whose

whose
[[t]huːz[/t]]
♦
(Usually pronounced [[t]hu͟ːz[/t]] for meanings 2 and 3.)
1) PRON-REL You use whose at the beginning of a relative clause where you mention something that belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned in the previous clause.

I saw a man shouting at a driver whose car was blocking the street.

...a speedboat, whose fifteen-strong crew claimed to belong to China's navy.

...tourists whose vacations included an unexpected adventure.

2) QUEST You use whose in questions to ask about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with.

Whose was the better performance?...

`Whose is this?' - `Mick's stuff.'...

`It wasn't your fault, John.' - `Whose, then?'

DET-POSS-QUEST
Whose is also a determiner.

Whose car were they in?... Whose daughter is she?

3) DET-POSS You use whose after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you talk about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with.

I'm wondering whose mother she is then...

I can't remember whose idea it was for us to meet again.

CONJ-SUBORD
Whose is also a conjunction.

I wondered whose the coat was... That kind of person likes to spend money, it doesn't matter whose it is.


English dictionary. 2008.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • whose — [ huz ] function word *** Whose can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (introducing a direct or indirect question): Whose idea was it to come here? (introducing a relative clause): The winner was a Brazilian player, whose name I have… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • whose — 1. Despite a long established folk belief (which Fowler deplored) that whose, when used as a relative, should only mean of whom and not of which, usage over several centuries from the time of Shakespeare and Milton supports its use with reference …   Modern English usage

  • whose — W1S2 [hu:z] determiner, pron [: Old English; Origin: hwAs, from hwa; WHO] 1.) used to ask which person or people a particular thing belongs to ▪ Whose is this? ▪ Whose keys are on the kitchen counter? 2.) used to show the relationship between a… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • whose — [ho͞oz] pron. [ME whos, hwas < OE hwæs, gen. of hwa, WHO] that or those belonging to whom: used without a following noun [whose is this? whose will look best?] possessive pronominal adj. of, belonging to, made by, or done by whom or which… …   English World dictionary

  • Whose — (h[=oo]z), pron. [OE. whos, whas, AS. hw[ae]s, gen. of hw[=a]. See {Who}.] The possessive case of who or which. See {Who}, and {Which}. [1913 Webster] Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee. Gen. xxiv. 23. [1913 Webster] The question whose …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whose|so|ev|er — «HOOZ soh EHV uhr», pronoun. Archaic. of any person whatsoever; whose …   Useful english dictionary

  • whose — gen. of WHO (Cf. who); from O.E. hwæs, gen. of hwa (see WHO (Cf. who)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • whose — ► POSSESSIVE DETERMINER & PRONOUN 1) belonging to or associated with which person. 2) (as possessive determiner ) of whom or which. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • whose */*/*/ — UK [huːz] / US [huz] determiner, pronoun Summary: Whose can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (introducing a direct or indirect question): Whose idea was it to come here? (introducing a relative clause): The winner was a Brazilian… …   English dictionary

  • whose*/*/*/ — [huːz] determiner, pronoun summary: Whose can be: ■ a determiner: Whose idea was it to come here? ■ a question pronoun: Whose is this jacket? ■ a relative pronoun: I asked whose it was. 1) used for showing that someone or something belongs to or… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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