/Relative Clauses
B2Relative Clauses

Whose or Whom

1

What is it?

"Whose" and "whom" are both relative pronouns referring to people (and sometimes things), but they serve different functions. "Whose" is the possessive form — it shows that something belongs to the person referred to: "the man whose car broke down." "Whom" is the object form — it refers to a person who receives the action: "the man whom I met." Mixing them up is a very common mistake.

2

How to form it

SubjectPositiveNegativeQuestion
Whose — possessiveThe student whose essay won the prize is in my class.The artist whose work I don't understand is very famous.Do you know the man whose dog bit you?
Whom — objectThe man whom I interviewed was very confident.The candidate whom she didn't select was disappointed.Whom did you invite?
Whose — things (possessive)The company whose shares collapsed was in the news.The building whose roof collapsed was condemned.
Whom after prepositionThe person to whom she reported was very strict.
  • • "Whose" = possessive — ask: "Does something belong to this person/thing?" If yes, use "whose".
  • • "Whom" = object — ask: "Is this person the object of the verb or preposition?" If yes, use "whom".
  • • "Whose" is followed immediately by a noun: "whose car", "whose work", "whose idea".
  • • "Whom" replaces a person who is the object: "I met him" → "the man whom I met".
  • • "Whose" can refer to things as well as people: "a company whose profits fell".
  • • "Who's" (with apostrophe) = "who is" or "who has" — completely different from "whose".
3

When to use it

  1. 1

    "Whose" + noun for possession

    She's the designer whose work I love.

  2. 2

    "Whom" as object of verb

    The doctor whom they appointed is excellent.

  3. 3

    "Whom" after preposition

    The investor for whom the fund was created is very wealthy.

  4. 4

    "Whose" for things (possession)

    They live in a house whose walls are made of glass.

  5. 5

    Do not confuse "whose" with "who's"

    "Who's there?" = "Who is there?" / "The woman whose bag was stolen" = possession.

4

Common mistakes

She is the colleague who's advice I followed.

She is the colleague whose advice I followed.

"Whose" is the possessive form. "Who's" means "who is/has" — that's not possession.

The man whose I met yesterday was very friendly.

The man whom I met yesterday was very friendly.

"Whose" must be followed by a noun. If there's no noun, use "whom".

He is the person whose helped me most.

He is the person who helped me most.

"Whose" shows possession and must be followed by a noun. Here, "who" (subject) is needed.

5

Quick reference

  • "Whose" = possessive. Always followed by a noun.
  • "Whom" = object form. Test: replace with "him/her".
  • "Whose" can refer to things as well as people.
  • "Who's" (apostrophe) = "who is/has" — not the same as "whose".
  • "Whom" is required after prepositions.
  • If the next word is a noun → "whose". If it's a verb → "who" or "whom".
6

Natural conversation example

Two journalists discuss a story they are researching.

E

Ed

Have you spoken to the CEO whose company was investigated?
M

May

I sent a request to the PR manager, whom I've dealt with before.
E

Ed

And the whistleblower — do we know whose account we're working from?
M

May

Yes. It's the former employee whom they tried to discredit last year.
E

Ed

The one whose testimony caused so much controversy?
M

May

Exactly. He's someone whom many people believe but few are willing to quote.
E

Ed

What about the lawyer whose name keeps coming up?
M

May

I know someone to whom she's very close. I'll ask for an introduction.

Practice Exercises

Fill in "whose", "whom", or "who's".

  1. 1.
    The author __ book I'm reading is very talented.
  2. 2.
    The person to __ I reported has left the company.
  3. 3.
    I saw a woman __ dog had run into the road.
  4. 4.
    He is a politician __ everyone has heard of.
  5. 5.
    The scientist, __ research changed our understanding of the disease, is retiring.
  6. 6.
    Do you know __ coming to the meeting?
  7. 7.
    The company __ shares I bought has just gone bankrupt.
  8. 8.
    She is someone __ I have always looked up to.
  9. 9.
    __ laptop is this on the table?
  10. 10.
    The manager for __ the report was written has moved abroad.
Who or WhomAll TopicsRelative Pronoun or Interrogative

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