Level: B1-B2

Relative vs. Interrogative Pronouns — Practice

Same words (who, whom, whose, which, what) — two different jobs. Relative pronouns CONNECT a clause to a noun (The girl who won…). Interrogative pronouns ASK a question (Who won?). Includes the simple “question or extra info?” test and 34 click-to-hear example sentences.

📝 Pronouns unit · lesson 5 of 9 ⏱ about 8 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Personal Pronouns Next in unit Who vs Whom vs Whose →

Relative or interrogative? Quick guide

Both relative and interrogative pronouns use the same words — who, whom, whose, which, what (plus their -ever forms). The difference is what the pronoun is DOING in the sentence.

Relative pronoun — connects a clause to a noun, giving more information about that noun. Does NOT ask a question.
The person who called you is my friend. I read the book that you recommended.
Interrogative pronoun — asks a question. The sentence ends with a question mark.
Who is knocking at the door? What did you say?

🎯 The “question or extra info?” test

Look at the punctuation and meaning:

Sentence ENDS with a question mark and ASKS something → interrogative
Pronoun introduces a clause that DESCRIBES or IDENTIFIES a noun in the same sentence → relative

Try removing the clause that starts with the pronoun:

The girl who won the race is my cousin. → remove “who won the race” → “The girl is my cousin.” ✓ still a complete sentence → relative
Who won the race? → can’t remove and keep a sentence → interrogative

📖 Want the full explanation with the modern note on whom? See English Pronouns → Relative pronouns and Interrogative pronouns on the main grammar page.

How to use this page

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Relative vs interrogative pronoun pairs
The girl who won the race is my cousin. – Relative
Who is your teacher? – Interrogative
I saw the movie that you mentioned. – Relative
What are you doing? – Interrogative
The book which I borrowed was great. – Relative
Which do you prefer? – Interrogative
The man who fixed the sink is my uncle. – Relative
Who is knocking on the door? – Interrogative
The friend whom I invited is coming tonight. – Relative
Whom did you call last night? – Interrogative
The teacher whose class I enjoy is kind. – Relative
Whose bag is this? – Interrogative
Take the toy which is on the shelf. – Relative
Which is your seat? – Interrogative
That is the book that made me cry. – Relative
What is your favorite color? – Interrogative
This is the book that she recommended. – Relative
What did she recommend? – Interrogative
He saw the movie that won the award. – Relative
Which movie won the award? – Interrogative
The -ever forms (whoever, whatever, whichever)
Give the prize to whoever finishes first. – Relative
Whoever said that? – Interrogative
Whoever you choose will do fine. – Relative
Whom did you meet at the event? – Interrogative
Pick whichever shirt you like. – Relative
Which of these do you prefer? – Interrogative
She knows whatever he needs. – Relative
What are you doing on the floor? – Interrogative
Mixed practice
The man whom we hired starts on Monday. – Relative
Whose idea was this? – Interrogative
The dog that chased me was huge. – Relative
Who made this mess? – Interrogative

Where to go from here