[Grammar] Who and Whom

[Gilles L]

Dear teacher,
which of the preposition is correct in the following sentence?

Mr Johnson is the one who/whom was chosen to be the chairman of the company.

I am having difficulty differentiating objective from subjective

Thank you

 

[bhaisahab]

Dear teacher,
which of the preposition is correct in the following sentence?

Mr Johnson is the one who/whom was chosen to be the chairman of the company.

I am having difficulty differentiating objective from subjective

Thank you

Use "who".

 

[Gilles L]

thank you for your answer. Can you please give me with the objective and subjective modes ? I realize the understanding of those principles have an impact on how to use who and whom. Thank you.

 

[bhaisahab]

thank you for your answer. Can you please give me with the objective and subjective modes ? I realize the understanding of those principles have an impact on how to use who and whom. Thank you.

You are probably never going to need to use "whom".

 

[SoothingDave]

I would guess that the vast majority of native speakers never use the word "whom," unless they are reciting some set phrase (like "for whom the bell tolls") or being deliberately formal.

If you want to speak like a native, forget the word exists.

That said, if the word you are looking for is the actor of a verb, then it is the subject. Use "who" like you would use "he" or "I."

Who wants some ice cream? I want some ice cream.

If the word is the thing being acted upon by a verb, or the object of a preposition, then it is an object. Use "whom" like you would "him" or "me."

Give the ball to me. To whom should I give the ball?

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello,


May this non-teacher commend you for wanting to know the difference between "who" and "whom."

I hope that you will continue to study the difference until you are able to use those two words -- especially in

writing.

I think that I am able to use it correctly most (not all) of the time.

It is only my opinion that knowing the difference will add to your self-confidence in using the language and that many

readers will respect you for showing that you know the difference.

*****

Obviously, in a post it is impossible to discuss such a difficult topic.

May I just leave you with three points?

1. If it is the subject, you must use it:

a. I am pretty sure that I know the name of the candidate who will win the election on November 6.

i. Obviously, you could not say: I am pretty sure that I know the name of the candidate will win ....

2. If it is the object, then you can omit it sometimes.



a. I know the name of the girl whom you love.

i. You could say: I know the name of the girl you love.

3. But if it is the object of a preposition, you cannot omit it:

a. Whom do you live with? With whom do you live? (That is: You do live with whom.)

Remember: ***** NOT A TEACHER *****


James

 

[5jj]

It is only my opinion that knowing the difference will add to your self-confidence in using the language and that many readers will respect you for showing that you know the difference.

This is simply not true of British English. Because of my age and education, I am a 'whom'-user, even, sometimes, in speech, but I am aware that this sounds very stilted to some speakers. There are far more important things for learners to worry about than how a minority of native speakers use 'whom'.

 

[Tdol]

I think the only time whom is required nowadays is after a preposition - to whom it may concern. The rest of the time, it's optional. I use it in formal language and rarely elsewhere.

 

[Rover_KE]

Which [STRIKE]of the[/STRIKE] preposition is correct in the following sentence?

Note that 'who/whom' are pronouns - not prepositions.

Rover

 

[Mohammadhelmi]

Mr Johnson is the one who was chosen to be the chairman of the company.
I prefer who instead whom.

who and whom are both refer to people.
who refers to the subject, whereas whom refers to the object.

 

[5jj]

Mr Johnson is the one who was chosen to be the chairman of the company.
I prefer who instead whom.

Good. 'Whom' is incorrect.

who and whom [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] both refer to people.
who refers to the subject, whereas whom refers to the object.

Fine, but as four native speakers (three of them teachers) have said, most people do not use 'whom' except after a preposition. Even then, most of us say, for example, "Who should I give the ball to" rather than "To whom should I give the ball?"

 

[emsr2d2]

Mr Johnson is the one who was chosen to be the chairman of the company.
I prefer who instead of whom.

"Who" and "whom" [STRIKE]are[/STRIKE] both refer to people.
Who refers to the subject, whereas whom refers to the object.

As an English teacher, Mohammedhelmi, please ensure that you use correct capitalisation etc in all your posts. The learners will look to your posts as being examples of correct English.

 

[Tdol]

who refers to the subject, whereas whom refers to the object.

This is a view, but usage does not reflect it- who can be used for the object in a lot of cases.