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Difficulty: EasyFrequently Confused Words

The geologist who's research focused on seismic activity discovered a new fault line near the mountain range.

Which choice is the correct word to use in the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. whoseAnswer
  3. C
    who is
  4. D
    whos'

Answer

whose
The correct answer is the possessive pronoun 'whose'. In this sentence, the relative pronoun must show possession over the noun 'research' (meaning the research of the geologist). The contraction 'who's' represents 'who is' or 'who has', which creates an ungrammatical construction when substituted ('the geologist who is research').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined word 'who's' in the context of the sentence: 'The geologist who's research...'
The word modifies 'research' (a noun) to show that the research belongs to the geologist.
We need to determine the grammatical role of the word to choose the correct spelling.
2
Test the contraction 'who's' by expanding it to 'who is' or 'who has' in the sentence.
Expanding the contraction gives 'The geologist who is research...', which does not make sense.
This substitution helps verify whether a contraction or a possessive pronoun is needed.
3
Select the correct possessive pronoun that indicates ownership.
The possessive pronoun 'whose' correctly shows ownership of the research ('The geologist whose research...').
Choosing 'whose' resolves the grammatical error and satisfies the possessive relationship.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between the contraction 'who's' (who is / who has) and the possessive pronoun 'whose'.
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Frequently Confused Words

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