by who(m)-passive

aysaa · Oct 1, 2012

Hi,

Question 1:

A : He was murdered
B : By who? / By whom? / Who by? / Whom by?

Question 2:

By whom was America discovered?
Who was America discovered by?

In the first example, I chose 'by who' or 'by whom'.
In the second example, I prefer the second.

Could you please tell me your opinion?

Thanks.

bhaisahab · Oct 1, 2012

aysaa said:
Hi,

Question 1:

A : He was murdered
B : By who? / By whom? / [STRIKE]Who by? / Whom by?[/STRIKE]

Question 2:

By whom was America discovered?
Who was America discovered by?

In the first example, I chose 'by who' or 'by whom'.
In the second example, I prefer the second.

Could you please tell me your opinion?

Thanks.

In question 2 "By whom was America discovered?" is correct. More natural would be "Who discovered America?"

aysaa · Oct 1, 2012

I have always seen this expanation from the teachers on net such as (by) who / whom ...? [question using passive voice] - WordReference Forums

By whom was the book written? (extremely formal)
and
Who was the book written by? (everyday speech and writing).

Thanks.

Barb_D · Oct 2, 2012

aysaa said:
Who was the book written by? (everyday speech and writing).

But even more natural: Who wrote this book?

by who(m)-passive

aysaa

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aysaa

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