Interrogative Pro-Form: Understanding Question Words

Understanding Interrogative Pro-Forms

Interrogative pro-forms are words used to ask questions. They stand in for the unknown information that the question seeks to elicit. These words function as pronouns or determiners within interrogative sentences.

Key Interrogative Pro-Forms

• Who (pronoun): Refers to people. Who is coming?
• What (pronoun/determiner): Refers to things or actions. What is that?
• Where (adverb): Refers to place. Where are you going?
• When (adverb): Refers to time. When did it happen?
• Why (adverb): Refers to reason. Why are you late?
• How (adverb): Refers to manner or method. How do you do that?

Deep Dive into Functionality

Interrogative pro-forms can act as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. They can also modify nouns (as determiners) or entire clauses (as adverbs).

For example, in ‘Who saw the movie?’, ‘who’ is the subject. In ‘The movie, what did you think of it?’, ‘what’ is the object.

Applications in Language

These words are fundamental to communication, enabling us to seek information, clarify understanding, and express curiosity. They are crucial in both spoken and written language.

Challenges and Misconceptions

A common misconception is that these are solely question words. They can sometimes appear in indirect questions or relative clauses, functioning differently.

FAQs

1. What’s the difference between ‘who’ and ‘whom’? ‘Who’ is subjective, ‘whom’ is objective.
2. Can ‘what’ be a determiner? Yes, as in ‘What time is it?’.
3. Are ‘why’ and ‘how’ always adverbs? Typically, yes, modifying verbs or clauses.