Comments | fandom_grammar: Answer: Who's vs. whose

whymzycal in fandom_grammar

Answer: Who's vs. whose

Jul 05, 2010 09:14

haldoor asks, “When do you use ‘who’s’ versus ‘whose’?”

( It’s a question of a contraction vs. a pronoun. With examples from Saiyuki. )

language:english dialects, !answer, author:whymzycal, errors:common errors, word choice:similar words

Comments 15

diebirchen July 6 2010, 01:38:44 UTC

"Who's" is also a contraction for "who has."
FGoVU

mendax July 6 2010, 13:30:22 UTC

Read the first sentence again. ;-)

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:49:35 UTC

Ta, mendax!

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:43:27 UTC

Indeed!

wanted_a_pony July 6 2010, 02:55:23 UTC

Yes! The trick of substituting in who is/has to see whether who's or whose fits is simple & reliable. In fact, it might be effective to move your last two paragraphs (with block-quoted examples) right up to the beginning of the article. You stated it very well, & I can't believe the number of writers who haven't noticed it....

:: wanders off to mutter in a curmudgeonly corner ::

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:40:27 UTC

Thanks; I'm glad you liked the little trick. It always helps me. :D

horusguard76 July 6 2010, 06:29:22 UTC

Good post, thank you. I usually don't have a problem with it but as a non-native speaker I get overcome with doubts at times and the more I start to ponder a grammar issue, the more probable some things become. (they are usually wrong but you probably get what I mean. ;) )

Who's vs. whose wanted_a_pony July 6 2010, 15:27:14 UTC

I know exactly what you mean! Isn't it odd how, when one concentrates on a sentence or even a single word for too long, every way of writing it looks wrong?

I only know English but never received much formal instruction in grammar or spelling, so every time I learn a practical rule like this it's a relief.

Re: Who's vs. whose horusguard76 July 6 2010, 18:48:53 UTC

Yes! Much word to this observation. It's quite funny really.

I hear you, although I am not a native speaker and I actually enjoy reading grammar books - it's still more helpful at times to have someone explain grammar in the most simple terms. With examples from RL life like fanfic for instance. XD

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:41:36 UTC

Thanks! I'm glad this is helpful. And yeah, a lot of the time, the more you think about what's "right" and what isn't, the more muddled you can get. I used to talk myself in circles with lay/lie.

haldoor July 6 2010, 10:27:38 UTC

Thank you! I thought I had it right, so it's good to have it confirmed! ;-)

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:42:27 UTC

You're welcome!

green_grrl July 7 2010, 02:33:54 UTC

I read a great fic just last weekend that was fairly error free, but the title was Whose on First? *headdesk*

whymzycal July 7 2010, 05:42:44 UTC

Noooo! Seriously? D'oh!

green_grrl July 7 2010, 06:21:05 UTC

I know, right?