[General] whosever??

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Katy Choi

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I've learned about wh-ever, and they said, "whosever is whoever's possessive case and whomever is the objective case of whoever." Then, can I say ,"whosever book it is,
I will borrow it" or "whosever it was, it is mine now"? could you give me some examples with whosever and whomever?
 

5jj

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I've learned about wh-ever, and they said, "whosever is whoever's possessive case and
Who said that? Ask them why they used "whoever's" two words later.
 

birdeen's call

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Who said that? Ask them why they used "whoever's" two words later.
Using "whosever" instead of "whoever's" would make no sense in this case. What they meant is

Whosever is the possessive case of the word whoever.

or

Whosever is (the word whoever)'s possessive case.

The word "whoever" is not equal to whomever. Or something like this. Anyway, their usage isn't inconsistent.
 
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birdeen's call

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IThen, can I say ,"whosever book it is,
I will borrow it" or "whosever it was, it is mine now"? could you give me some examples with whosever and whomever?
Your sentences are correct.

Note that "whosever" is a very rare word. "Whomever" is more frequent but also rare. For examples, have a look here: CORPORA: 45-425 million words each: free online access

Note also that there is a word similar to "whosever", namely "whosoever". They don't mean the same thing.
 

Katy Choi

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well,, To use wh-ever, I'd better study harder. Do you know any books about wh- ever for this grammar tips ,or websites?
 
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