whose

Definitions

1. determiner

   Used in questions to ask who owns something.

   Examples

   • Whose bag is this?
   • Whose turn is it to wash the dishes?
2. determiner

   Used to show that something belongs to a person you just mentioned.

   Examples

   • This is the man whose dog caused the accident.
   • She is a singer whose songs everyone knows.
3. determiner

   Used to show that something belongs to a thing you just mentioned.

   Examples

   • The house whose roof fell in has been repaired.
   • This is the book whose author I admire most.
4. pronoun

   The one or ones that belong to which person.

   Examples

   • Several people lost their suitcases. Whose did you find?
   • He asked whose the umbrella was.
5. pronoun

   In formal use, the one that belongs to a person you just mentioned.

   Examples

   • This car is blocking the way, but Mr Smith, whose it is, will be here soon.
   • The land is a gift, and she is the one whose it is.
6. contraction

   A common wrong spelling of who's, which means who is.

   Examples

   • People often write whose when they mean who is.
   • It is a mistake to write whose for who has.