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I was wondering if it is correct to repeat "whose" after "and"? More precisely, assume I want do describe an object, say a chair of width 50cm and height 1 meter. Then which of the following is correct:

This is a chair whose width is 50cm and whose height is 1 meter.

or

This is a chair whose width is 50cm and its height is 1 meter.

or of course none of the above!

tchrist
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MikeL
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1 Answers1

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The first reads better to me: it's well-constructed, and repeating the 'whose' clarifies the sentence, although it could be shortened to "... whose width is 50cm and height 1 meter". The second sentence is really two statements, as if you're saying "This is a chair whose width is 50cm. And its height is 1 meter."

David Garner
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  • Thanks a lot for your prompt answer. Just to make sure, can I shorten the second sentence by removing the verb is without making it grammatically incorrect (as you did)? – MikeL Feb 13 '15 at 09:25
  • Yes you can, but it might be regarded as rather poetic, as in "To err is human, to forgive [is] divine." I've forgotten the name for this structure - someone will tell us. For clarity, I'd go with your first sentence. – David Garner Feb 13 '15 at 09:26
  • We can use "comments" to post our opinions, instead. – Kris Feb 13 '15 at 11:48
  • Sorry, Kris, where did I err? – David Garner Feb 13 '15 at 14:02
  • @DavidGarner How do you feel about "... chair whose ...", though? I was about to ask my own question: "whom is to whose as which is to ...?" Colloquially we hear "chair thats" or the even more awkward "chair whichs", but I do not believe either to be correct. – OJFord Feb 07 '16 at 05:20
  • @OllieFord I think " ... chair whose ..." is correct. I'd never thought about this before, but 'which' doesn't have a [one-word] possessive form except 'whose'. In order to stick to 'which', you'd have to say "The chair of which the width is ..." which is terribly clumsy. Likewise 'that' used as a relative pronoun doesn't have a possessive "that" or "that's". But you could simplify the whole thing by skipping relative pronouns: The chair of width 50 cm and height 1 meter." – David Garner Feb 07 '16 at 18:49