who's
Often confused with whose
- 1A shortened form that combines 'who' and the verb 'is.'
Who's available to take the morning shift at the cafe?
Tell me who's at the door before I open it.
- 2A shortened form that combines 'who' and the auxiliary verb 'has.'
Who's seen my keys anywhere around the house?
He's a manager who's earned the whole team's respect.
Note
Here the 's is the auxiliary of the perfect, and the word after it decides the reading. A past participle such as been, seen or earned means has: who's been sleeping, who's earned respect. A noun phrase after it means is, as in who's that in my bed, which belongs to the "who is" reading. When the next word could go either way, expanding the contraction settles it.
- 3A colloquial shortened form standing for 'who does.'
Who's he remind you of, with that crooked grin?
Who's that battered old suitcase belong to?
Note
The least expected job for the 's is standing in for does, as in the line from James A. Michener's Texas: "Who's he want to fight?" The giveaway is the bare verb that follows, such as want, remind or belong. With is, the verb would need -ing, and the "who has" form would need a participle. It belongs to speech and to dialogue written to sound like it.
- 4Contraction of whom is, used where who is the object of the verb or of a preposition rather than the subject.
Who's the committee recommending for the director's job?
Who's the new ambassador being introduced to first?
Note
In these questions who is the object, the one the verb or preposition acts on, not the one acting. Everyday speech already uses who in that slot, so who's covers it without strain. The spelling whom's exists to show the object case on the page, but next to who's it looks stiff.
Use it in a sentence
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Origin
A contraction formed from "who" plus "'s."