Interrogative Adjectives: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know what interrogative adjectives are? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on interrogative adjectives, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What is an interrogative adjective?

Today we will explore the main interrogative adjectives. According to Grammar Monster, these are also known as interrogative determiners and modify a noun by asking a question. The list of interrogative adjectives includes the words which, what and whose. These are not to be confused with interrogative pronouns, which is a common error with similar examples. These can be used in indirect questions and direct questions with different possible answers, also called interrogative sentences. Native English speakers may find an interrogative word an easy concept, while ESL learners may need a lesson.

French grammar and Spanish grammar also use interrogative adjectives and pronouns such as cuánto, qué, and others in Spanish. The French interrogative adjectives are quel, quels, quelle, and quelles.

What are interrogative adjective examples?

An interrogative adjective can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! The following examples of interrogative adjectives from Soft Schools, Learn English and Grammar Monster can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Try to use the term interrogative adjectives today or notice when someone else is using an interrogative adjective.

  •  Whose plate was left on the table after breakfast?
  •  Whose pants did you wear?
  •  Did he ask whose superpowers you would most like to have?
  •  Which song is Zara listening to?
  •  Whose lunchbox was left on the table in the cafeteria?
  •  Which risk is the greater?
  •  Whose shall I borrow?
  •  Would you mind telling me whose phone this is?
  •  Do you know which way the dog ran when he got out of the fence?
  •  Which piece of pie would you like to have for dessert?
  •  What recipe did you choose to make this dish?
  •  She told us which apocalyptic dystopia was most likely.
  •  What drinks are you buying?
  •  Which pen do you like more?
  •  Whose book was that?
  •  What food would you like?
  •  What car will they give us?
  •  Which apocalyptic dystopia do you think is most likely?
  •  Which team scored the higher in the last match?
  •  When do you have to leave the movie?
  •  Whose shoes tracked mud into the hallway after the storm?
  •  What dessert would you like?
  •  Whose jacket shall I borrow?
  •  Which team is supposed to practice on this field tonight at 6pm?
  •  What are you buying?
  •  What time is the beautiful sunset at?
  •  Whose Christmas party are you going to?
  •  Could you help me figure out what cake is grandma’s favorite?
  •  What fruit would go best with our lunch today?
  •  There is a choice of three desserts on the menu. Which dessert would you like?
  •  Whose car will they give us?
  •  Which player did get a fifty yesterday?
  •  What time will you be arriving for dinner at our house?
  •  What books are you buying today?
  •  Which gift is India’s?
  •  Which shirt should I wear to school tomorrow for picture day?
  •  Will you tell me which house belongs to the Cook family?
  •  What is your favorite color?
  •  Which exams do you have today? What do you think it will be like – the first example or second example?
  •  What is the former liaison doing at the supermarket?
  •  Which book on proofreading do you recommend?
  •  Whose superpowers would you most like to have?
  •  Which topics are more important for the discussion?
  •  Whose phone did you use when you talked to me?
  •  Which is the greater?
  •  Do you know whose coat this is?
  •  Which car will they give us?
  •  What food have you never eaten but would like to try?
  •  What product did you order from there?
  •  Which book is your favorite one out of this series?
  •  What problems do you think Mr. Tilly will put on our quiz?

What are other literary techniques and devices?

There are many different literary and grammatical techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading prose or poetry. It is important to recognize these terms because they are always used for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers understand the author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of grammatical devices from OED and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you. 

  • interjection
  •  mood
  •  count noun
  •  prepositional phrase
  •  apposition
  •  double object
  •  noun (n.)
  •  similative
  •  perfect
  •  pro-form
  •  finite
  •  adjective
  •  participle | past participle | present participle
  •  comparative
  •  main clause
  •  direct object
  •  copular verb | copula
  •  agree | agreement
  •  prepositional passive
  •  subordinate clause
  •  number
  •  transitive
  •  subjective
  •  progressive
  •  agent noun
  •  nominal relative | nominal relative clause
  •  mass noun
  •  morpheme
  •  parenthetical | parenthetically
  •  collective noun
  •  past participle
  •  subjunctive
  •  intransitive
  •  antecedent
  •  neuter
  •  reflexive
  •  clause
  •  unmarked genitive
  •  indirect question
  •  phrasal verb
  •  predicative
  •  quasi-
  •  prefix
  •  possessive adjective
  •  attributive
  •  appositive
  •  premodify | premodifier
  •  element
  •  objective
  •  direct speech
  •  tense
  •  person
  •  special use
  •  auxiliary verb | auxiliary
  •  present participle
  •  noun phrase
  •  absolute (absol.)
  •  possessive pronoun
  •  compound | compounding
  •  collocation | collocate
  •  pleonasm | pleonastic
  •  interrogative
  •  simple
  •  concrete
  •  dual
  •  common noun
  •  cognate object
  •  dative
  •  feminine
  •  optative
  •  object | direct object | indirect object
  •  positive
  •  demonstrative
  •  anaphoric
  •  second person
  •  article
  •  gender
  •  indirect passive
  •  third-person
  •  indirect object
  •  nominative
  •  locative
  •  possessive pronouns | proper name
  •  imperative (imper.)
  •  case
  •  combination
  •  inflection | inflected | inflectional
  •  ellipsis | elliptical
  •  complementary
  •  accusative
  •  construction
  •  non-referential
  •  main verb
  •  present tense
  •  base form
  •  personal pronoun
  •  modal verb | modal auxiliary verb | modal auxiliary
  •  construed (const., constr.)
  •  abstract
  •  definite article
  •  active
  •  stem
  •  intensifier
  •  adverb (adv.)
  •  non-finite
  •  preposition (prep.)
  •  filler
  •  postmodify | postmodifier
  •  infinitive
  •  bare infinitive
  •  masculine
  •  periphrasis | periphrastic
  •  phrase (phr.)
  •  participial adjective
  •  past tense
  •  instrumental
  •  apodosis and protasis
  •  head
  •  suffix
  •  superlative
  •  modify | modifier
  •  sentence adverb |sentence adverbial
  •  verb (v.)
  •  singular
  •  vocative
  •  anticipatory
  •  plural
  •  possessive
  •  protasis
  •  causative
  •  genitive
  •  zero
  •  combining form (comb. form)
  •  subject
  •  verbal noun
  •  conditional
  •  first person
  •  indicative
  •  complement
  •  that-clause
  •  conjunction (conj.)
  •  to-infinitive
  •  indirect speech
  •  passive infinitive
  •  passive
  •  impersonal (impers.)
  •  cataphoric
  •  part of speech
  •  prepositional object
  •  relative
  •  determiner
  •  pronoun (pron.)
  •  parasynthetic
  •  direct question
  •  indefinite
  •  declarative
  •  adverbial | adverbially

Overall, the term interrogative adjectives in English grammar modify a noun by asking a question. There are many common mistakes made with these. 

Sources:

  1. Glossary of Grammatical Terms | OED
  2. Interrogative Adjectives | What Are Interrogative Adjectives? | Grammar Monster 
  3. Interrogative Adjectives Examples | Soft Schools 
  4. Examples of Interrogative Adjective | Learn English