Understanding the part of speech of “who” is essential for effective English language comprehension. Pronouns, interrogatives, relative pronouns, and subject pronouns are four entities closely related to the part of speech of “who.” As a pronoun, “who” refers to an antecedent noun or noun phrase. It functions as an interrogative when used to question the identity of an individual. Relative pronouns connect clauses and introduce essential information about the subject of the main clause. Finally, “who” serves as a subject pronoun when it acts as the subject of a verb.
Diving Deep into the Part of Speech: Who
Who, a versatile pronoun, plays a significant role in our language, often taking on the functions of a noun or an adjective. Let’s explore its diverse nature and grammatical applications:
Personal Pronoun
- Who is primarily used as a personal pronoun to refer to a person or group of people.
- It can serve as a subject, object, or part of a prepositional phrase.
- Example: Who is the author of this book?
Interrogative Pronoun
- When used in questions, who acts as an interrogative pronoun to ask about a person or group involved in an action or situation.
- It can introduce questions that begin with “who,” “who is,” “who are,” and so on.
- Example: Who won the last election?
Relative Pronoun
- Who can also function as a relative pronoun to connect a subordinate clause to a noun or pronoun.
- It introduces non-defining and essential clauses, providing additional information about the antecedent.
- Example: The man who lives next door is a doctor.
Adjective and Determiner
- Less commonly, who can be used as an adjective or determiner to specify or qualify a noun.
- It typically appears before a relative clause.
- Example: The meeting was attended by all who were invited.
Grammatical Variations
- Who’s: Contracted form of “who is” or “who has.”
- Whose: Possessive form of “who.”
- Whom: Used in formal writing as an object pronoun to refer to a specific person.
Table of Who Usage
| Pronoun Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Personal | Who is the CEO of Apple? |
| Interrogative | Who do you think will win the game? |
| Relative (non-defining) | The girl, who was very excited, screamed with joy. |
| Relative (essential) | The students who study hard will succeed. |
| Adjective | The people who helped us were very kind. |
Question 1:
What is the part of speech of “who” in the sentence, “Who is the smartest person in the world?”
Answer:
In the sentence, “Who is the smartest person in the world?”, “who” functions as a subject pronoun.
Question 2:
Can “who” be used as an object pronoun?
Answer:
No, “who” cannot be used as an object pronoun. It is only used as a subject pronoun.
Question 3:
What is the difference between “who” and “whom”?
Answer:
“Who” is a subject pronoun, while “whom” is an object pronoun. In the sentence, “Who is going to the store?”, “who” is the subject, and “going” is the verb. In the sentence, “To whom did you give the book?”, “whom” is the object of the preposition “to”, and “gave” is the verb.
Well, there you have it, folks! We’ve covered the part of speech of “who” from head to toe. I hope this article has been helpful in clearing up any confusion you may have had. If you still have questions, feel free to drop me a line in the comments section below. And don’t forget to come back again soon for more grammar goodness. Thanks for reading!