To whom it may concern

[GoldfishLord]

To whom it may concern, My name is Michael Brown. I have been a bird-watcher since childhood. I have always enjoyed watching birds in my yard...

Source: Korean exam.

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1. What does "whom" refer to?
2. Is "to whom it may concern" a shortened form of "to anyone whom it may concern"?

 

[Barque]

To whom it may concern, My name is Michael Brown.

It should be "whomsoever" and "my" shouldn't be capitalised. Yes, "whomsoever" means "anyone".

"To whomsoever it may concern" is used at the beginning of documents that aren't addressed specifically to a single person. What document is this?

 

[GoldfishLord]

To whom it may concern,

My name is Michael Brown. I have been a bird-watcher since childhood. I have always enjoyed watching birds in my yard and identifying them by sight and sound. Yesterday, I happened to read an article about your club. I was surprised and excited to find out about a community of passionate bird-watchers who travel annually to go birding. I would love to join your club, but your website appears to be under construction. I could not find any information except for this contact email address. I would like to know how to sign up for the club. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Michael Brown

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That is a question of a exam.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you're going to sign the letter with your name, there's no need to open with "My name is Michael Brown". The rest of your letter is good.

The final sentence of your post should be "This was a question on an exam [I took]".

 

[Barque]

Well, I have only seen "whomsoever". I don't think "whom" works there.

It's also not an appropriate opening for this letter because he's addressing it to a specific club. Even if he doesn't know the name of anyone there, he could always address the letter to the club.

 

[emsr2d2]

"To whom it may concern" is a standard, if old-fashioned, way to open a letter when you have no idea of the name or position of the person you're addressing. It's still used, just not as often as it once was.

 

[5jj]

It should be "whomsoever"

'Whom' is far more common and natural.

 

[Tarheel]

It seems odd to me that it was on an exam even though they hadn't explained that to you.

 

[Rover_KE]

If you're going to sign the letter with your name, there's no need to open with "My name is Michael Brown". The rest of your letter is good.

The final sentence of your post should be "This was a question on an exam [I took]".

 

[tedmc]

I think "To Whom It May Concern" is used normally as a heading with each word capitalized.

 

[Skrej]

"To whom it may concern" is a standard, if old-fashioned, way to open a letter when you have no idea of the name or position of the person you're addressing. It's still used, just not as often as it once was.

In fact, I just used this form of address a couple of weeks ago when writing a letter of recommendation for a student. They needed two letters of recommendation to enter a program of study, but there wasn't any specific person listed as the contact, nor any committee stated to address it to.

"Whomsoever' seems antiquated and relegated to legalese nowadays. Granted 'whom' is also falling out of use, but it's still more common than 'whomsoever'

 

[jutfrank]

1. What does "whom" refer to?
2. Is "to whom it may concern" a shortened form of "to anyone whom it may concern"?

1. The person whom the writer is addressing.
2. No.