Whose vs who's
Whose asks or tells who something belongs to, and who's is short for who is or who has. They sound the same.
If you can say who is or who has instead, write who's. Otherwise write whose.
whose determiner
Belonging to which person, or belonging to the person or thing just mentioned.
- Whose phone is ringing?
- That's the girl whose dog won the prize.
who's contraction
A short form of who is or who has.
- Who's coming to dinner tonight?
- Who's taken my pen?
Watch out
- Whose works for things as well as people.It was a town whose streets all led to the sea.
- Whose can stand alone in a question, with the noun left out. It still asks who something belongs to, so do not write who's.That is a lovely garden. Whose is it?
Test yourself
blank jacket is this on the chair?
Show answer
whose. You are asking who the jacket belongs to, so use whose.
blank ready to go to the park?
Show answer
who's. It means who is ready, so use who's.
I met a man blank sister lives in Peru.
Show answer
whose. The sister belongs to the man, so use whose.
Do you know blank been using my computer?
Show answer
who's. It means who has been, so use who's.