Who is correct? Yes. But it depends whom you ask.
Who is used as a subject. Whom is used as an object.
As simple and important as that rule is, many people have difficulty deciding on the proper usage of “who” and “whom” in sentences.
The two sentences below show that “who” is clearly the subject and “whom” is clearly the object.
Who is that girl? (“Who” = subject)
The students, six of whom are girls, understand “who” and “whom”. (“Whom” = object)
However, when “who” is not the main subject of the sentence, many people will easily become confused.
It was Teacher Melody, I think, who taught us how to use “who” and “whom”.
“Who,” not “whom,” is still the correct form as the subject. The proper name, Teacher Melody, can be substituted for “who.”
Teacher Melody taught us how to use “who” and “whom”.
To check such sentences, simply change the personal pronoun “he/him” or “she/her” for “who/whom”. If he or she is correct, the proper choice is “who”. If “him” or “her” is correct, use “whom”.
Even when the word order must be altered slightly, you can use this technique.
Joyce is the girl who got the job. (She got the job.)
Mrs. Dimwit saw the doctor whom she met in Seattle. (She met him in Seattle.)
The students argued as to who they thought might win. (They thought he might win.)
Whom can we turn to when we need help? (Can we turn to her?)
Footnotes
This is a just a basic set of rules for using ‘who’ and ‘whom’. It is designed to help ESL students.
Remember!
There are always exceptions to every rule. If you are not certain about the usage, ask your teacher.
I created this blog to help ESL students.
All of the articles on this blog are just basic rules.
If you leave comments, I will know what you want me to post.
If you are not sure about something on my blog, or English in general, ask.
No comments:
Post a Comment