Who’s on first? - Perplexing possessives

Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

Who’s on first?
Perplexing possessives

WHOSE VERSUS WHO’S

Closely related to the issue with it’s and its is the matter of whose and who’s. Same song, second verse. These pronouns are already possessives without apostrophes: his, her, hers, your, yours, my, mine, our, ours, their, theirs, whose, and its. Adding an apostrophe in any of these pronouns is overkill, over the top, incorrect. So stop it.

The pronoun whose shows ownership: “Whose workbook is lying in the training room?” Who’s, on the other hand, is a contraction of who is.

Incorrect:

Who’s building is located across the freeway?

Correct:

Whose building is located across the freeway?

Incorrect:

Whose going to the seminar on Friday?

Correct:

Who’s (who is) going to the seminar on Friday?

Memory tip

Substitute who is in the sentence. If the substitution works, use who’s.