Whose as a question word

We use whose to ask a question about possession:

Whose birthday is it today?

Whose house was used in the film ‘Gosford Park’?

Whose are these gloves?

We use whose in indirect questions:

Juliet wondered whose the sports car was.

Warning:

Don’t confuse whose and who’s. Who’s means who is:

Whose book is this? (Who does this book belong to?)

Who’s driving us home? (Who is driving us home?)

Whose in relative clauses

We use whose to introduce a relative clause indicating possession by people, animals and things:

John works with that other chap whose name I can’t remember.

Shirley has a 17-year-old daughter whose ambition is to be a photographer.

This is the book whose title I couldn’t remember.

Typical error

• We don’t use whose when we mean who’s (who is)

Who’s there?

Not: Whose there?

Whose little brother is he?

Not: Who’s little brother is he?