What's the difference between Who's and Whose?

Good grammar is an essential part of writing which makes it very important for a writer to be absolutely error free. Though despite all efforts certain words and phrases spring up and cause immense confusion.

One or rather two such words are 'who’s' and 'whose.' Often writers confuse between these two words that sound alike but have completely different meanings and also different functions in a sentence. To write well, it is good to know the basic difference between 'who's and whose' and their meaning entirely.

Difference Between Whose And Who's 

The words might sound alike but they are written differently and their meaning, as well as their usage in a sentence, is different. A reason for this confusion is the added 's' behind a pronoun such as who. The article though will clear all your doubts.

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Whose Vs. hWo's Meaning 

Whose is a possessive form of the pronoun 'who' and the definition of the word is belonging to or associated with which person. When it is used in a sentence, it is generally if not always before a noun. For example,

• He is a writer whose books have become widely famous.

• Whose pen is this

The function of 'whose' is very similar to that of ‘its’ and ‘yours.' The difference between 'whose vs. who's' is similar to the difference between ‘its’ and ‘it’s.'

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'Who’s', on the other hand, is simply a contraction of who is or who has. Take for example the following which are perfect examples of who's vs. whose 

• Who’s coming to the party 

• Whose party are you going to?

In the first sentence, we are simply asking who is coming to the party, whereas in the other sentence we are asking whose party is it and the possessive pronoun is used before a noun ‘party.'

We sincerely hope that this has put all your doubts to the usage of whose and who's to doubt and if you are similarly confused over whom and who, then it's time you end that as well.

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