Whose
The word whose is possessive, and it is often used as an adjective, which is a word that describes or clarifies a noun or a pronoun. It describes who owns something.
Traditionally, whose was only used to describe a person or several persons, as in “Sarah, whose dog is cute, just arrived.” In this case, whose indicates which person’s (Sarah’s) dog we’re talking about.
- Whose dog chewed up my homework?
- You and whose army!?
- The ring came from a fire whose light was as bright as a star.
- When I figure out whose paper this is, I’ll sign it.
Over time, it’s become grammatically acceptable to use whose to describe things belonging to inanimate objects and places, as well.
- “New York is a city whose lights burn brightly all night long.” Here, the lights belong to the city.