Whose Vs. Who's: Common Grammar Mistake

The difference between whose and who's is a common grammar mistake. Who's vs. Whose usage in grammar trips people up making them second guess themselves. People tend to believe any word with a contraction, such as who's, is a possessive form. Whose is actually the possessive form. When you write a quick email or letter to someone, it can be embarrassing to make grammar mistakes like who's vs. whose.

Use the resources on this page to help you sort out the details of whether to use who's or whose for you situation. There are examples of who's and examples of whose to help you know the difference between the two. Then take the grammar quiz at the end to see if you have mastered the use of who's and whose in sentences. Finally you will become the person whose use of the words whose and who's is perfect.

Use the following examples of who's in a sentence to get understand when to use who's and when to use whose. Remember "who's" really means "who is" or "who has."

1. "This is my brother, who's an accountant."
2. "Who's the best three point shooter on the team?"
3. "Who's the president of the United States?"
4. "You should check out my mechanic, who's really cheap and honest."
5. "Who's been eating all the cookies out of the cookie jar?"
6. "Who's not done with his or her assignments?"
   

"Whose drink is this on the counter?"

"There's the story about the guy whose wife stabbed him for life insurance money."

"Whose guitar is named Lucille?"

"Bart Simpson is the cartoon character whose dad's name is Homer."

"You have a patient in the waiting room whose arm is broken."

"Whose horrible example of grammar is this?"

Below you will find a quiz that tests your knowledge of the differences between the words who's and whose.  You must know when you should use who's versus when you should use whose.  Retake the who's vs. whose grammar quiz until you are sure in your understanding of the two.  You can post this grammar test on other pages with the "Get this Widget" link.

Who's in the mood to learn a little more about another confusing contractions.  The link below will lead you to a page similar to this one explaining the difference between it's and its, which seems to be even more of a prevalent problem in the population.  Help yourself look smart with these short lessons on grammar.