whose
whose — pronoun
1. used alone (not followed by a noun) when you ask which person something belongs
used alone (not followed by a noun) when you ask which person something belongs to or has a connection with.
Whose is this jacket left on the back of the chair?
standalone pronoun (no noun after whose)
I found these keys on the kitchen counter — whose are they?
standalone pronoun in conversational question
The twins argued about whose turn it was to feed the cat.
She asked whose the old bicycle was before offering to fix the flat tyre.
Whose was the winning painting at the school art fair?
文法句型
Whose + be + noun phrase?
Whose + auxiliary + noun + verb?
用法筆記
Frequently used in short questions where the noun is understood from context. Unlike determiner uses, no noun follows 'whose' directly.
常見錯誤
whose — determiner
1. used before a noun to ask who owns something or who has a connection with the pe
used before a noun to ask who owns something or who has a connection with the person or thing you are talking about.
Whose phone kept ringing during the meeting this morning?
interrogative determiner + noun (phone)
Rodrigo asked whose idea it was to start the book club.
embedded question with whose + noun (idea)
Whose jacket did you borrow for the camping trip?
The teacher wants to know whose drawing won first prize at the fair.
Whose car is blocking the entrance to the parking lot?
文法句型
Whose + noun + verb?
用法筆記
Unlike the standalone pronoun use, this sense is always followed immediately by a noun. The question can be direct or embedded.
常見錯誤
2. used after a noun to introduce a defining relative clause that tells us which sp
used after a noun to introduce a defining relative clause that tells us which specific person or thing you mean, by showing that something belongs to or is connected with them.
The woman whose cat climbed the tree called the fire brigade.
defining relative clause: whose + noun (cat) identifies which woman
Yael is the designer whose work won the national award last year.
We need a doctor whose specialty is children's health and development.
The house whose roof was damaged in the storm belongs to the Watanabe family.
Jin found the student whose bag had been left in the library overnight.
- of which
more formal; only for things and inanimate objects ('the building of which the roof…')
文法句型
noun + whose + noun + verb
用法筆記
This sense works for both people and things. Unlike 'which' or 'that', 'whose' is the only relative word that shows possession. The clause is essential to identify the noun (no commas).
常見錯誤
3. used between commas after a noun or name to add extra information about a person
used between commas after a noun or name to add extra information about a person or thing that is already clearly identified, showing ownership or connection.
Professor Tanvi Sharma, whose research focuses on ocean pollution, gave a fascinating lecture.
non-defining clause in commas after a proper name
The old oak tree, whose branches spread across the garden, was a hundred years old.
Charlotte Brontë, whose best-known novel is Jane Eyre, is studied in schools worldwide.
The Elm Street café, whose coffee is well known, opened a second branch last month.
Eshe's grandmother, whose cooking was loved by the whole street, passed away last spring.
- of which
only for things; more formal and less common in non-defining clauses
文法句型
noun/name, whose + noun + verb, ...
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense uses commas around the clause because the information is extra, not essential for identifying the noun. The clause can be removed without changing the core meaning. More common in written than spoken English.