Interrogative Determiners

Interrogative determiners are question words that come before nouns. They help you ask about things, people, and choices.

What You'll Learn

How to use which, what, and whose before nouns to ask questions
How to pick the right question word for different kinds of questions
How to tell the difference between which and what

When to Use

Asking about a choice: "Which book do you want to read?"
Asking about a thing: "What colour is your bag?"
Asking who owns something: "Whose pencil is on the floor?"
Asking about a type or kind: "What food do you like?"

How to Form

Interrogative determiners always come before a noun. They start a question.

Question Word	What It Asks About	Example
which	a choice	Which dress do you want?
what	a thing or type	What game are you playing?
whose	who owns something	Whose bag is this?

The Pattern

Question word + noun + rest of the question

Which shirt do you like? What time is recess? Whose shoes are those?

Key Rules

Always before a noun: The question word must come right before a noun. "Which pen" is correct. "Which is pen" is wrong when you mean to ask about a specific pen.
"Which" is for choosing: Use which when there are a few things to pick from. "Which cup is yours --- the red one or the blue one?"
"What" is for open questions: Use what when there are many possible answers. "What animal do you like best?"
"Whose" shows ownership: Use whose to find out who something belongs to. "Whose lunchbox is on the table?"

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
What book do you want, A or B?	Which book do you want, A or B?	Use "which" when choosing between a few things
Which colour do you like best?	What colour do you like best?	Use "what" when there are many possible answers
Who bag is this?	Whose bag is this?	"Whose" asks about ownership, not "who"
Whose is pencil case this?	Whose pencil case is this?	"Whose" must come right before the noun

Clue Words

Use "which" when you see:

a few choices, this or that, picking one from a small group

Use "what" when you see:

open questions, many possible answers, asking about a type or kind

Use "whose" when you see:

belongs to, ownership, someone's thing

Tip: If you can point to a few choices, use which. If the answer could be anything, use what. If you want to know who owns it, use whose.

Practice Tips

The pointing test: Can you point to a few choices? Use which. If the choices are wide open, use what.
The ownership test: Is the question about who something belongs to? Use whose.
Check the noun: Make sure the question word has a noun right after it. "Which one" and "What time" are correct patterns.

Quick Reference

Question Word	Asks About	When to Use	Example
which	choice	A few things to pick from	Which seat do you want?
what	thing/type	Many possible answers	What sport do you play?
whose	ownership	Finding out who owns it	Whose water bottle is this?

Interrogative Determiners (P2) (Primary 2)