Whose modifies bag, so it does not stand alone.
Before you go
Remember this
Check the word after what, which, or whose. If a noun follows, the question word modifies that noun. Choose what for an open question, which for a more limited choice, and whose to ask about ownership.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Interrogative adjectives: questions and examples"
What is an interrogative adjective?
An interrogative adjective is a question word that comes before a noun and asks for information about that noun. In What size do you need?, what modifies size. Many grammar books also call this use an interrogative determiner because the word helps identify the noun.
What size do you need?
Which words can be interrogative adjectives?
The common interrogative adjectives are what, which, and whose. Use them before nouns in questions. For example, which can come before train in Which train arrives before noon?, while whose can come before umbrella when you ask who owns it.
What do you need?
When should I use what instead of which?
Use what for a broad or open question, such as What color would you like for the walls? Use which when a smaller set of choices is clear, such as blue or green. In everyday conversation, both words can sometimes be possible, but which suggests a more limited choice.
Which train arrives before noon?
How do I use whose in a question?
Use whose before a noun when you ask about ownership. In Whose umbrella is by the door?, whose asks who owns the umbrella. The word does not change when the noun is plural, so you can also ask Whose files are these?
Which arrives before noon?
What is the difference between an interrogative adjective and pronoun?
An interrogative adjective has a noun after it, as in Which documents should I bring? An interrogative pronoun stands in place of a noun, as in Which should I bring? The question word may be the same, but checking for the following noun shows the grammar job.
Whose umbrella is by the door?