Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns — who, whom, what, and which — are the words we use to form questions about people, things, and choices. At this level, you will bring all four pronouns together and practise using them in the varied and sometimes tricky question structures that appear in PSLE examinations.

What You'll Learn

• How to choose accurately among who, whom, what, and which in complex sentences
• How to handle interrogative pronouns in embedded (indirect) questions
• How to use interrogative pronouns after prepositions in formal English
• How to tackle PSLE-style question formats that test all four pronouns together

When to Use

1. Asking about a person as subject: "Who among the prefects is in charge of the morning assembly?"
2. Asking about a person as object: "Whom did the selection committee choose as head prefect?"
3. Asking about a thing or event: "What caused the sudden postponement of Sports Day?"
4. Choosing from a limited set: "Which of the three proposals did the student council approve?"
5. Forming an embedded question: "Could you tell me who will be presenting the prizes at the ceremony?"

How to Form

Choosing the Right Interrogative Pronoun

Direct vs Embedded Questions

A direct question stands alone and ends with a question mark. An embedded question sits inside a larger sentence and follows statement word order.

Note: In an embedded question, the word order changes. "What did she say?" becomes "I want to know what she said." — the helping verb did disappears and the main verb returns to its normal form.

Preposition Placement

In formal English, prepositions can come before whom or which. In less formal writing, the preposition may move to the end.

Key Rules

1. Who for subject, whom for object: If the answer to the question is "he/she/they", use who. If the answer is "him/her/them", use whom. "Who scored the winning goal?" (He scored it.) "Whom did the coach congratulate?" (The coach congratulated him.)

2. What for things and ideas, which for limited choices: Use what when the range of possible answers is open. Use which when the answer comes from a specific, named set. "What shall we have for lunch?" (any food) vs "Which set meal do you prefer — A, B, or C?" (from the menu)

3. Preposition + whom/which in formal writing: In examinations, the formal structure is preferred. "With whom did you discuss the project?" is more precise than "Who did you discuss the project with?"

4. Embedded questions use statement word order: After phrases like "I wonder", "Could you tell me", "Do you know", and "I am not sure", the embedded question follows subject-verb order — no inversion, no extra helping verb. "Do you know what the answer is?" (not "Do you know what is the answer?")

5. Whom after every preposition: Whenever a preposition appears immediately before the interrogative pronoun, always use whom — never "who". "By whom was the painting donated?" "From whom did you receive the invitation?"

6. Which of + noun/pronoun for specific groups: When selecting from an identified set, use "which of" followed by a noun or pronoun. "Which of the contestants won?" "Which of you is responsible?"

Common Mistakes

Clue Words

Signals for who (subject)

The question asks who performed the action: who + verb (who said, who wrote, who won, who left, who volunteered)

Signals for whom (object)

The question asks who received the action: whom + did/does/should + subject (whom did you meet, whom should we invite) preposition + whom (to whom, for whom, with whom, by whom, from whom, about whom)

Signals for what (open-ended)

No specific set of choices is mentioned: what + verb/helping verb (what happened, what did you say, what caused)

Signals for which (limited choice)

A specific group or set of options is named: which of (which of these, which of the three), which + noun from a known group

Tip: Use the three-step check before you answer: (1) Person or thing? Person = who/whom; thing = what/which. (2) Subject or object? Subject = who; object = whom. (3) Open or limited set? Open = what; limited = which.

Practice Tips

1. The him/whom swap: For every who/whom question, answer it with "him" or "he". If "him" fits, write whom. If "he" fits, write who. Both "him" and "whom" end in m — that is your memory anchor.

2. Rewrite as a statement: Turn the question into a statement to reveal whether the pronoun is subject or object. "__ did the teacher choose?" → "The teacher chose him." → Whom.

3. Spot the embedded question trap: When you see phrases like "Do you know", "Can you tell me", or "I wonder", check that the words after the interrogative pronoun follow statement order (subject before verb), not question order.

4. Preposition scan: Quickly scan for a preposition (to, for, with, by, from, about) near the blank. If it sits right before the blank, the answer is almost certainly whom (for people) or which (for things from a set).

Quick Reference