Using "who's" and "whose" correctly
Summary
This article provides a simple way to choose between "who's" and "whose".
When should you use who's instead of whose?
Well, who's is always short for who is. For example:
- Who's that guy in the red tie?
- Who's the actress in Out of Africa?
The easiest way to explain whose is to say that you use it whenever it would be wrong to say who is. For example:
- Is he the guy whose tie was red?
- Was it Streep whose career peaked with Out of Africa?
- Whose PC is this?
The different uses of these words is illustrated by the following pair of sentences:
- Bob, who's normally prompt, was late today.
- Bob, whose record is exemplary, was late today.
In summary, use who's when you mean who is and whose otherwise.
