Four pits have been unearthed, (three of which/three of them) contained gold I wasn’t too sure which was which because I have heard “of which” in this type of context as well as “three of them” but I wasn’t sure which was correct I am pretty sure that it has to do with Idiomatic phrases … Read more
I looked at several related questions (here or here) but still am not sure if this is a correct way to use which: Papers were only kept for the review which explicitly discussed or applied the proposed software. I believe another way to say this would be: Only papers which explicitly discussed or applied the … Read more
I am puzzled by a sentence: A is a function of B, which depends on C. My question is: Which depends on C, A or B? Answer In theory, relative pronouns can refer to any word. So it could be A or B. However, the closest word is usually the most likely candidate. Moreover, if … Read more
We lit a fire whose fuel was old timber wood. Is the word whose referring to fire, an inanimate object, correct in this sentence? Or is there a more appropriate word? Answer The word “whose” is used in several different grammatical ways. For some of these (see my original answer below), it has been grammatical … Read more
Possible Duplicate: Referring to some attribute of an inanimate object — use “who's”? I noticed the use of “whose” in the following sentence I wrote does not refer to a person: A recent post on Less Wrong, Levels of Action, reminded me of a game I created whose dynamics I wanted to explore. I use … Read more
On an online typing tutor site I came across the following phrase: We’re now going to move on to words who’s first letter originates on the top row. Can “who” normally be used in this way (to refer not only to people)? Answer Well, no. The sentence which you quoted must be a typo of: … Read more
I would appreciate your help phrasing the following: I am looking for elements which/whose/… size/sizes is/are relatively large. Answer Whose is the way to go here. Merriam-Webster defines it as follows: of or relating to whom or which especially as possessor or possessors Which wouldn’t work, because it doesn’t indicate possession. It would work, however, … Read more
