Who Vs Whom

Who and Whom Understanding the Difference

Who vs Whom

Who and whom are pronouns that refer to people. In formal English who is used to replace a subject while whom is used to replace an object. To distinguish between who and whom use this rule of thumb:

Who and whom:

  • Use “who” when you can replace it with “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.
    • Example: Who broke the window?
    • Explanation: We use “who” because we can replace it with “he,” as in “he broke the window.”
  • Use “whom” when you can replace it with “him,” “her,” “them,” etc.
    • Example: To whom did you give the book?
    • Explanation: We use “whom” because we can replace it with “him,” as in “Did you give the book to him?”

Who And Whom In Formal English

English learners are sometimes confused when using who and whom. Here is what you need to know:

Who

Example 1:

  •  Who is the teacher? Leila is the teacher.
  • Explanation: In this question, “who” functions as the subject since Leila can replace it.

Example 2:

  • Leila, who is the English teacher, will give a talk about human rights.
  • Explanation: In the relative clause “who is the English teacher”, “who” functions as the subject since Leila can replace it.

Example 3:

  • The senators who supported the president are happy with the new bill.
  • Explanation →In the relative clause “who supported the president”, “who” functions as the subject since it can be replaced by The senators.

Whom

Example 1:

  • You have met Alan.
  • Whom have you met?
  • This is Alan, whom I believe you have already met.
  • Explanation: In these examples, “whom” replaces the object “Alan”.

Example 2:

  • Nancy can ask her husband for help.
  • Whom can she ask for help?
  • Her husband, whom she can ask for help, is on a trip.
  • Explanation: In the above examples, “whom” replaces the object “her husband.”
Who And Whom Illustration
Who And Whom Illustration

Example Sentences With Who and Whom

  • Who is the person standing at the door?
  • The artist who painted this mural is internationally renowned.
  • Who will accompany you to the event tonight?
  • I have a friend who enjoys hiking in the mountains.
  • Who told you about the surprise party?
  • Whom did she invite to the wedding?
  • The manager, whom you met last week, is coming to the meeting.
  • Whom did they appoint as the new director?
  • This is the colleague whom I recommended for the job.
  • Whom are you planning to bring to the movie night?

Who And Whom In Informal English

While in traditional grammar who is used as a subjective pronoun and whom as an objective pronoun, as explained above, in informal English, the normal practice is to use who in both cases (as subjective and objective pronouns), thus replacing whom in the contexts where the latter was traditionally used.

Examples:

  • Formal: To whom did you offer the book? (Formal English)
  • Informal: Who did you offer the book to? (Informal English)
  • Formal: To whom should I address this letter?
  • Informal: Who should I address this letter to?
  • Formal: From whom did you receive this information?
  • Informal: Who did you receive this information from?
  • Formal: To whom are you indebted for your success?
  • Informal: Who are you indebted to for your success?
  • Formal: For whom did you bake this cake?
  • Informal: Who did you bake this cake for?
  • Formal: To whom were these instructions given?
  • Informal: Who were these instructions given to?

More about who vs. whom here.

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Tags: Grammar FundamentalsPronouns
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