The wh- form a special category of adverbs whose distinctive function is to act as headliners of interrogative sentences . For example: what, how, when.
This is a category very similar to that of exclamatory adverbs , which act as headings for exclamatory sentences.
In both cases, it deals with the morphological aspect of the same kind of word, relative pronouns , which in the graphic become accentuated due to their emphatic character.
- It can help you: Interrogative sentences
Interrogative adverb or interrogative adjective?
According to the sentence structure that follows in the question, the same pronoun acquires the syntactic function of an interrogative adverb or an interrogative adjective .
The adverbs are invariable morphemes that in the context of the sentence can modify a verb, an adjective, an adverb or an entire proposition. For example: How much did you run ? / How much did they run?
The adjectives , however, are variable and must agree in gender and number with the noun to which change. For example: ¿ How many years you kept? / How much salt do I add?
Direct or indirect questions
We could say that whenever a different question is formulated than those that expect a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, interrogative adverbs or interrogative adjectives are used.
It should be borne in mind, on the other hand, that the question should be asked directly and there should be no antecedent. For example: ¿ Where is my phone? (“Where” is an interrogative adverb)
In indirect speech questions, on the other hand, the same word has an interrogative intention but does not function as an interrogative adverb but as a pronoun . For example: I want to know where my phone is. (“Where” is an emphatic pronoun)
- It can help you: Interrogative sentences
Examples of interrogative adverbs
- Who
- How
- Why
- How
- When
- Which
- What
- Who is it
- How much
- How many
Examples of sentences with interrogative adverbs
- ¿ Who plays striker for Arsenal?
- How do you live in a city as populous as Mexico City?
- Why did they leave the party so early?
- ¿ How intense is the pain you feel in that knee?
- ¿ How would you feel if suddenly you go to another branch?
- ¿ Where they could escape criminals in the prison isolation?
- ¿ When will understand that this is no way to live?
- ¿ What so far from home is work?
- ¿ What all these documents is the original?
- ¿ When to get a new job?
- ¿ Who will be the new front of Barcelona?
- ¿ What better than a beach house for the summer?
- ¿ How to make him see that is about to make a big mistake?
- ¿ Who but Paul can make some sense into him?
- Why did you decide to fire him?
- ¿ How can you think that?
- How do you think they played?
- ¿ What is the most difficult language?
- ¿ How difficult will it be the test?
- ¿ What will be richer?
- Why do n’t they work on Mondays?
- ¿ Who said you could not?
- ¿ Where is the birthday of John?
- How much longer will I have to wait for you?
- What does it matter what José thinks?
- ¿ Who will want me to take over a local so come down?
- ¿ Where to spend the holidays this year?
- ¿ What will my best, blue or green?
- ¿ How to get to the airport?
- How much would you pay for one of his oil paintings?
- ¿ How this situation resolved?
- What do you have to add to these comments?
- How well do you know the new intern?
- How much did you learn in the marketing course?
- Where do your grandparents live?
- ¿ What did you think of the movie we saw yesterday?
- ¿ Where did you leave the car parked?
- ¿ When the guests arrived?
- ¿ Who is the current president of Colombia?
- ¿ Who they are responsible for this situation?
- ¿ How did you do on the test?
- ¿ What role do the bees in the ecosystem?
- What do your parents have in common?
- ¿ What you gave for your birthday?
- ¿ What flavor of ice cream going to ask?
- ¿ How long lives a giraffe?
- ¿ How you call your nephew?
- ¿ How will this concert?
- ¿ What ordered for lunch?
- ¿ Who is the doctor who cares for your child?
