Page 647 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

626 1
2
why and why not 628 In a fonnal style, whatsoever is sometimes used as an emphatic fonn of
whatever in this structure.
For other uses of whatever and however, see a good dictionary. For who ever, what ever etc, see 624.
For no matter who/what/etc, see 378.
whose: question word with a noun or alone
The question word whose can be used with a noun as a determiner like my, your etc.
Whose car is that outside?
Whose garden do you think looks the nicest? Whose can also be used alone, like mine, yours etc.
Whose is that car outside? Whose is this?- Mine. prepositions
Prepositions can nonnally come either before whose (more fonnal) or at the end of the clause (less formal). See 452 for details.
For whose benefit were all these changes made?
Whose side are you on?
In short questions with no verb, prepositions can only come before whose.
I'm going to buy a car. - With whose money? (NOT Whft8e numey with?) For the relative pronoun whose, see 496. For whose and who's, see 627.
whose and who's
Whose is a possessive word meaning 'ofwhom/which', used in questions and relative clauses. Who's is the contraction of who is or who has. Compare:
- Whose is that coat? (NOT V/h6's is that C6at?)
It was a decision whose importance was not realised at the time. (NOT ••• ttllu/s intpBFtance ...)
- Do you know anybody who's going to France in the next few days? (NOT ••• anyb6dy wh63e gtJing . ..)
I've got a cousin who's never been to London. (NOT ••• wh63e lielief' heen ...) There is a similar confusion between its and it's: see 305.
627
628
1 replies
why and why not
We generally use Why not?, not Why?, in short replies to negative statements. Compare:
They've decided to move to Devon. - Why?
I can't manage tomorrow evening. - Why not?
(More natural than Why?)
Why not? can also be used to agree to a suggestion.
Let's eat out this evening. - Yes, why not?
~
page 615