What is the difference between possessive and interrogative pronouns and possessive and interrogative adjectives?

Question

which book is mine - the use of which here is interrogative, but is it a pronoun or an adjective? Can someone please explain the difference

Also.

The book is his -the use of the word his here is possessive, is it pronoun or an adjective?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Terminology varies. It depends on which book you read. Here's some terminology that many students are comfortable with.

Possessives.

Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. Interrogative: whose
Adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, their. Interrogative: whose [This group is also called "possessive determiners".]

Interrogatives.

Pronouns: who, what, which
Adjectives: whose, what, which [Determiners.]
____________

Whose book is it? whose - interrogative possessive adjective/determiner
The book is mine. mine - possessive pronoun
It is my book. my - possessive adjective/determiner

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

So to clarify, there isn't a right answer? They exist as both pronouns and adjectives?

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswhich book is mine - the use of which here is interrogative, but is it a pronoun or an adjective?

"which" goes with "book". "which book" It's like an adjective, but we call it an interrogative determiner. It doesn't take the place of a noun so it can't be a pronoun.

AnonymousThe book is his -the use of the word his here is possessive, is it pronoun or an adjective?

"his" in this sentence means "the book that belongs to him". That's a noun phrase. That means "his" is a possessive pronoun in this sentence.

CJ

Cool Breeze · Answer

CalifJim"which" goes with "book". "which book" It's like an adjective, but we call it an interrogative determiner. It doesn't take the place of a noun so it can't be a pronoun.

This makes sense in English, as pronoun is made up of two parts, pro and noun. This isn't the case in Scandinavian languages and probably some other European languages as well. The word corresponding in meaning to which is considered a pronoun here since we don't even think that a pronoun has to replace a noun. The corresponding word for noun isn't a part of the word for pronoun in our languages.

I'm just mentioning this because I have no idea where the original poster hails from and he/she may be confused by what CJ has said if he/she lives in northern Europe. If my memory serves me right, a Turkish member said years ago that the same was true in the Turkish language.

CB

CalifJim · Answer

Cool Breezesince we don't even think that a pronoun has to replace a noun.

That's strange. It seems then that the pronoun class (in those languages) is a mix of miscellaneous words.
From my point of view, of course.

CJ

Cool Breeze · Answer

CalifJim It seems then that the pronoun class (in those languages) is a mix of miscellaneous words.

Right you are!

It is.

What is the difference between possessive and interrogative pronouns and possessive and interrogative adjectives?

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