While i am not personally a proponent of this usage, i think its a good time to revisit the rules for who vs. Its possible to use who instead of whom in many cases. Tips presents, lightning versus lightening, with grammar girl, mignon fogarty. In the following exercise you will have to decide whether to use who s or whose in these sentences. In the following exercise you will have to decide whether to use whos or whose in these sentences. This post will help you distinguish between the two. Whose state department will this be, rex tillersons or donald trumps. Im not sure about the plural the girls mothers are smiling.
In everyday speech, whom is considered rather formal and oldfashioned. Mignon fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, grammar. If neither of those is the case, the indefinite article may be correct. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Here is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl, a. Simply paste or write your text below and click check my writing to get feedback on your writing. Jul 05, 2011 grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl, a.
She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. To get into the difference between whos and whose, read on. It makes sense to say that whose is the possessive form of who because who is in the word. This may be due to their similar sounds despite their distinct uses and meanings. Meet the defiant scottish farmer whos been feuding with trump for a decade vanity fair. A the domino theory, who stated that when one country fell to communism, others in the area would likely fall, was used as an argument to continue the vietnam war. This is a grammar lesson on the difference between whose and who s. Its generally the best way to avoid debate, and pretty universally accepted as an okay way of putting together a sentence. Tune into the grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing podcast by mignon fogarty to end the which vs.
Named a 2012 teachers choice book by the international reading association. We use whose before nouns instead of a possessive expression my, your, his, her, its, our, their, xs. In 2014 we issued the 11th edition of the blue book in which we expanded the discussion of the accepted methods for dealing with possession. They may sound the same, but spelling them correctly can be tricky. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Hes marrying a girl whose family dont seem to like him. In any case, the notion that words ending in s or an s sound should not have an. For example, while you wouldnt say, the book, who is 500 pages, was released in 1923, you could say, the book, whose 500 pages fly by, was released in 1923.
She is also the founder of the quick and dirty tips podcasting network. Whose shows the ownership or possession of something by someone and should be followed by a noun paul, whose eyes are red, hasnt slept much all holiday. Grammar girl s 101 troublesome words youll master in no time is a great reference book, as well as an enjoyable read. Grammarist the online grammar dictionary, provides explanation about english grammar rules, grammar tips and articles about a variety of grammatical definitions and mistakes. The structure is decided by the possessor, not the possessed. For example, while you wouldnt say, the book, who is 500 pages, was released in 1923, you could say, the book, whose 500. When we understand grammar, we can write with confidence, knowing we can convey our ideas to the world. In more formal styles we can also use it for things. Mignon fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. Whos whos is a contraction of either who is or who has. For example, a purse belonging to a woman is the womans purse. Congress passed the statute, whose purpose was to lower taxes. Pdf grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing.
There is, however, some argument about whether its ok to use whose to refer to something thats not a person or animal. It is very important, however, for the writer, the student, the job applicant, etc. However, it is also correct to just add the apostrophe. Both whos and whose come from the pronoun who shocking, right. Mignon fogarty born 1967 is a former faculty member in journalism at the university of nevada, reno, and a former science writer who produces an educational podcast about english grammar and usage titled grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing, which was named one of the best podcasts of 2007 by itunes. Get the whos whose debate cleared up with this helpful grammar video. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students. We are concerned about whos whose going to take our place when we leave. Whose english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. The first whose is probably a fused determinerheadthat is, the determiner whose has fused with some understood noun phrase cat, for. Now try and complete the sentences below using whose or whos.
People confuse these two words when writing because they sound the same when speakingand, as always, that s confusing. Jul 05, 2011 named to the international reading association s 2012 teachers choice book list. Named to the international reading association s 2012 teachers choice book list. Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to real. If the name ends in s, like charles, we usually treat it like a singular noun and add s.
Finding nouns, verbs, and subjects subjectverb agreement irregular verbs clauses and phrases pronouns who vs. That may refer to people, animals, groups, or things, but who is preferred when referring to people. New york times bestselling author mignon fogarty shares her weekly grammar girl podcast and video tips about english, grammar, and writing. As in that last example above, whoseunlike who or whos may apply to inanimate objects or other nonperson entities. The whogoeswithpeople rule is the conventional wisdom 1,2, but, on the other hand, i did find a. This is either the previous amazon price or the list price. Oct 29, 2012 while i am not personally a proponent of this usage, i think its a good time to revisit the rules for who vs. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students is a complete and.
Jan 01, 2008 grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Mignon fogarty authors macmillan macmillan publishers. We usually use whose as a relative pronoun to indicate possession by people and animals. Do you know anybody whos going to canada this week. Grammarist english grammar, grammar rules and tips. Who, whom, whose this article is about who, whom, whose enjoy your reading. Ive always been annoyed by dj s who say things like the band are touring in june. Millions of people around the world communicate better thanks to mignon fogarty, aka grammar girl, whose toprated weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 30 million times. Grammar girls 101 misused words youll never confuse again. Yes, its grammatical, though not every english speaker will find it so. Whose usually sits before a noun conscience is a motherinlaw whose visit never ends.
Wouldnt it, therefore, make sense to add an s to your to make is possessive. Buy our book smashing grammar 2019 written by the founder of grammar monster, smashing grammar includes a glossary of grammar essentials from apostrophes to zeugma and a chapter on easily confused words from affecteffect to whetherif. It s all about subjects and objects, but we have a trick for you too. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who, while whos is a contraction of the words who is or who has however, many people still find whose and whos particularly confusing because, in english, an apostrophe followed by an s usually indicates the possessive form of a word. The grammar checker on ms word is not good at spotting problems with these two and sometimes advises the incorrect option. Mignon fogarty, the creator of grammar girl and the founder of the quick and dirty tips network, is also the author of the new york times bestselling grammar. No one knows whos whose responsible for the broken eggs. Now my inner grammarian understands why those pet peeves bug me so much. Laid grammar rules grammar basics 18 basic grammar rules.
Whos and whose, commonly confused words in the english language. Here are a few examples of the words used correctly. Personally, id much rather rewrite the sentence than go back and forth about which and whose on inanimate objects. Description of the book grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. A couple of years ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most. Do you know anybody who is going to canada this week. Whos is a contraction of who is it may be followed by a present participle, adjective, noun, or pronoun.
Grammar pdf girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammarbut shes also determined to make the process as painless as possible. Named to the international reading associations 2012 teachers choice book list grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl, a. Grammarly can save you from misspellings, grammatical and punctuation. The whowhomwhose combo, with its possessive whose, agreed to allow that and which to borrow whose when they needed to show possession. Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. May 02, 2017 whose book is it, whose goal, when to use whose in a sentence. Aug 18, 2016 get grammar girl s take on when to use who and when to use whom. Named to the international reading association s 2012 teachers choice book list grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl, a. Whats the difference between theirs and theirs theirs. Whos is a contraction linking the words who is or who has, and whose is the. Meanwhile, whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who meaning belonging to or associated with which person. For example, while you wouldnt say, the book, who is 500 pages, was released in 1923. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the.
To make most words possessive in english, you add an apostrophe. Whos means who is the apostrophe shows that the i is missing. Whos and whose the terms whose and whos sound identical, but they perform very different roles in english. Mignon fogarty, whose popular podcasts have been downloaded over twenty million times and whose first book, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing, was a new york times bestseller. Pdf grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better. The idea that theirs needs an apostrophe comes out of the fact that on virtually every other word, s indicates possession, so english speakers sometimes think theirs should be spelled theirs. The detective was trying to figure out whos whose car was used in the escape. Whose for inanimate objects grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Funny grammar shirt are we here yet school book screen printed tshirt tee shirt. The difference between whose and whos grammar lesson. This is a grammar lesson on the difference between whose and whos.
Each entry starts with a simple explanation and basic examples before moving to reallife, entertaining examples. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. For practical convenience, treat it as a possessive for use when describing something belonging to or associated with some pe. Use of who correctly with pronunciation in english grammar. Apr 12, 2012 the rule 2 of apostrophes referenced in our response of december 18, 2012, to maddie was part of the 10th edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Get grammar girls take on the devate of who versus that. People confuse these two words when writing because they sound the same when speakingand, as always, thats confusing. This guide is accessible to all, whether writing is limited to texting and emailing or. Whomever who, that, which adjectives and adverbs prepositions effective writing. Rather, grammar defines the logic of a language, and how it creates meaning. Advanced fill in each blank with who, whom, or whose. As i have mentioned in other posts, the concept of a possessive pronoun can be confusing for an english learner. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing.
Amber, igor, and miss hamrick dreamed up that and which when they wanted to refer to inanimate objects and abstractions. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for students is a complete and comprehensive guide to all things grammar from grammar girl, a. Grammar girl presents the ultimate writing guide for. Named to the international reading associations 2012 teachers choice book list. That grammar rules common grammar mistakes problem words generally.
Grammar girls 101 troublesome words youll master in no time. If there is only one book in all the world that brags about life, or if you have previously described a book as bragging about life and are referring to it again, the definite article is correct. After realizing her fans were asking the same questions over and over, mignon decided to focus her attention on those words that continuously confound the masses. Chicago tribune, dont get carried away on national grammar day, february 2008 a more levelheaded grammatical authority is mignon fogarty known to her web visitors and podcast listeners as. The grammar instruction was a mix of things i already knew its vs. Learn how to make plural words possessive, how to make words that end in s plural, and what to do about abbreviations. A the domino theory, who stated that when one country fell to communism, others in the area would likely fall, was. It s possible to use who instead of whom in many cases. Dec 22, 2016 explore realgrammargirls board grammar girl. Whos is a contraction linking the words who is or who has, and whose is the possessive form of who. Remember that contracted words should not be used in. However, this is always incorrect theirs is the only correct spelling.