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Who's or whose? English 3AC grammar

Learn who's and whose in English 3AC: ask about identity and ownership, use possessive answers, and practise with illustrated examples and answers.

English 3AC, Morocco · Focus, Spotlight 3 and guided practice · Updated

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By the end of this lesson, you can

  • Tell a contraction from a question about ownership.
  • Ask whose an object is.
  • Answer with a possessive name or pronoun.

Before you startRead short English sentences and identify the subject and verb.

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What is the difference between who's and whose?

Who's and whose sound the same, but they do different jobs. Who's is a contraction. In Who's your teacher?, it means Who is your teacher? The question asks for a person's identity. Whose asks about ownership: Whose dictionary is this? The question asks who owns the dictionary.

Try writing who is or who has in the gap. If the sentence still makes sense, who's may be correct. If you are asking about an owner, use whose. The apostrophe in who's marks missing letters. It is not a possessive apostrophe.

Two pupils point to a blue schoolbag and a pair of trainers on a classroom desk.
One bag and two trainers give you different questions: Whose bag is this? Whose trainers are these?

How do you ask and answer a question with whose?

Put whose before the object: Whose pencil is this? Use is for one object and are for more than one: Whose trainers are these? This and these must also match the number of objects.

A clear answer names the owner: It's Nabil's pencil. You can then avoid repeating the noun: It's his. For an object belonging to your sister, say It's my sister's or It's hers. Her needs a noun, as in her pencil; hers can stand alone. Whose is this? is also correct when everyone can see the object.

Identity: Who's this? = Who is this? Ownership: Whose bag is this? Owner's answer: It's Nabil's bag. It's his.
Choose the question by its meaning, not by its sound.
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Can who's mean who has?

Yes. In Who's finished the exercise?, who's means who has. Finished is a past participle. In Who's reading?, who's means who is because reading is an -ing form. For this 3AC lesson, first practise the common question Who's this? and simple ownership questions before adding the present perfect example.

A worked example

A bag left in the classroom

Nabil: Who's at the door? Sami: It's Yassine. Nabil: Whose bag is on the desk? Sami: It's Yassine's bag. It's his.

  1. Who's at the door? asks who the person is.
  2. Whose bag...? asks who owns the bag.
  3. His replaces Yassine's bag in the last sentence.
One object: Whose pencil is this? Several objects: Whose pencils are these? A short answer: They're my sister's. They're hers.
The object decides whether you need is or are.
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How should I use this English 3AC lesson?

  • Try the exercises before reading the answers.
  • Explain a correction in your own words.
  • Return to the examples when two structures look similar.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose between who's and whose in English 3AC?

Use who's if you mean who is or who has. Use whose to ask about the owner: Whose bag is this?

Does whose have an apostrophe?

No. Whose is already the question word for ownership.

Can I use whose without a noun?

Yes. Whose is this? is correct when the object is clear. Whose bag is this? names the object.

Quiz: 6 questions

6 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 6-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.

Q1___ absent today?

Correct answer: Who's

Who's means who is in this question.

Q2___ coat is blue?

Correct answer: Whose

The question asks about the owner of a coat.

Q3Who's arrived? means...

Correct answer: Who has arrived?

Arrived follows has in this present perfect question.

Q4Whose pens are these? They're...

Correct answer: hers

Hers replaces her pens; no noun follows it.

Q5Which question is correct?

Correct answer: Whose keys are these?

Whose asks about ownership; are agrees with keys.

Q6The apostrophe in who's shows...

Correct answer: a contraction

It replaces the missing letters in who is or who has.

Exercises with answers

6 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.

Exercise 1

Easy

Complete: ___ your new classmate?

Answer and explanation

Who's. The full question is Who is your new classmate?

Exercise 2

Easy

Complete: ___ notebook is this?

Answer and explanation

Whose. The question asks who owns the notebook.

Exercise 3

Intermediate

Write Who's taken my ruler? without a contraction.

Answer and explanation

Who has taken my ruler? Taken follows the auxiliary has.

Exercise 4

Intermediate

Correct: Whose books is these?

Answer and explanation

Whose books are these? Books and these are plural.

Exercise 5

Challenge

The bicycle belongs to your sister. Answer: Whose bicycle is this?

Answer and explanation

It's my sister's bicycle. You can also say It's hers.

Exercise 6

Challenge

Ask who owns the two trainers beside the door.

Answer and explanation

Whose trainers are these? Use whose for ownership and are for plural trainers.