Grammar-Quizzes › Clauses › Relative Clauses › Of Which & Whose Clauses
Of Which and Whose Clauses
Relate an inanimate noun to someone or something
Genitive (Possessive) Relative Pronouns
| WHOSE—ANIMATE or INANIMATE |
|---|
Whose replaces a genitive personal or inanimate noun in a relative clause. While some people may object to the usage of whose with an inanimate noun, grammarians approve of it and cite its usage by highly esteemed writers. Grammar Notes |
| WHOSE—SUBJECT OF CLAUSE |
The car whose lines are sleek is beautiful. |
| WHOSE—OBJECT OF CLAUSE |
The car whose¹ lines I love is beautiful.
|
| OTHER WORDING |
The car *its lines are sleek is beautiful. The car *which's lines are sleek is beautiful. The car with sleek lines is beautiful. |
| OF WHICH—INANIMATE |
|---|
The X of which is another way to add a genitive relative clause. The prepositional phrase "of which" is placed after the head noun of the clause. While some find this wording to be more formal and acceptable, others find it to be awkward. |
| OF WHICH—SUBJECT OF CLAUSE |
|
| OF WHICH—OBJECT OF CLAUSE |
The car the lines of which I love is beautiful.
|
| OTHER WORDING |
The car *I love it lines is beautiful. I love the car's beautiful lines. The car that I love has beautiful, sleek lines. |
animate (Adj) — living, human (in grammar) / inanimate (Adj) — things, concepts,
awkward (Adj) — clumsy, not smooth flowing, cumbersome
designer (N) — person who draws the plans and design (how something looks) for something
genitive—the term "genitive" includes a larger range of relationships than "possessive"—ownership (my dog), temporary possession (his cookie), a natural trait (his tail), a family relationship (his mom), origin (his city), performer of an action (his arrival). Also see Apostrophes.
inanimate (Adj) — not alive, things
lines (n. pl.) — the design or profile
love (V) — like a lot, admire, enjoy
sleek (Adj) — has a smooth attractive shape; sleek lines, sleek hair
*not used
Variations Of Which
Other wordings
Of which, whose, that
| OTHER WORDING | |
|---|---|
Since English does not have a genitive form for that or which, a number of variations are in use. A comma separates a comment that is non-essential (not required) for the identification of the noun. |
|
| POSSESSIVE | USE IN A SENTENCE |
the X of which |
He bought a car, the brand name of which I can't remember.
|
of which…the X |
He bought a car, of which I can't remember the brand name. |
which…the X of |
He bought a car, which I can't remember the brand name of. |
of which the name |
He bought a car, of which the brand name I can't remember. |
whose name |
He bought a car, whose brand name I can't remember. |
that…the name of |
~He bought a car that¹ I can't remember the brand name of. ~He bought a car that has a brand name that I can't remember. |
with (PP) |
He bought a car with a brand name that I can't remember. [with = that has] |
¹ that – When that heads a clause that identifies the noun, no comma is used. The car that I admired was a Honda. (The modifier "that I admired" identifies a particular car.) The Honda Accord, which I admired, was a comfortable car. (The aside comment "which I admired" adds extra information; it does not identify a particular car.)
*not used / ~disputed use or informal use
PP – prepositional phrase
Forming The X of Which
Replacing the Subject or Object Genitive Noun
The X of Which — Subject or Object of the Modifying Clause
| SUBJECT OF CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Of which replaces the subject —genitive noun or pronoun— in the modifying clause, which is placed after the inanimate noun that it modifies. |
||
The car was beautiful. The lines of the car are sleek. |
||
| SUBJECT of MODIFYING CLAUSE | ||
The car |
the lines of the car are sleek |
was beautiful. |
|
the lines of which |
|
The car |
the lines of which are sleek |
was beautiful. |
| 0BJECT OF CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
Of which replaces replaces the object —genitive noun or pronoun— in the modifying clause, which is then placed after the inanimate noun it modifies. |
||
The car was beautiful. You saw the lines of the car. |
||
| OBJECT of MODIFYING CLAUSE | ||
The car |
you saw the lines of the car |
was beautiful. |
|
the lines of which |
|
The car |
the lines of which you saw |
was beautiful. |
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
For "relative words", see Huddleston 12 §3.2.1-2.
Of Which-Clause
Clause Position
Modifying the Subject of the Main Clause
| MODIFIES SUBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
A genitive modifying clause can modify the subject noun of the main clause. It is placed directly after the noun it modifies. |
||
| SUBJECT | SUBJECT of MODIFYING CLAUSE | |
The car  |
the price of which is high |
is new. |
The seats |
the leather of which is soft |
are new. |
| MODIFIES OBJECT OF MAIN CLAUSE | ||
|---|---|---|
A genitive modifying clause can modify the object noun of the main clause. It is placed directly after the noun it modifies. |
||
| OBJECT | OBJECT of MODIFYING CLAUSE | |
Here is |
the car |
the price of which is high. |
Here are |
the seats |
the leather of which is soft. |
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
¹Corinthian – from Corinth (an advertising term that was used for Chrysler luxury.)
Who/Whom-Clause
Punctuation
An identifying vs. Nonidentifying Clause
| IDENTIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|
|
The car the sides of which are blue is very pretty. |
The interior the color of which is beige is compact. |
A clause that identifies the noun before it (tells you which one) is not set off with commas. | NONIDENTIFYING CLAUSE |
|---|
|
My car, the sides of which are blue, is very pretty. |
The Pure Coupe, the color of which is beige, is compact. |
A clause that adds extra, nonidentifying information is set off with comma(s). The object pronoun cannot be omitted.beige (N) – off-white color; pale brown
compact (Adj) – small, but arranged so that everything fits neatly into the space available
An identifying clause adds information or narrows (limits) 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 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.
¹An object relative pronoun cannot be omitted from (left out of) a nonidentifying clause.
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
The book, which's title is From Within, was written in the 1990s. |
He drives a car that its muffler needs new one. (muffler – a device that quiets engine noise) |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
The book, the title of which is From Within, was written in the 1990s. The book, whose title is From Within, was written in the 1990s. |
He drives a car whose muffler needs replacement. His car needs a new muffler. He drives a car that needs a new muffler. |
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional and Linguistic Description—using whose for inanimate nouns
| TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION |
|---|
The misinformation that passes for gospel wisdom about English usage is sometimes astounding. A correspondent in 1986 wanted us to help him choose between two sentences containing of which; he had used of which to refer to the word house, he said, and had not used whose because it is "not formal". (Merriam-Webster 959) I could a tale unfold whose lightest word M-W continues citing passages from Milton, Alexander Pope, William Wadsworth, and a number of highly esteemed modern-day writers. Since English is not blessed with a genitive form for that or which, whose—originally the genitive of what and who—has been used to supply the missing forms since sometime in the 14th century. (M-W 960) The force that has always worked against acceptance of whose used of inanimate things is its inevitable association with who. The force that always worked in its favor was suggested by Murray (Lindley Murray,1795) ; it provides not only a shorter but a smoother and more graceful transition than the alternative "the…of which." (M-W 960)
|
Whose usually modifies people, but it may also be used to modify things. I worked at a company whose employees wanted to form a union. (Azar 13-4)
Whose A. Meaning "of which." Whose may usefully refer to things <an idea whose time has come>. This use of whose, formerly decried by some 19th-century grammarians and their predecessors, is often an inescapable way of avoiding clumsiness. (Garner gives several examples.) The other possessive for which—namely, of which—is typically cumbersome. Language-Index Change, Stage 5 (fully accepted) "whose referring to things" (Garner 863) |
Whose—relatives Whose can refer back to people or things. It was a meeting whose purpose I did not understand.
(Swan 496)
|
| LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|
Whose. The contrast between personal who and non-personal which is neutralised in the genitive, where whose is the only form. It occurs with both personal and non-personal antecedents.
Two versions exist of the prepositional phrase:
(Huddleston 12 §3.5.2) |
Discourse choice between whose and of which. In fact, whose can be further used to mark genitive relationships with completely inanimate, sometimes abstract heard nouns:
(Biber 8.7.1.6) |
Whose. Human or inanimate antecedent. Let us, in the name of common sense, prohibit the prohibition of whose inanimate; good writing is surely difficult enough without the forbidding of things that have historical grammar, and present intelligibility, and obvious convenience, on their side, and lack only—starch. (Burchfield & Fowler 849) |
Works Cited
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
- Fowler's Modern English Usage. R. W. Burchfield and H. W. Fowler, revised 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2004.
- Garner's Modern American Usage, Bryan A. Garner, 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2009.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Reprint ed., Merriam-Webster, 1994.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Practice 1
A Used Car
Use of which wording.
- 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.
Practice 2
Private and Public "Wants"
Read for Errors
When people buy cars, they want cars whose images reflect their character. They want fun, sexy cars which their styles fit city or country driving. They want car's trunks large enough to haul "stuff", whether or not they plan to do much of that kind of activity. They want cars with lots of electronic gadgets, whose buttons and knobs will control music, climate, navigation and more. They want sporty convertible cars, its tops retract so that they can feel the wind in their hair. In short, they want cars whose images express "person of action".
Yet the same people often express completely different wants when asked directly. They are likely to say that they want cars which their reliability ratings are high. They may also say that they want cars whose the safety has been tested. And they will say that they want fuel-efficient cars, which their gas mileage is very good. It is no wonder that car manufacturers have such difficulty presenting new cars each year to consumers, the desires of which differ when expressed privately or publicly.
consumers (N) – people who buy products
fuel-efficient (Adj) – using little or less gas
it is no wonder that (expression) – it is no surprise that
rating (N) – a scale that shows how good something is (e.g., 1–5) lowest to highest rating
reliability (N) – trusted, will not need a lot of servicing or repairs
retract (V) – pulls back or goes in the trunk
spirit (N) – character; unique personal quality
want (N) – desire
Correct or Incorrect?
- Select your response—correct or incorrect.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or the "Check 11-20" button.
Practice 3
Car Accident
Read for Errors
Yesterday, a neighbor accidentally hit our car. He is the son of the family who his yard is behind us. The neighbor his son hit our car came over to apologize.
We went out to look at the cars. His car, the fender had a tiny scratch, was hardly damaged. The car who its door was dented was ours.
The window's glass that had shattered was on the passenger side of the car. The door was dented inward and unusable.
The passenger-side, rear view mirror was on the ground. The mount's wires, which were hanging out, was still attached to the car.
The young man was supposed to turn left on our street, its end was temporarily blocked. He changed his mind and crashed into our car instead.
The neighbor promised to pay for the repair costs which their amount of has not yet been determined. We will get some estimates for the repairs.
He would rather pay cash for the repairs. His insurance, which the rates of it would rise, is only used as a back-up.
We were glad that no one was hurt. Our neighbor's son, the confidence of which was slightly bruised, will pay more attention next time.
GLOSSARY
apologize (V) — be sorry; regretful
bruised (Adj) — hurt, damaged flesh
estimate (N) — a calculation, educated guess, an approximate amount
fender (N) — the side part of a car that covers the wheels; Br-Eng – wing
mount (N) — the part that attaches and supports the mirror
tiny (Adj) — small
Edit for Errors
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box. Use whose or of which/ of whom.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or the "Check 21-30" button.