Pronoun power: The versatile “whose”

Add comment June 12th, 2008

The word “who’s” is a contraction of “who is” (or “who has”). The homonym “whose” is an all-purpose possessive pronoun. Whenever you write “who’s,” test to see if you mean “who is” (Who’s sorry now?) or “who has” (Who’s been sleeping in my bed?) If not, “whose” is your word.

You can find considerable debate among usage experts about when to use “which,” “that” or “who” when a relative pronoun is called for. However, when you need the possessive, “whose” works every time.

There’s no possessive equivalent for “that” or “which,” and the phrase “for which” can make things unwieldy. So whether referring to people, animals or inanimate objects, go with “whose.”

“This is the woman whose face launched a thousand ships.”

“It’s the only oil company whose profits have decreased.”