Interrogative Adverbs

For Intermediate learners

Interrogative adverbs are words such as 'why' and 'where' that are used to ask questions. In this lesson, we will learn more about them.

Interrogative Adverbs in the English Grammar

What Are Interrogative Adverbs?

Interrogative adverbs are adverbs that are used to ask questions about a particular aspect of a sentence, such as time, place, frequency, or manner.

Interrogative Adverbs: Types

Mainly, interrogative adverbs are classified into four groups. Take a look at the list below:

Interrogative Adverbs of Time
Interrogative Adverbs of Manner
Interrogative Adverbs of Place
Interrogative Adverbs of Reason

Now, let us see how each category functions and is used in statements:

Interrogative Adverbs of Time

Interrogative adverbs of time are used to ask questions and demand information about specific aspects of time, such as duration, frequency, or timing. Words such as 'When', 'how long', and 'how often' are commonly used to ask questions and gather information about time-related details. Let us examine some examples below:

How long has she been crying?

As you can see, the sentence is asking about the duration of an action.

When are you ever going to stop nagging, Belle?

Interrogative Adverbs of Manner

Interrogative adverbs of manner are used to ask about the way in which an action is performed. Questions of this type typically start with the adverb 'how'. Let us take a quick look at some examples:

How were you able to accept all of this toxicity and never complain?

How could she treat me like that?

As you can see, the sentence asks about the manner in which the action took place in.

Interrogative Adverbs of Place

The third group is called interrogative adverbs of place. 'Where' is an interrogative adverb commonly used to ask about the location of something. Pay attention to the following examples:

Where were you going the other day?

Where does Angie think she is going?

Here, the sentence is asking about the location of an action or a person.

Interrogative Adverbs of Reason

Interrogative adverbs of reason are used when we want to ask questions about the reasons something did or did not happen. 'Why' is commonly used in this form of a question. Let us take a look at the examples below:

Why did you call me a brute in front of my wife?

Why is she so relaxed right now?

As you can see, the sentence demands a reason as an answer.

Tip!

These interrogative words can also function as interrogative determiners, but there is an important distinction between the two. While both are used to ask questions, an interrogative determiner always modifies a noun, while an interrogative adverb stands alone and does not modify a noun. Compare the following sentences:

Which car do you like to ride more?

Here, 'which' is followed by a noun which makes it an interrogative determiner.

When is Geovanni going to learn to think before taking an action?

Here, 'when' is used alone which makes it an interrogative determiner.

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What Are Interrogative Adverbs?

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