Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ at the beginning of a relative clause where you mention something that belongs to or is associated with the person or thing mentioned in the previous clause.
I saw a man shouting at a driver ~ car was blocking the street.
...a speedboat, ~ fifteen-strong crew claimed to belong to China’s navy.
...tourists ~ vacations included an unexpected adventure.
PRON
2.
You use ~ in questions to ask about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with.
Whose was the better performance?...
‘Whose is this?’—‘It’s mine.’...
‘It wasn’t your fault, John.’—‘Whose, then?’...
Whose car were they in?...
QUEST
3.
You use ~ after certain words, especially verbs and adjectives, to introduce a clause where you talk about the person or thing that something belongs to or is associated with.
I’m wondering ~ mother she is then...
I can’t remember ~ idea it was for us to meet again.
DET
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Whose is also a conjunction.
I wondered ~ the coat was...
That kind of person likes to spend money, it doesn’t matter ~ it is.
CONJ