Why Do So Many People Incorrectly Use ‘Whom’?

How often do you use the word whom</> in casual conversation? If the answer is never, is it because you don’t understand how to use it? If seldom, is it because you are a little unsure about how whom differs from who? If you use it all the time, perhaps you have wondered why others find it so tricky. It’s time to address these questions and learn a memory trick that will help you use who and whom confidently.

Who and whom are both pronouns. Like he, she, it, we, you, and they, who is used as a subject. For this reason, who is called a subject pronoun. In the following examples, who asks which person or persons are responsible for a certain action or which person has a certain quality.

[exampleWho needs a ride?
Who is the happiest cartoon character?
Who cares?[/example]

Whom, on the other hand, is an object pronoun. Like him, her, and us, whom can be used to ask which person receives a certain action.

Whom did they ask to do the presentation?
Whom are you going to blame?
He left his fortune to whom?

The blog article “Who vs. Whom: It’s Not as Complicated as You Think” gives a mnemonic to simplify the process of distinguishing the two pronouns: Replace the questionable who/whom with he or her. If he makes sense, the correct pronoun is who. If her makes sense, you’ll want to use whom.

He needs a ride? Or her needs a ride? He is the one that make sense. Therefore, who is the correct choice.

However, this trick doesn’t work all the time: Her did he mention? Or he did he mention? To most people, both of these sentences sound equally bad. That’s why distinguishing between who and whom is so challenging. Some have found it helpful to separate the pronoun from the sentence and if necessary, repeat it at the end. Her? Did he mention her? He? Did he mention he? The correct pronoun becomes clearer. However, the matter is not as simple as object or subject pronouns. Let’s explore deeper.

I rooted for (the person) who deserved it.

Who follows the preposition, but it’s the subject of the second verb, deserved.

For whom did you root?

Whom serves as the object of a preposition.

Both who and whom can follow prepositions. When who follows a preposition, it does so as the subject of a verb.

Again, how often do you use the term whom in casual conversation? If others around you use it a lot, you might want to invest the time to master it. If you seldom hear it, try practicing the “her or he” trick when you need to decide which pronoun is best. And if your peers never use it, consider how strange you’ll sound if you throw it into a casual chat. Even Anne Curzan, an LSU professor, admits she prefers who over whom when she doesn’t want to sound too much like the English teacher that she is. She also corroborates the rumor that the usage of whom is on a marked decline. Maybe those who still confuse the two pronouns can bide their time as whom slowly fades away?

The post Why Do So Many People Incorrectly Use ‘Whom’? appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

from Grammarly Blog
http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/why-do-so-many-people-incorrectly-use-whom/