Learn English – What part of speech is “why” in the following example

parts-of-speech

In the sentence "Why is this here?", is "why" an adverb? What part of speech is "why?" I think it modifies the verb "is", so I think it is an adverb.

Best Answer

Yes, it's an adverb. And in your case, it does modify the verb is. When used as an adverb, why has the meaning of for what reason or purpose. Semantically, it fits your example perfectly.