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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Of which VS Whose
Which are incorrect?
And when can I use 'whose' instead of 'of which'?
1a. It was a war, which the effect of still continues.
1b. It was a war, the effect of which still continues.
1c. It was a war, whose effect still continues.
2a. I saw the collection of beer bottles, which I drank two of.
2b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, (only) two of which I drank.
2c. I saw the collection of beer bottles, whose (only) two I drank.
3a. I saw the collection of beer bottles, which two of were mine.
3b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, two of which were mine.
3c. I saw the collection of beer bottles, whose two were mine.
Thanks
And when can I use 'whose' instead of 'of which'?
1a. It was a war, which the effect of still continues.
1b. It was a war, the effect of which still continues.
1c. It was a war, whose effect still continues.
2a. I saw the collection of beer bottles, which I drank two of.
2b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, (only) two of which I drank.
2c. I saw the collection of beer bottles, whose (only) two I drank.
3a. I saw the collection of beer bottles, which two of were mine.
3b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, two of which were mine.
3c. I saw the collection of beer bottles, whose two were mine.
Thanks
Top answer
These are OK as amended: 1b. It was a war the effect of which still continues. 1c.
- These are OK as amended: 1b.
- It was a war the effect of which still continues.
- 1c.
- It was a war whose effect still continues.
- 2b.
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7 Answers
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These are OK as amended:
1b. It was a war the effect of which still continues.
1c. It was a war whose effect still continues.
2b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, (only) two of which I drank.
3b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, two of which were mine.
Some people don't like 'whose' referring to non-humans, and they go to great lengths to avoid it. It does
1b. It was a war the effect of which still continues.
1c. It was a war whose effect still continues.
2b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, (only) two of which I drank.
3b. I saw the collection of beer bottles, two of which were mine.
Some people don't like 'whose' referring to non-humans, and they go to great lengths to avoid it. It does
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Thanks a lot.
Any reason why 2a is incorrect? I'm sure I've heard it, maybe read it...
Any reason why 2a is incorrect? I'm sure I've heard it, maybe read it...
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I don't think read it, unless it was representing speech. Yes, I've heard it. It sounds awkward because it is composed linearly, as is most spoken English. That's why I said earlier that it is a thankless task to try to punctuate it or worry about how to punctuate it accurately. Spoken English lacks such marks. If I were to try that one, I would fall back on the m-dash:
...bottles–
...bottles–
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Mister MicawberI guess it's because "of" in (2) and (3) does not have the correct sense of possession (broadly speaking) that "whose" requires?
Offhand, I cannot see the key to why 'whose' works in 1 but not in 2 or 2. Is it the linking verb? Maybe CJ will come along with the answer.
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Mr WordyI guess it's because "of" in (2) and (3) does not have the correct sense of possession (broadly speaking) that "whose" requires?
Ah, yes, that makes sense. Well spotted.
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English 1b3 Which are incorrect?
And when can I use 'whose' instead of 'of which'?
1a. It was a war, which the effect of still continues.
1b. It was a war, the effect of which still continues.
1c. It was a war, whose effect still continues.
2a. I saw the collection of beer bottles, which I drank two of.
2b. I saw the
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