interrogative
gb/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv/ us/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
C1
property
1
asking questions; curious in tone
showing you are asking questions
Usage pattern:
an interrogative [look/tone/voice/question]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse with interrogation (formal questioning by police); an interrogative tone can be casual.
Synonyms
questioning (more common and less formal.)
|
inquiring (often suggests polite curiosity.)
Antonyms
assertive (states something rather than seeking information.)
Collocations
interrogative look
|interrogative tone
|interrogative voice
|interrogative manner
|interrogative expression
|interrogative glance
|interrogative eyebrow
|interrogative pause
|interrogative question
Themes
communication
|emotions
Examples
- She gave me an interrogative look, as if she didn’t believe a word of it.
- His interrogative tone made the meeting feel like an interview.
- One interrogative pause from her was enough to make him explain himself.
Learner examples
- He spoke in an interrogative tone.
- She gave me an interrogative look.
adjective
technical
C1
property
2
used to form questions (grammar)
(grammar) used for asking a question
Usage pattern:
an interrogative [sentence/clause/word/pronoun]
Common mistake:
Interrogative describes question forms; it does not mean “interesting question.”
Synonyms
question-forming (plain-English description used in teaching.)
Antonyms
declarative (used for statements rather than questions.)
Collocations
interrogative sentence
|interrogative clause
|interrogative word
|interrogative pronoun
|interrogative determiner
|interrogative adverb
|interrogative form
|interrogative structure
|interrogative marker
|interrogative intonation
Themes
language
|education
|grammar
Examples
- In English, we often use auxiliary verbs to form interrogative sentences.
- The teacher asked us to underline the interrogative words in the dialogue.
- Rising intonation can signal an interrogative meaning even without word order changes.
Learner examples
- Is this an interrogative sentence?
- We used an interrogative word to ask the question.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
3
a question word or form
(grammar) a word used to ask questions
Usage pattern:
an interrogative; interrogatives
Common mistake:
Learners may assume it means any question; in grammar it often means a specific word like who/what.
Synonyms
question word (much more common in everyday teaching contexts.)
Antonyms
statement (not a question form.)
Collocations
use an interrogative
|an interrogative word
|interrogatives like who and what
|list of interrogatives
|interrogatives in English
|interrogatives in questions
|fronted interrogatives
Themes
language
|education
|grammar
Examples
- English has several interrogatives, including who, what, and which.
- In this exercise, circle each interrogative and identify its function.
- ‘Whether’ is an interrogative often used in embedded questions.
Learner examples
- Who is an interrogative.
- What is an interrogative word.
Noun
technical
C2
entity
4
a question (as a sentence type)
(grammar) a question sentence
Usage pattern:
an interrogative; interrogatives
Common mistake:
This noun use is relatively uncommon; people usually just say “question.”
Synonyms
question (the normal everyday term.)
Antonyms
statement (opposite sentence type in many grammar descriptions.)
Collocations
turn it into an interrogative
|use an interrogative
|change a declarative into an interrogative
|interrogatives and imperatives
Themes
language
|education
|grammar
Examples
- Rewrite the declaratives as interrogatives.
- In spoken English, some interrogatives rely on intonation rather than inversion.
- The worksheet has ten interrogatives and ten declaratives.
Learner examples
- Write five interrogatives.
- Turn the sentence into an interrogative.
Grammar
Dictionary form
interrogative
IPA
GB/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv/
US/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv/
Syllables & stress
in - ter - rog - at - ive (5 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (in)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: interrogative
Noun
- Base: interrogative
- Plural: interrogatives
Word family
Forms
interrogatives
noun
Core family
Related words
question
noun A1
questioning
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
declarative
adjective
Advanced or less common
interrogatively
adverb C1
Expressions
interrogative clause
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv klˈɔz/
fixed phrase
technical
clause with question meaning
a clause that is a question (or part of a question)
Examples
- ‘Where he lives’ is an interrogative clause in ‘I don’t know where he lives.’
- Some interrogative clauses are yes/no questions introduced by ‘if’ or ‘whether’.
- The report analyzes how interrogative clauses function in interviews.
interrogative determiner
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv dɪtˈɚmɪnɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
determiner used in questions
a word like which/what/whose before a noun in a question
Examples
- In ‘Which jacket is yours?’, ‘which’ is an interrogative determiner.
- ‘Whose’ is an interrogative determiner in ‘Whose phone is this?’
- ‘What’ can act as an interrogative determiner in ‘What time is it?’
interrogative form
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv fˈɔɹm/
fixed phrase
technical
question form of a sentence
the grammar used to make a question
Examples
- Put these sentences into interrogative form.
- The verb ‘be’ forms the interrogative form without ‘do’ support.
- In informal speech, people sometimes use statements with rising intonation instead of full interrogative form.
interrogative intonation
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv ɪntənˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
rising pitch that signals a question
question intonation (often rising)
Examples
- He repeated the sentence with interrogative intonation to show it was a question.
- In some varieties of English, statements can become questions through interrogative intonation alone.
- Practice adding interrogative intonation to yes/no questions.
interrogative mood
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv mˈud/
fixed phrase
technical
grammatical mood for questions
(grammar) the mood used for questions
Examples
- Some languages have an interrogative mood marked by a particle.
- The paper compares the interrogative mood across dialects.
- In English, interrogativity is usually expressed through word order and intonation rather than a dedicated mood marker.
interrogative pronoun
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv pɹˈoʊnaʊn/
fixed phrase
technical
pronoun used to ask questions
a pronoun like who or what used in questions
Examples
- ‘Who’ is an interrogative pronoun in the question ‘Who called?’
- In ‘Which do you prefer?’, ‘which’ is an interrogative pronoun.
- Some interrogative pronouns can also be used in indirect questions.
interrogative sentence
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv sˈɛntəns/
fixed phrase
technical
sentence that asks a question
a question sentence
Examples
- ‘Did you see it?’ is an interrogative sentence.
- The writer uses short interrogative sentences to create suspense.
- In English, word order often changes in interrogative sentences.
interrogative word
1/ˈɪntˈɛɹəɡətɪv wˈɚd/
fixed phrase
technical
word that introduces a question
a question word like why or where
Examples
- Start the question with an interrogative word like ‘where’ or ‘when’.
- ‘How’ is an interrogative word in ‘How did it happen?’
- In indirect questions, the interrogative word often stays the same.