Post by moon125 on Nov 4, 2024 0:06:47 GMT -5
What is the difference between who and whom and how to use these two words correctly in an English sentence?
It's common to get confused about the use of the pronouns who and whom . Phonetically, the two words can sound very similar – to students who aren't fluent in the language, the terms whom and whom may sound like the exact same word, especially when spoken quickly.
It is important to remember, therefore, that, in shopify website design addition to their meanings and uses being distinct, there is also a difference in the way each of these pronouns is pronounced in English.
Look:
What is the difference between who and whom ?
The rules for determining when to use whom and who in English are quite simple.
According to grammar, who and whom are both classified as interrogative pronouns in English.
The difference between these words, however, is that:
The pronoun who should be used when the person it is describing is the subject of the sentence.
And on the other hand:
The pronoun whom should be used when the person it is describing is the object of the sentence.
See the infographic on the comparison between the use of who and whom in English:
This post will review both pronouns in detail. This way, you will be able to know when to use each of them with the help of practical examples of the language.
How do you know when to use who or whom?
The best way to know when to use who or whom in a sentence is through the he/she/they or him/her/them rule .
So, if the word you are looking for can be replaced by he/she/they , use who:
In the sentence above, Andrew is the subject that can be replaced by he . Therefore, we use who to refer to him.
Now if the word you are looking for can be replaced by him/her/them , you should use whom:
In this other sentence, the subject is I and Julia is the object that can be replaced by her . Therefore, we use whom to refer to her.
How to use who?
As seen above, we use the pronoun who in English sentences to express the subject who is carrying out a certain action, whether to ask or state something about him.
Thus, the pronoun who designates the subject of the sentence, or author of the action.
Also as shown in the examples above, whom is used to refer to the object of a sentence.
And just like who , this pronoun can also be used as an interrogative pronoun in place of the object of a question.
For example:
To whom did you lend your phone?
[Who did you lend your cell phone to?]
Sarah is the girl to whom I slow my phone.
[Sarah is the girl I lent my cell phone to.]
Observation:
As seen above, whom is used in statements in place of the object of the sentence:
This is my friend whom I just told you about .
⚠However, you need to be careful: if the object is not a human being, you do not use whom but rather which .
For example:
This is the car which I bought. → This is the car which I bought.
[See more about using which in this article.]
Who x Whom: Examples
See below other examples using the pronouns who or whom :
Examples of the use of who:
People who take time to be kind are rewarded for their good deeds. People who take time to be kind are rewarded for their good deeds.
Who gave her permission to sit here? Who gave you permission to sit here?
I wasn't the one who gave her permission. I wasn't the one who gave you permission.
Who called you last night? Who called you last night?
Laura is the one who called me last night. Laura was the one who called me last night.
Who paid for this meal? Who paid for this meal?
Who is the best player on your team? Who is the best player on your team?
This is the person who helped me yesterday. This is the person who helped me yesterday.
Examples of the use of whom:
To whom was the policeman talking? Who was the police officer talking to ?
John is the guy to whom the policeman was talking. John is the guy the cop was talking to.
To whom was the letter addressed? To whom was the letter addressed?
Paul is the friend to whom I addressed the letter. Paul is the friend to whom I addressed the letter.
Those flowers came from whom ? Who did these flowers come from ?
Ryan, with whom I was at school, has just come to live in our street. Ryan, who I was in school with, just moved into our street.
This gift is for whom ? Who is this gift for ?
Who are we running from ? Who are we running from ?
Who or whom in everyday language: is it possible to use either?
The truth is that it is possible to avoid using whom in many situations when it comes to everyday English.
Although included in grammar and widely used in formal and written English, whom is not widely used in everyday English and informal conversations. This pronoun is actually considered a formal term, especially when accompanied by a preposition.
See the examples below:
To whom did you give the book to? (considered quite formal)
Who did you give the book to? (considered formal)
When away from grammar books, choosing to use who is almost always acceptable.
So, these same sentences above, in an everyday conversation between friends, would simply be constructed this way:
Who did you give the book to? (considered informal)
It's common to get confused about the use of the pronouns who and whom . Phonetically, the two words can sound very similar – to students who aren't fluent in the language, the terms whom and whom may sound like the exact same word, especially when spoken quickly.
It is important to remember, therefore, that, in shopify website design addition to their meanings and uses being distinct, there is also a difference in the way each of these pronouns is pronounced in English.
Look:
What is the difference between who and whom ?
The rules for determining when to use whom and who in English are quite simple.
According to grammar, who and whom are both classified as interrogative pronouns in English.
The difference between these words, however, is that:
The pronoun who should be used when the person it is describing is the subject of the sentence.
And on the other hand:
The pronoun whom should be used when the person it is describing is the object of the sentence.
See the infographic on the comparison between the use of who and whom in English:
This post will review both pronouns in detail. This way, you will be able to know when to use each of them with the help of practical examples of the language.
How do you know when to use who or whom?
The best way to know when to use who or whom in a sentence is through the he/she/they or him/her/them rule .
So, if the word you are looking for can be replaced by he/she/they , use who:
In the sentence above, Andrew is the subject that can be replaced by he . Therefore, we use who to refer to him.
Now if the word you are looking for can be replaced by him/her/them , you should use whom:
In this other sentence, the subject is I and Julia is the object that can be replaced by her . Therefore, we use whom to refer to her.
How to use who?
As seen above, we use the pronoun who in English sentences to express the subject who is carrying out a certain action, whether to ask or state something about him.
Thus, the pronoun who designates the subject of the sentence, or author of the action.
Also as shown in the examples above, whom is used to refer to the object of a sentence.
And just like who , this pronoun can also be used as an interrogative pronoun in place of the object of a question.
For example:
To whom did you lend your phone?
[Who did you lend your cell phone to?]
Sarah is the girl to whom I slow my phone.
[Sarah is the girl I lent my cell phone to.]
Observation:
As seen above, whom is used in statements in place of the object of the sentence:
This is my friend whom I just told you about .
⚠However, you need to be careful: if the object is not a human being, you do not use whom but rather which .
For example:
This is the car which I bought. → This is the car which I bought.
[See more about using which in this article.]
Who x Whom: Examples
See below other examples using the pronouns who or whom :
Examples of the use of who:
People who take time to be kind are rewarded for their good deeds. People who take time to be kind are rewarded for their good deeds.
Who gave her permission to sit here? Who gave you permission to sit here?
I wasn't the one who gave her permission. I wasn't the one who gave you permission.
Who called you last night? Who called you last night?
Laura is the one who called me last night. Laura was the one who called me last night.
Who paid for this meal? Who paid for this meal?
Who is the best player on your team? Who is the best player on your team?
This is the person who helped me yesterday. This is the person who helped me yesterday.
Examples of the use of whom:
To whom was the policeman talking? Who was the police officer talking to ?
John is the guy to whom the policeman was talking. John is the guy the cop was talking to.
To whom was the letter addressed? To whom was the letter addressed?
Paul is the friend to whom I addressed the letter. Paul is the friend to whom I addressed the letter.
Those flowers came from whom ? Who did these flowers come from ?
Ryan, with whom I was at school, has just come to live in our street. Ryan, who I was in school with, just moved into our street.
This gift is for whom ? Who is this gift for ?
Who are we running from ? Who are we running from ?
Who or whom in everyday language: is it possible to use either?
The truth is that it is possible to avoid using whom in many situations when it comes to everyday English.
Although included in grammar and widely used in formal and written English, whom is not widely used in everyday English and informal conversations. This pronoun is actually considered a formal term, especially when accompanied by a preposition.
See the examples below:
To whom did you give the book to? (considered quite formal)
Who did you give the book to? (considered formal)
When away from grammar books, choosing to use who is almost always acceptable.
So, these same sentences above, in an everyday conversation between friends, would simply be constructed this way:
Who did you give the book to? (considered informal)