# Who's rule is this and whose responsible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941 "2005-09-16T08:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/1 "2005-09-16T08:04:11Z")
Yah, that’s right, I’ve started a pit thread on the use of “who’s” and “whose” because I just can’t believe that a crowd as intelligent as the Dopers can’t get this very simple thing right. I mean, COME ON PEOPLE, it’s not that complicated. I see it every day on this board. In fact, just today in Great Debates: "Or people in Mississippi who’s houses were totally destroyed … " and "… a man who’s every single job so far has been political messaging … " Here’s how they translate: “Or people in Mississippi who is houses were totally destroyed …” and " … a man who is every single job so far has been political messaging … " Does that make any sense to you? Yah, me either. Go ahead, defend this horrible misuse of the English language and criticize my disgust over it. See if I care. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/2 "2005-09-16T08:07:36Z")
Your right. Its inexcusable. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/3 "2005-09-16T08:37:54Z")
> [@uglybeech](#): > > Your right. Its inexcusable. Aaaaaaaaarrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/4 "2005-09-16T10:53:19Z")
Their the same people who just want to illicit a responce from you. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/5 "2005-09-16T11:08:47Z")
I could care less. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/6 "2005-09-16T11:15:44Z")
Oh come on. For all intensive purposes the pronounciations are the exact same, and you know what the person means irregardless. You must just get mad real easy. ---
**Author:** ![Exploding\_Kitchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c89c15/32.png) [@Exploding\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exploding_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/7 "2005-09-16T11:16:42Z")
Me fail english? That’s unpossible! ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/8 "2005-09-16T11:25:07Z")
Who cares, not me. I hyperbolically assert that it is not I who care, but Abbott and Costello’s humorously-named second baseman. Object case of the first person pronoun is used with the elided verb “to be”, c.f _C’est moi_ in French. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/9 "2005-09-16T11:31:04Z")
Sorry, my grammer was wrong. I should of said, “their the same people who just want to illicit a respone from u.” ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/10 "2005-09-16T12:17:32Z")
Everybody knows that Who’s means mine. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/11 "2005-09-16T13:00:55Z")
> [@Roland Orzabal](#): > > Oh come on. For all intensive purposes the pronounciations are the exact same, and you know what the person means irregardless. You must just get mad real easy. That’s not the case at all. To me it is indicative of a larger literacy problem. Oh, wait, we’ve had this argument before and I was widely denounced for saying that it was indicative of a larger literacy problem. So please, feel free to disregard what I’m saying. You may all continue to make yourselves look stupid at your leisure. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/12 "2005-09-16T13:03:01Z")
I’m with ya **Marge**. Bugs the holy bejeezus out of me. Where do people learn to write these days, would someone tell me? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/13 "2005-09-16T13:03:19Z")
And yes, I did note the sarcastic tone in your response (and all of the errors). Nonetheless, you were being ostentatious about it whereas most people get upset when they are corrected on the most basic errors. If they’re happy being stupid, then I’ll continue to be happy calling them on it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/14 "2005-09-16T13:03:25Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > Yah, that’s right, I’ve started a pit thread on the use of “who’s” and “whose” because I just can’t believe that a crowd as intelligent as the Dopers can’t get this very simple thing right. > > I mean, COME ON PEOPLE, it’s not that complicated. > > I see it every day on this board. In fact, just today in Great Debates: "Or people in Mississippi who’s houses were totally destroyed … " > > and "… a man who’s every single job so far has been political messaging … " > Here’s how they translate: “Or people in Mississippi who is houses were totally destroyed …” > > and " … a man who is every single job so far has been political messaging … " > > Does that make any sense to you? Yah, me either. > > Go ahead, defend this horrible misuse of the English language and criticize my disgust over it. See if I care. 😛 :eek: Run! Its teh Spehling Notsee! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/15 "2005-09-16T13:24:24Z")
> [@Large Marge](#): > > Yah, that’s right Yeah. What the fuck is “Yah”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/16 "2005-09-16T13:25:07Z")
OK. Whose = possession. Who’s = who is. Got it. My bad. I knew that at one point too… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/17 "2005-09-16T13:26:04Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > And yes, I did note the sarcastic tone in your response (and all of the errors). And somehow, you still managed to get whooshed. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/18 "2005-09-16T13:27:14Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Sorry, my grammer was wrong. I should of said, “their the same people who just want to illicit a respone from u.” No, you should have said “their the same people who just want too illicit a response from you.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/19 "2005-09-16T13:27:49Z")
**Marge** , I’m with you in theory, but I have to say, solecistic shit happens. Of course, if a person does it every freaking time, then yeah, they could stand to get with the program. That said, the SDMB is better than just about any other message board I’ve ever seen in this respect. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941/20 "2005-09-16T13:28:49Z")
The funny thing is that I see similar errors in print all the time. Even in books which ought to have better editing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-rule-is-this-and-whose-responsible/321941.md?page=2)