Grammar-Quizzes › Clauses › Relative Clauses › Whose Clauses
Whose Clauses (genitive)
Relate a person noun to someone or something
Relative Pronoun for Personal Possession — whose
| WHO |
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Who replaces a personal noun or pronoun in a modifying clause (relative clause). See Who / Whom. |
| SUBJECT OF CLAUSE |
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| OBJECT OF CLAUSE |
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| WHOSE |
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Whose replaces a genitive noun in a modifying clause (relative clause). |
| SUBJECT OF CLAUSE |
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| OBJECT OF CLAUSE |
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Whose may also be used for inanimate nouns. See Of Which / Whose.
Forming a Whose–Clause
Replacing the Subject or Object Genitive Noun
Whose as Subject or Object of the Modifying Clause
| SUBJECT OF CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Whose replaces the subject —genitive noun or pronoun— in the modifying clause. Then the clause is placed after the personal noun that it modifies. |
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The woman is the guest speaker. The woman's name is Greek. |
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| SUBJECT of MOD CLS | ||
The woman |
Her name is Greek |
is the guest speaker. |
|
whose name |
|
The woman |
whose name is Greek |
is the guest speaker. |
| OBJECT OF CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Whose replaces the object —genitive noun or pronoun— in the modifying clause, which is placed after the personal noun it modifies. |
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The woman is the guest speaker. You met the woman's son. |
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| OBJECT of MOD CLS | ||
The woman |
You met her son |
is the guest speaker. |
|
whose son |
|
The woman |
whose son you met |
is the guest speaker. |
Add commas if the clause adds extra information that is not essential to identifying who the person is. (a non-identifying, non-restrictive clause) See Some or All and That vs Which
Whose-Clause
Clause Position
Modifying the Subject of the Main Clause
| SUBJECT of MOD CLS MODIFIES SUBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Below, whose + a clause modifies the subject noun of the main clause. Whose+noun has taken the place of the subject pronoun in the modifying clause. |
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The man is a doctor. His show is entertaining. |
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| SUBJECT | SUBJECT of MOD CLS | |
The man  |
whose show is entertaining |
is a doctor. |
The doctor |
whose advice is amusing |
is successful on TV. |
| OBJECT of MOD CLS MODIFIES SUBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Below, that + a clause modifies the subject noun of the main clause. That has taken the place of the object pronoun in the modifying clause. |
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The man is a doctor. We watch his show. |
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| SUBJECT | SUBJECT of MOD CLS | |
The man |
whose show we watch |
is a doctor. |
The doctor |
whose advice we value |
is successful on TV. |
complement – a word, phrase or clause which is necessary in a sentence to complete its meaning
verb + complement – elements required to complete the meaning of the clause
Modifying the Object of the Main Clause
| MODIFIES OBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Below, whose + a clause modifies the object noun of the main clause. whose is the subject pronoun in the modifying clause. |
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We watch the doctor. His TV show is funny. |
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| OBJECT | OBJECT of MOD CLS | |
We watch |
the doctor |
whose TV show is funny |
Do you know |
the talk show host |
whose name is Turkish? |
| MODIFIES OBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Below, that + a clause modifies the object noun of the main clause. That is also the object pronoun in the modifying clause. |
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We watch the doctor. You like his TV show. |
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| OBJECT | OBJECT of MOD CLS | |
We watch |
the doctor |
whose TV show you like. |
Do you know |
the talk show host |
whose name i can't remember? |
tiny (Adj)– very small
tryout (V) – test drive
Related pages: That vs. Which using commas | Who / Whom using that for people
Whose-Clause
Punctuation
An identifying vs. Nonidentifying Clause
| IDENTIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|
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You met the woman whose first name is Greek. |
The man whose TV show is popular is a doctor. |
A clause that identifies the noun before it (tells you which person) is not set off with commas. No comma(s) is/are used.| NONIDENTIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|
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You met Arianna, whose first name is Greek. |
Dr. Oz, whose TV show is popular, is a doctor. |
A clause that adds extra, nonidentifying information is set off with comma(s). See An identifying clause (restrictive clause) adds information or narrows the noun to a specific one, group or lot. The clause helps by telling us which one. No commas are used. It is also called restrictive, essential , or necessary clause. See That vs. Which Some or All.
A nonidentifying clause (non-restrictive clause) adds extra information about a noun already identified by other means, for example, by name, by shared knowledge or context. The clause, a comment, is set off with commas (before and, if necessary, after the clause). It is also called nonrestrictive, nonessential, or unnecessary clause. See Commas – comments.
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
*The runner who his balloons popped ran to the finish line naked! |
*The woman whose husband we chatted with him lives next door. |
*The woman who her husband is from Uruguay is going to be the CEO of the company. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
The runner whose balloons popped ran to the finish line naked! |
The woman whose husband we chatted with [him] lives next door. |
The woman whose husband is from Uruguay is going to be the CEO of the company. (Change who her to whose.) |
*incorrect or not used; ~questionable usage
Pop-Q " Balloons"
Practice 1
Identifying TV Show Characters
Read Context (without clauses)
I like the television program about a funny guy. His dog always stares at him. The man has a great outlook on life. His family encourages him.
One brother is very picky. His tastes are eccentric. The other brother is very practical. He is more easy-going.
The older man is the father of the brothers. His complaints are non-stop. The young woman is the physical therapist of the father. Her accent is from Manchester, England.
The red-haired woman is an assistant. She is a bit of an "air head".
The character whose face is never seen is the wife of the picky brother. The main character's ex-wife is very funny. She thinks but cannot feel.
The real character is the dog. His performance is the funniest.
accent (N) – particular way of pronouncing words (dialectal)
air head (expression) – not too smart
character (N) – a role in the show, a person acting as a person in the show
real character (expression) – an unusual or funny person He's a real character.
complaint (N) – discontent;saying something is wrong or painful
easy-going (Adj) – has a more relaxed way of thinking
eccentric (Adj) – unusual, odd
encourage (V) – to give someone the courage or confidence to do something
outlook (N) – general attitude to life and the world
picky (Adj) – choosy, selective (difficult!)
robotic (Adj) – like a robot (able to reason–only)
stare (V) – look at or watch causing the subject to become uncomfortable
tastes (N) – preferences
Decide whether to add a who-clause or a whose-clause.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" or the "check 1-10" button at the bottom.
Practice 2
Kinship Names
Read for Errors
My mother's brother's daughter just gave birth to a baby. What should I call this relative?
A sibling is a person whose a brother or sister.
Two people are called siblings whose mother and father are the same.
A person whose mother is also yours is called your sibling.
A person who his mother is your aunt is called cousin.
People are called cousins whose grandparents are the same.
People who are not siblings but who their great grandparents are the same are second cousins.
The term once removed is used for people whose generation differs by one. (The grandparent of one is the great-grandparent of the other.)
Then my mother's brother's daughter whose got a new baby is my cousin.
The baby whose mother is my cousin is my cousin once removed.
The person is the smallest person in the family whose kinship name is the longest.
Decided whether the use and placement of the whose-clause is correct or incorrect. (Don't worry about the kinship terms!)
- Select the response correct or incorrect.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 11-20" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.
"Cousin." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Aug. 2016, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin. Accessed on 25 Aug. 2016.
Practice 3
Pros and Cons of Being a Celebrity
Read for Errors
A person whose famous has to manage both the good and the bad sides of celebrity. On the good side, people are excited to meet a celebrity in the news whose face is easily recognized from television or movies. Such a person attracts the curiosity of other people who they think their lives seem less exciting.
However, a person whose picture is in the news can't hide easily. If he's walking down the street, everyone whose sees him can walk right up to him and ask for an autograph. Also, the public expects to meet a celebrity whose is a model for others.
Celebrity is even more difficult for a woman. A female celebrity in the news whose disheveled picture appears becomes a target for gossip. She cannot leave her house without being "picture perfect". Consequently, when we see celebrities whose heads are covered and whose eyes are hidden behind sunglasses, we can understand why they do so.
Managing the good and the bad is essential for a celebrity who his career depends on it. And though we may feel a little jealous of celebrity privileges, anyone whose experienced fame will tell you it has its pros and cons.
celebrity (N) — (1) a famous, well-known person; (2) fame, renown
curiosity (N) — the desire to learn or know about something
disheveled (Adj) — poorly groomed, badly dressed; looking messy; unkempt
gossip (N) — when people say unkind or unfavorable things that are untruthful
jealous (Adj) — feeling resentment against someone because of that person's success, or advantages
privileges (N) — special rights, benefits
recognized (Adj) — identified
right (adv.) — directly
target (N) — focus of gossip
spotlight (N) — the light of the social or political stage
Edit and join the clauses to remove wordiness from the paragraph.
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 21-30" button at the bottom, or click the "check" button as you go.