whose

The word “whose” means belonging to which person; used to ask or show ownership. In plain terms, the possessive form of "who" — used to ask or say who something belongs to.

“Whose” is pronounced hooz (/huːz/ in IPA).

Here is “whose” used in a sentence: “Whose coat is this on the chair?”

Depending on how it is used, “whose” can be a det and a pronoun.

The word “whose” comes from Old English. From Old English hwæs, the possessive form of who, going back to Proto-Germanic *hwaz.

“Whose” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Whose” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: belonging to which person; used to ask or show ownership.

"Whose" shows possession and asks or tells which person something belongs to, as in "Whose bag is this?" "Who's" is a contraction of "who is" or "who has," as in "Who's coming?" A quick test: if you can replace the word with "who is," use "who's"; otherwise use "whose."

Yes. Although "whose" often refers to people, it is perfectly correct to use it for objects, animals, and ideas to avoid the clumsy phrase "of which." For example, "a book whose cover is torn" is standard English. Many writers hesitate here, but this usage has long been accepted by grammarians.

Use "whose" at the start of a question to ask who owns or is connected to something, as in "Whose turn is it?" or "Whose car is parked outside?" It works as a determiner before a noun, or on its own when the noun is understood, such as "Whose is this?"