On this episode of #GrammarSeries, we are going to learn the appropriate use of ‘’who’’ and ‘‘whom’’.
For a long time, a lot of people have been confused regarding the use of these two pronouns. It’s time to clear the air.
Who is used in the subjective case and is usually followed by a verb (but not in all cases).
Whom, on the other hand, is used in the objective case and is usually followed by a preposition or a pronoun.
Let’s examine this example together.
With who/whom did she sing the song?
The answer here, is ‘‘whom’’ because of the preposition ‘‘with’’. However, this method does not always work.
In the case of a question such as this, we can simply attempt to answer the question using a pronoun.
She sang the song with ‘‘him, her, them, us’’.
These pronouns are used in the subjective case; that is, they function as objects in sentences.
Who/whom did you see at the study session? I saw him. The answer is: ‘‘Whom’’ did you see at the study session.’’
The woman who/whom sat beside me in church has two dogs. She sits beside me. Therefore, ‘‘who’’ is the correct answer.
Note: This rule works for whoever and whomever.