This is an incredibly small aspect of the English language, and not a particualarly important one, but I see a few people messing it up, so I thought a nice little guide might come in handy on the off-chance it might be used. I almost don't expect this to get read, but I live in hope. :3
If in doubt, just use 'Who'.
The 'whom'/'who' thing is a tiny little thing, like Latin plurals, that, frankly, most people won't notice and even more won't care. The only real mistake you can make is to go for 'whom' and get it wrong. It looks like you're trying to get it right - and failing. Using 'who', even when technically incorrectly, is nowhere near so jarring. Apart from anything else, 'whom' can appear dated, especially because it can change word order.
So, what's the difference?
I appreciate that not everybody understands the terms 'subject' and 'object' in grammar - my understanding is pretty shallow, having basically reverse-engineered English while learning foreign languages.
To put it another way...
Whether you use 'who' or 'whom' depends on the relationship that word has with a verb. A verb is a doing or being word, and is the main action in the sentence. I've highlighted the verb in this sentence:
The verb is the action in this sentence. It is what's actually happening.
So, the subject and the object - who is who?
In this sentence, Jig is the subject, because he is doing the greeting. By the same token, the postman is the object, because Jig is greeting him.
Now we know roughly what subjects and objects are, let's have another look at 'who' and 'whom'.
If, in the above sentence, Jig is the subject, then the word 'who' will apply to him.
And the same applies to the postman, but using 'whom' instead, because he is the one being greeted.
It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, but it's very easy to accidentally get it wrong. You'll also notice that sentences with 'who' and 'whom' in them sometimes word themselves a little differently, as in the above examples.
Working it out
These are the three steps to getting it right.
To be or not to be
Last thing: verbs derived from 'to be' (such as am, are, was, will be, have been) always take 'who', even when it seems illogical. Also note that if somebody is having an action done to them via the verb 'to be', 'to be' is the still the main verb, and so you should use who. For example:
Even though the main action seems to be 'being greeted', it's actually 'is'. This is because 'greeted' is technically an adjective (word describing a noun) in this sentence. I can't explain why without going into appalling levels of detail, so just remember that 'whom is' is always wrong. If you're using a form of 'to be', you always want to use 'who'.
Hopefully that's everything explained. As I say, I don't really expect this guide to get much use, but it's a mistake I do see, so maybe this will help one or two people out. If you have any questions, holla.
And don't forget - just use 'who' if you're not sure. Seriously. It's fine.
If in doubt, just use 'Who'.
The 'whom'/'who' thing is a tiny little thing, like Latin plurals, that, frankly, most people won't notice and even more won't care. The only real mistake you can make is to go for 'whom' and get it wrong. It looks like you're trying to get it right - and failing. Using 'who', even when technically incorrectly, is nowhere near so jarring. Apart from anything else, 'whom' can appear dated, especially because it can change word order.
So, what's the difference?
- 'Who' applies to a person/people that is the subject of the sentence
- 'Whom' applies to a person/people that is the object of the sentence
I appreciate that not everybody understands the terms 'subject' and 'object' in grammar - my understanding is pretty shallow, having basically reverse-engineered English while learning foreign languages.
To put it another way...
Whether you use 'who' or 'whom' depends on the relationship that word has with a verb. A verb is a doing or being word, and is the main action in the sentence. I've highlighted the verb in this sentence:
Jig greets the postman.
The verb is the action in this sentence. It is what's actually happening.
So, the subject and the object - who is who?
- The subject is the person/thing that is doing the verb
- The object is the person/thing that is having the verb done to them
Jig greets the postman.
In this sentence, Jig is the subject, because he is doing the greeting. By the same token, the postman is the object, because Jig is greeting him.
Now we know roughly what subjects and objects are, let's have another look at 'who' and 'whom'.
- 'Who' applies to a person/people that is the subject of the sentence
- 'Whom' applies to a person/people that is the object of the sentence
If, in the above sentence, Jig is the subject, then the word 'who' will apply to him.
Who greeted the postman? Jig greeted the postman.
Jig, who earlier greeted the postman, then went to the shops.
Jig, who earlier greeted the postman, then went to the shops.
And the same applies to the postman, but using 'whom' instead, because he is the one being greeted.
Whom did Jig greet? Jig greeted the postman.
The postman, whom Jig earlier greeted, then went to deliver some post.
The postman, whom Jig earlier greeted, then went to deliver some post.
It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it, but it's very easy to accidentally get it wrong. You'll also notice that sentences with 'who' and 'whom' in them sometimes word themselves a little differently, as in the above examples.
Working it out
These are the three steps to getting it right.
- Work out to whom you're referring by 'who' or 'whom'
- Work out whether they are doing the verb or having it done to them
- If they're doing the verb, use 'who'. If they're having it done to them, use 'whom'
To be or not to be
Last thing: verbs derived from 'to be' (such as am, are, was, will be, have been) always take 'who', even when it seems illogical. Also note that if somebody is having an action done to them via the verb 'to be', 'to be' is the still the main verb, and so you should use who. For example:
The postman, who is being greeted.
Even though the main action seems to be 'being greeted', it's actually 'is'. This is because 'greeted' is technically an adjective (word describing a noun) in this sentence. I can't explain why without going into appalling levels of detail, so just remember that 'whom is' is always wrong. If you're using a form of 'to be', you always want to use 'who'.
Hopefully that's everything explained. As I say, I don't really expect this guide to get much use, but it's a mistake I do see, so maybe this will help one or two people out. If you have any questions, holla.
And don't forget - just use 'who' if you're not sure. Seriously. It's fine.
2x Thank
