whose
[ hooz ]
/ huz /
pronoun
(the possessive case of who used as an adjective): Whose umbrella did I take? Whose is this one?
(the possessive case of which used as an adjective): a word whose meaning escapes me; an animal whose fur changes color.
the one or ones belonging to what person or persons: Whose painting won the third prize?
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Apostrophe or no apostrophe? That may be the real question.
Origin of whose
before 900; Middle English
whos, early Middle English
hwās; replacing
hwas, Old English
hwæs, genitive of
hwā
who
usage note for whose
Sometimes the phrase
of which is used as the possessive of
which:
Chicago is a city of which the attractions are many or
Chicago is a city the attractions of which are many. The use of this phrase can often seem awkward or pretentious, whereas
whose sounds more idiomatic:
Chicago is a city whose attractions are many.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whose
who's whose (see usage note at the current entry)Words nearby whose
whorl foot,
whorled,
whorled loosestrife,
whort,
whortleberry,
whose,
whosesoever,
whosever,
whosis,
whoso,
whosoever
Definition for whose (2 of 2)
who
[ hoo ]
/ hu /
pronoun; possessive whose; objective whom.
what person or persons?: Who did it?
(of a person) of what character, origin, position, importance, etc.: Who does she think she is?
the person that or any person that (used relatively to represent a specified or implied antecedent): It was who you thought.
(used relatively in restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses to represent a specified antecedent, the antecedent being a person or sometimes an animal or personified thing): Any kid who wants to can learn to swim.
Archaic.
the person or persons who.
Origin of who
before 900; Middle English; Old English
hwā; cognate with Old High German
hwer, Gothic
hwas, Latin
quis
usage note for who
The typical usage guide statement about the choice between
who and
whom says that the choice must be determined by the grammar of the clause within which this pronoun occurs.
Who is the appropriate form for the subject of a sentence or clause:
Who are you? The voters who elected him have not been disappointed.
Whom is the objective form:
Whom did you ask? To whom are we obliged for this assistance? This method of selecting the appropriate form is generally characteristic of formal writing and is usually followed in edited prose.
In most speech and writing, however, since who or whom often occurs at the beginning of the sentence or clause, there is a strong tendency to choose who no matter what its function. Even in edited prose, who occurs at least ten times as often as whom, regardless of grammatical function. Only when it directly follows a preposition is whom more likely to occur than who : Mr. Erickson is the man to whom you should address your request.
In natural informal speech, whom is quite rare. Who were you speaking to? is far more likely to occur than the “correct” To whom were you speaking? or Whom were you speaking to? However, the notion that whom is somehow more “correct” or elegant than who leads some speakers to make an inappropriate hypercorrection: Whom are you? The person whom is in charge has left the office. See also than.
In most speech and writing, however, since who or whom often occurs at the beginning of the sentence or clause, there is a strong tendency to choose who no matter what its function. Even in edited prose, who occurs at least ten times as often as whom, regardless of grammatical function. Only when it directly follows a preposition is whom more likely to occur than who : Mr. Erickson is the man to whom you should address your request.
In natural informal speech, whom is quite rare. Who were you speaking to? is far more likely to occur than the “correct” To whom were you speaking? or Whom were you speaking to? However, the notion that whom is somehow more “correct” or elegant than who leads some speakers to make an inappropriate hypercorrection: Whom are you? The person whom is in charge has left the office. See also than.
Example sentences from the Web for whose
British Dictionary definitions for whose (1 of 3)
whose
/ (huːz) /
determiner
- of whom? belonging to whom? used in direct and indirect questionsI told him whose fault it was; whose car is this?
- (as pronoun)whose is that?
of whom; belonging to whom; of which; belonging to which: used as a relative pronoun
a house whose windows are broken
Word Origin for whose
Old English
hwæs, genitive of
hwā
who and
hwæt
what
British Dictionary definitions for whose (2 of 3)
WHO
abbreviation for
World Health Organization
British Dictionary definitions for whose (3 of 3)
who
/ (huː) /
pronoun
which person? what person? used in direct and indirect questions
he can't remember who did it; who met you?
used to introduce relative clauses with antecedents referring to human beings
the people who lived here have left
the one or ones who; whoever
bring who you want
Word Origin for who
Old English
hwā; related to Old Saxon
hwē, Old High German
hwer, Gothic
hvas, Lithuanian
kàs, Danish
hvo
undefined who
See
whom