Whose
Adding Descriptive Information for Possessive Nouns
An adjective clause uses pronouns to connect the dependent clause to the independent clause.
whose - possessive pronoun for people (or things in informal usage) who+his, who+her, who+their
Subject Pronouns
"Who" vs. "Whose" - subject pronouns
| WHO - REPLACES A SUBJECT NOUN | WHOSE - REPLACES A POSSESSIVE SUBJECT PRONOUN |
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Adding a Clause with "Whose" - subject pronouns
| JOIN THE SENTENCES: | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Replace the subject pronoun She with who. |
The woman is on the phone. |
Her name is Greek. |
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whose name is Greek |
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2 |
Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
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The woman whose name is Greek is on the phone. |
Common Mistake
Common Mistake
| ERROR | FIX (match adverbs with tense usage) |
|---|---|
The woman who her husband is from Uruguay is going to be the CEO of the company. |
The woman whose husband is from Uruguay is going to be the CEO of the company. (Change who her to whose.) |
Object Pronouns
"Who" vs. "Whose" - object pronouns
| WHO - REPLACES AN OBJECT NOUN | WHOSE - REPLACES A POSSESSIVE OBJECT PRONOUN |
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Adding a Clause with "Whose" - object pronouns
| JOIN THE SENTENCES: | INDEPENDENT CLAUSE | DEPENDENT CLAUSE | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Replace the object pronoun her with whose |
The woman is on the phone. |
You met her husband. |
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You met whose husband. |
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2 |
Move the relative pronoun to the front of the sentence. |
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3 |
Insert the clause into the main sentence. |
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The woman whose husband you met is on the phone. |

Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
The woman whose husband we chatted with him lives next door. |
The woman whose husband we chatted with [him] lives next door. |
The runner who his balloons popped ran to the finish line naked! |
The runner whose balloons popped ran to the finish line naked! |
Practice
Join the two sentences into one sentence.
- First, write your response: change the second sentence into a clause. (Leave the prepositions at the end of the sentence.)
- Then, check your response against the answer.
Index Grammar-Quizzes | Previous Who-Whom | Next When-Where


