How do you use the word "who" in a sentence?

Q: How do you use the word "who" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "who": Every person who is alone is alone because they are afraid of others. I don't have anyone who'd travel with me.

Who Meaning

/huː/

Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

pronWhat person or people; which person or people; asks for the identity of someone; used in a direct or indirect question.

pronIntroduces a relative clause having a human antecedent., With antecedent as subject.

Sentence Examples

Every person who is alone is alone because they are afraid of others.

I don't have anyone who'd travel with me.

She treats the people who work for her as her equals.

CEFR Practice Quiz

The person ____ stole my phone from the office is my next door neighbor.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

Do you know exactly ____ the person sitting in the corner is? I have never seen him before.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English who, hwo, huo, wha, hwoa, hwa, from Old English hwā (dative hwām, genitive hwæs), from Proto-West Germanic *hwaʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, *kʷís. The sound change /hw/ > /h/ (without a corresponding change in spelling) was due to wh-cluster reduction after an irregular change of /ɑː/ to /oː/ in Middle English (instead of the expected /ɔː/) and further to /uː/ regularly in Early Modern English. A similar change occurred in two. Compare how, which underwent wh-reduction earlier (in Old English), and thus is spelt with h. Compare Scots wha, West Frisian wa, Dutch wie, Low German we, German wer, Swedish vem, Danish hvem, Norwegian Bokmål hvem, Norwegian Nynorsk kven, Icelandic hver.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Ia[go]. Hee’s married. Caſ[ſio]. To who? […] Ia[go]. Marry to. ---- Come Captaine, will you goe? Oth[ello]. Ha, with who?" — c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 8:

"Chorban: I don't really think my scanning disturbs them, but the authorities might disagree. Chorban: I'd like to do it more openly, but it's not really worth getting arrested over. Shepard: I could help you out. I'm not worried about the authorities. Chorban: I don't even know who you are." — 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:

"Despite personal schisms and differences in spiritual experience, there is a very coherent theology of Snape shared between the wives. To examine this manifestation of religious fandom, I will first discuss the canon scepticism and anti-Rowling sentiment that helps to contextualise the wider belief in Snape as a character who extends beyond book and film." — 2014 March 3, Zoe Alderton, “‘Snapewives’ and ‘Snapeism’: A Fiction-Based Religion within the Harry Potter Fandom”, in Religions, volume 5, number 1, MDPI, →DOI, pages 219–257:

"Who steals my purse steals trash." — c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

"A wham-bam caper flick, efficiently directed by Roger Donaldson, that fancifully revisits the mysterious whos and speculative hows of a 1971 London bank heist." — 2008 March 21, The New York Times, “Movie Guide and Film Series”, in New York Times:

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