How to Use “Who” and “Whom” Correctly

The correct use of who and whom in questions and statements is still being debated among overly cautious English teachers. However, proper usage is still important in official situations and especially in official writing. After reading this article, you will feel more comfortable distinguishing who and whom correctly, which will make you appear more educated and make your speech more precise.

Using Who and Whom Appropriately

Understand the difference between who and whom.

Both who and whom are relative pronouns. However, who is used as the subject of a sentence or clause, to indicate the person who is doing something (eg he or she ). In contrast, whom is used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or preposition.

1. Although prepositions ( at, by, for, in, with, etc. ) often precede whom, this is not always the case. So, the main question is to ask, Who is doing what to whom? (Who did who?) Answers are a quick way to determine which pronoun to use in a particular question. Also Read: Know 5 Tricks How to Bind a Book?

Use who when referring to the subject of a sentence or clause.

1. Who went to dinner?
2. Who brought the paper inside?
3. Our job is to determine who qualifies.
4. Who ate the cake?
5. Who talked to you today?

Use whom when referring to the object of a verb or preposition.

1. To whom it may concern:
2. Whom does Sarah love?
3. To whom did you talk today?

Ask yourself if the answer to the question is he/she or him/her

If you can answer the question with him/her, use whom. This is easy to remember because they both end in m. If you can answer the question with he/she, use who. How to Say I Love You in Swedish?

1. Example: The correct answer to the question, “To [ who or whom ] did the prize go?” is, “It went to him/her”. (It would be incorrect to say “It went to he/she.” ) The correct pronoun for the question is whom.
2. Example: The correct answer to the question, “[ Who or Whom ] went to the store?” is, “He/She went to the store.” (It would be incorrect to say “Him/Her went to the store.” ) The correct pronoun for the question is who.

When trying to determine the correct who or whom, simplify sentences. 

When the other words in a complex sentence confuse you, simplify the sentence so that it only has a basic subject, verb, and object. This simplification helps you get rid of the words in your head to identify word relationships. For example: How to Pronounce High School in Spanish

1. “Marie Antoinette and her ladies-in-waiting only invited people to their party [who atau whom] they considered to love parties as much as they did.” Versi sederhananya di dalam pikiran Anda menjadi: “whom they considered.”
2. “Marie Antoinette prevented her mother from knowing [ who or whom ] she was invited to the Petit Trianon.” The simple version in your head becomes: “[ who or whom ] she invited.” Then, you can rearrange it again as: “she invited whom ” , clarifying that she did something to whom (the person who was invited).

The distinction between who and whom in spoken language is not as important as in official written language.

It is possible that the distinction will someday erode. However, for now, it is important to distinguish between the two in written language.

Suggestion for All ArticleSpringer Family:

1. Here’s a helpful reminder to remember objects and subjects; If you say “I love you”, you are the object of your affection and the object of the sentence. I is the subject. “[Whom or Who] do I love?” is “Whom do I love?” because the answer, you, is an object.

2. Learning who and whom can help with grammar and understanding other languages. Also, these are good things to know if you want to speak English fluently and write proper sentences.

3. Ask yourself who did what to whom? (who did it to whom)

4. It is possible to write problems involving who and whom, but the results are almost always odd. If you write, “To which person did the prize go?” since you can’t remember that whom is the correct pronoun for the question, you’ll avoid grammatical errors, even if the result isn’t graceful.

5. When who or whom appears in a clause, the choice depends on whether the pronoun functions as the subject or object in the clause, whether the clause itself functions as the subject or object in the complete sentence.

6. Learning another language can be very helpful. In many languages, using who when you should use whom can cause great confusion. Good examples are German or Spanish.

7. CCAE ( Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education ) recommends always using who to start a sentence.

Caution About This:

1. There is a lot of confusion and misuse in this topic. Just as using whom makes others think you are smart, using it incorrectly makes you look haughty. Never use whom as a subject pronoun. This usage is wrong, just like using who when you should use whom. Many people will mistake you for being formal.
2. “Who are you?” is wrong. Should be “Who are you?”
3. “John is the man whom I expect to be awarded the prize” adalah salah. Seharusnya adalah “John is the man who I expect to be awarded the prize”.