What Part of Speech is “WHICH”

Just like a lot of words in the English language, this word has a double purpose. It can either be used as an adjective or as a pronoun.

1. Adjective

This word is considered as an adjective when it is used to modify a noun. It can either indicate what particular one or it can also mean “whichever.” For example, in the sentence below:

I’m still deciding on which coat should I wear.

The word “which” is an adjective that modifies the noun “coat,” and is thus considered as an adjective.

Definition:

a. what one or ones of a group

• Example:
• She kept an organized record of which employees took their vacations.

b. whichever

• Example:
  Turn it which way you like.

   2.    Pronoun

This word can also act as a pronoun when it is used to refer to something that has already been mentioned. It is commonly used at the beginning of the clause that provides further details about the noun. In the example below:

The crocodile which weighs over 2000 pounds was captured.

The word “which” is a pronoun that refers to the mentioned noun “crocodile.”

Definition:

a. used referring to something previously mentioned when introducing a clause giving further information

• Example:
• The computer which keeps breaking down was finally replaced with a new one.