Skip to main content

Who vs. Whom

"Who" and "Whom" are confusing. Most people don't really understand when to use "Whom," and we are going to address that issue so that you can use it confidently when speaking and writing.

"Who" is a subject pronoun that either asks the question of "Which person?" or clarifies which person.
Who did that?
She is the one who was dating Ed.

 "Whom" is "the objective case of "Who" and is properly used where the word functions as an object" (p. 931 The Pocket Oxford American Dictionary of Current English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2002). In the sentences below, you can see that "whom" is the direct object of each sentence. "Whom" is receiving the action of the verb.
To whom did you send the gift card?
My sister is the one of whom you are speaking.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Whole Nother

"A whole nother" is a commonly used phrase. It is a habit that people don't even realize they are doing. The following is an example of the phrase being used in a sentence: She is living in a whole nother world. "Nother" is not a word. To correct this error, you could use "another," "a whole other," "a completely different," "an entirely different," etc. Correct sentences: She is living in an entirely different world. She is living in another world.

Lie vs. Lay

The proper use of "lie" and "lay"   is tough for English speakers to grasp. We get it wrong all of the time. We use forms of "lie" when we mean "lay" and forms of "lay" when we mean "lie." Lie: "to assume a horizontal position on a supporting surface" or to tell a lie. Lay: "to place on a surface." What does it mean to "conjugate?" "To give the different forms of a verb." Let's conjugate "lie" and "lay" so we can understand what form to use when speaking or writing. Conjugation of "lie:" Present                 Past (to take a horizontal position/to tell a lie) (I) lie                                lay/lied (You) lie                          lay/lied (He/She) lies                   lay/lied (We) lie           ...

To Wander vs. To Wonder

Wander: go about from place to place aimlessly; talk or think incoherently (The Oxford Pocket American Dictionary of Current English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2000: p. 919). Example: She wandered the streets of New York with no particular destination in mind. Wonder: desire or be curious to know; to be filled with wonder or great surprise (The Oxford Pocket American Dictionary of Current English. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2000: p. 937). Example: I wonder who is responsible for the recent crimes committed downtown.