For example, a purse belonging to a woman is the woman. It s possible to use who instead of whom in many cases. Do you know anybody who is going to canada this week. Inside youll learn all about the parts of grammar, but more importantly. For practical convenience, treat it as a possessive for use when describing something belonging to or associated with some pe. When used as the start of a clause, whose serves as a relative pronoun used to indicate that the following noun belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned in the previous clause. He is a talented footballer whose passion is his sport. However, once you get the knack of it, deciding how to use who, whose and whom can.
Now try and complete the sentences below using whose or whos. The correct use of whowhomwhose is discussed thoroughly in the parts of speech section of. The second is predicative complement to is and means which person s. Showing top 8 worksheets in the category whos whose. Because who is a pronoun that applies only to living creatures, a few obstinate grammar sticklers object to the use of whose as the possessive of which as illustrated in these examples. Whose and inanimate objects as in that last example above, whose unlike who or whos may apply to inanimate objects or other nonperson entities. The contractions whos is a shortened form of the pronoun who and the verb is. Correct use of who vs whom and whose vs whos 31st december 2017 james boaner common errors the british statesman and writer, lord chesterfield in letters to his son wrote, there is a spanish proverb, which says very justly, tell me whom you live with, and i will tell you who you are. Sep 16, 2015 the usual order in questions like this is. When we understand grammar, we can write with confidence, knowing we can convey our ideas to the world. Bessie carried a lantern, whose light glanced on wet steps and gravel road sodden by a recent thaw. It determines or decides the nature of something or someone. Both whos and whose come from the pronoun who shocking, right.
This article will help highlight the differences and make some suggestions to help you keep them straight. Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who, while whos is a contraction of the words who is or who has however, many people still find whose and whos particularly confusing because, in english, an apostrophe followed by an s usually indicates the possessive form of a word. Whose shows the ownership or possession of something by someone and should be followed by a noun paul, whose eyes are red, hasnt slept much all holiday. Even experienced academics may have difficulty deciding how to use these words, especially when it comes to the difference between who and whom. Heartbreaking story of vet whose suicide prompted questions over animal welfare.
Again, we are interested in the second clause because it contains the whowhom. However, many people still find whose and whos particularly confusing because, in english, an apostrophe followed by an s usually indicates the possessive form of a word. I cant recommend the magnificent ambersons, the great orson welles film whose ending the studio gutted. Note that if you use thisthese or thatthose or itthey, make su. The contraction who s functions as the subject and verb or auxiliary verb of a sentence or a clause. Writers occasionally confuse these two words, which sound alike but have different meanings and functions in the sentence. This topic is explored more thoroughly in the grammar tip entitled that vs. Conscience is a motherinlaw whose visit never ends.
For example, while you wouldnt say, the book, who is 500 pages, was released in 1923, you could say, the book, whose 500 pages fly by, was released in 1923. In everyday speech, whom is considered rather formal and oldfashioned. For example, while you wouldnt say, the book, who is 500 pages, was released in 1923, you could say, the book, whose 500. It makes sense to say that whose is the possessive form of who because who is in the word. We use whose to find out which person something belongs to.
Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who, while whos is a contraction of the words who is or who has. Advanced fill in each blank with who, whom, or whose. Whose is the possessive form of who, while whos is a contraction linking the words who is or who has. Get the who s whose debate cleared up with this helpful grammar video.
As in that last example above, whoseunlike who or whosmay apply to inanimate objects or other nonperson entities. This rule is compromised by an odd infatuation people have with whom and not for good reasons. Oct 29, 2012 you may be asking whether there are any rules guiding when to use the word that and when to use the word which. It is very important, however, for the writer, the student, the job applicant, etc.
Displaying all worksheets related to whos whose whom. There is, however, some argument about whether its ok to use whose to refer to something thats not a person or animal. Use it when youre asking or telling whom something belongs to. The contractions who s is a shortened form of the pronoun who and the verb is. May 23, 2008 whose is the possessive form of both who and which 2. After whose we say the object keys, book, house that we want to know the owner of. Rather, grammar defines the logic of a language, and how it creates meaning. Whose is a pronoun in the possessive case and must be used to indicate possession of an object. The trouble here is due to the apostrophe, which on 99% of english words. Remembering jane straus may 18, 1954february 25, 2011 author of the original blue book of grammar and punctuation. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. The correct use of who whom whose is discussed thoroughly in the parts of speech section of grammar.
This is a grammar lesson on the difference between whose and who s. Several commenters asked if it wouldnt be correct to write, i placed the iphone which screen was broken in the bin. Whos book is this so in conclusion, it seems to me that those two sentenses are both fine in terms of grammar and colloquialism as well, and what so called structural weight is may be negligible when we simply focus on the meaning itself. I placed the iphone whose screen was broken in the bin. Lesson by tristan, teacher at ec malta english school. Learn english online, practice english online who, whom. There is no dispute about using whose to refer to a person or animal. Heres why my grammatical and editorial ear thinks thats wrong. Whoas the fellow whose car is parked smack in the middle of my front lawn most people, when they stop and think, know that whoas is a contraction of a pronoun with a verb, while whose is simply a pronoun. Just ignore the first part of the sentence and look at the indirect question when deciding whether to use who, whom or whose. We use whose because the pronoun is indicating that the book belongs to someone. The first whose is probably a fused determinerheadthat is, the determiner whose has fused with some understood noun phrase cat, for example. Now try and complete the sentences below using whose or whos the owner of a blue ford.
The trouble here is due to the apostrophe, which on 99% of english words indicates possession, but on this one simply indicates a contraction. Whose english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. Of which vs whose we can use of which instead of whose for the objects but of which is used in nondefining relative clauses. If you already know how to use these words, you can skip the explanation and go directly to the exercises. An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes. Get the whos whose debate cleared up with this helpful grammar video. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. As a member, youll also get unlimited access to over 79,000 lessons in math, english, science, history, and more. Who s and whose, commonly confused words in the english language. The following is a minitutorial on the uses of who, whom, and whose. Whose in this example is an interrogative determiner.
You may be asking whether there are any rules guiding when to use the word that and when to use the word which. So when we say whose, it means we are talking about someone or something that belongs to a particular person or thing or similar subject. Who vs whom vs whose ginger software english grammar. Remember that contracted words should not be used in. If you can replace the word with who is or who has, use whos. Its generally the best way to avoid debate, and pretty universally accepted as an okay way of putting together a sentence.
Whose is the possessive of who or, somewhat controversially, which. Just like other homophones, these two words, no matter how simple they are, can cause quite a bit of confusion for writers. Whose and whos are an example of what we call homophoneswords that sound the same but have different meanings. Who, whom and whose are common and important english words, yet they are often mixed up or misunderstood in speech and writing.
Its possible to use who instead of whom in many cases. In this video, youll learn more about when to use whose and whos correctly in american english. That introduces essential clauses and which introduces nonessential clauses. For example, a purse belonging to a woman is the womans purse. Charlotte bronte, jane eyre, 50 this ones worth an extra glance. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. Not the father of peter peter and mary s car is red my cat s ears are white we also use the possessive s to talk about shops and houses. Get loads of examples to help you figure it out, without falling asleep. Feb 26, 2015 whose english grammar whose grammar whose grammar use english grammar rules whose students use for who all the time and this is not correct. Lets put this lesson to practice by first writing five sentences using whose e. Whos is a contraction, meaning its two words stuck together.
This is the machine, the properties of which i described. Remember that contracted words should not be used in formal essays. Do you know anybody whos going to canada this week. Whose and whos are an example of what we call homophoneswords that sound the same but have different meanings just like other homophones, these two words, no matter how simple they are, can cause quite a bit of confusion for writers. Correct use of who vs whom and whose vs whos akademia. Some of the worksheets displayed are word choice exercise 9 whose and whos, who whom and whose, name date, homophones work, grammar work who or whom, who vs whom, its vs it homophone work, whowhom answer keyteaching tips. The contraction whos functions as the subject and verb or auxiliary verb of a sentence or a clause. Some of the worksheets displayed are who whom and whose, name date, grammar work who or whom, whose and whos, homophones work, word choice exercise 9 whose and whos, whowhom answer keyteaching tips. Showing top 8 worksheets in the category whos vs whose. As you know, you use who to refer to a person or sometimes an animal, and this person or animal youre referring to is called an animate antecedent. The child whose homework the teacher graded first received an a. The child whowhomwhose homework the teacher graded first received an a. Nov 08, 20 in this video, youll learn more about when to use whose and whos correctly in american english.
The grammar checker on ms word is not good at spotting problems with these two and sometimes advises the incorrect option. As in the other instances, whose could be replaced by another pronoun in the possessive case, such as his, her, our, my, your, etc. It acts in place of a noun appearing in the possessive the person whose views we admire. We use s to show that something belongs to a person or a pet or to talk about relationships between people. Personally, id much rather rewrite the sentence than go back and forth about which and whose on inanimate objects.