Which / What

[jack]

What do these mean?

1. Which car is this?
2. What car is this?

[Mister Micawber]

'Which' is used to indicate that there is a limited range of choices to choose from. 'Which car is this (the Mercedes or the Rolls) (mine or yours or the gardener's)?'

'What' indicates an unlimited range of choices. 'What car is this (a Toyota, a Nissan, a Ford, a Jag, a BMW, a Chrysler, a Honda,...)?'

Having said this, Jack, I will now tell you that speakers make individual choices on which of these question words to use, so the two are in practice interchangeable.

[TheMadBaron]

the two are in practice interchangeable.

Not always....
"Which of these two sentences makes sense?"
"What of these two sentences makes sense?"

[jack]

Which of these two sentences makes sense?

Thanks.

1. Which of these two sentences makes sense? (What's the subject and verb for this?)
2. Which makes sense. (Is 'which' the subject? and 'makes' the verb?)
2. Which one makes sense. (Is 'which one' the subject? and 'makes' the verb?)

[Casiopea]

The subject is underlined, and the verb is in pink.

Q: Which two make sense?
A: This one and that one make sense.

Q: Which one makes sense?
A: This one makes sense.

Which makes sense? (OK) e.g., 'one of the two' has been omitted
EX: Which one of the two makes sense?

Which make sense? (OK) e.g., 'two of the four' has been omitted
EX: Which two of the four make sense?

[jack]

Thanks.