Automattic / Automattic/harper

Need to flag `that's` used as a possessive relative pronoun instead of `whose`

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bug grammar
Dominant language
Rust
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Description

Some people feel that using "whose" with inanimate subjects is wrong, but it's not. `That's` is only a contraction of "that is" or "that has".

I just heard this on YouTube for the second time in less than a week. I didn't collect the first one but here's the second:

> And how could we forget "I am rich", which was a thousand dollar app **that's** pure function was to literally just flex.

Here's some other ways to avoid `that'` in such sentences:

- "...an app, the pure function of which was to literally just flex."
- "...a thousand-dollar app with the pure function of literally just flexing."
- "...a thousand-dollar app functioning purely to literally just flex."
- "...a purely functional thousand-dollar app built to literally just flex."

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

No file, test, or entry point is named in the issue. Start by locating the grammar-checking rule definitions for possessive relative pronouns, then add coverage for `that's` used where `whose` is intended and verify that contractions of “that is” or “that has” are not flagged.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
58/100

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