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Who Vs. Whom
Who vs. Whom Who and whom are commonly misused and misunderstood in grammar. Sometimes as a writer I frequently am confused on which to use. It sounds right to use who, but am I actually supposed to use whom? The answer to this question is that I really don’t know. That is why I decided to base my research on the proper use of who and whom. I will identify the definition of what these both are; I will give the history of how the use of who and whom came about, and finally I will give you examples of each one and the proper and incorrect way to use them. Who and whom sometimes confuse a writer and misusage could lead to confusion on the part of the reader so it is important to truly understand the meaning of their uses. There are two simple and basic definitions for the uses of who and whom. For the usage of “Who” the definition states – who is an interrogative pronoun and is used in place of the subject of a question. This means that you use who when you refer to – who is going (to a place), who are you (referring to someone), or who told you. The word “who” can also be used when making a statement, in the place of the subject of a clause. An example of this would be “This is who told me”, or “Andrew is the one who wanted to go”. The definition for the word “whom” states – whom is also an interrogative pronoun, but it is used in place of the object of a question. This means that you use whom when you refer to – Whom is the book about, with whom are you attending with, or whom did they notify. Whom can also be used in statements in the place of the object of the clause. An example of this would be this would be – this is my girl friend whom I talked about. The final correct way to use whom is always after a prepositional phrase. There is not much history behind the terminology of whom and who besides the fact that many people do not know how to properly use them. According to James Thurber, he says that, “The number of people who use “who” and “whom” wrong is appalling,” (The Index of the Guide to Reading and Writing). According the Thurber he continues to say that “whom” is somewhat more formal, and is more tasteful. He gives the example of – “Whom are you, anyway?” this sounds more polite then, “Who are you, anyway?” It is important that students learn in high school or even middle school the proper ways to use “Who” and “Whom”. Some more examples of the uses of “who” and “whom” are: Who- “Who do you think is in charge?” Whom- “Whom shall we bring on vacation?” “Sean is the one who told me” “You may date whomever you choose.” I hope in writing this and giving examples that you the reader further understand the proper way who use “whom” and “who”. It is important in writing to understand all parts of grammar, and if you do, as a writer you will become more successful. It starts with basics like the usage of “whom” and “who” but with this mastered the writer can move onto more important parts of grammar. Works Cited 1. The Index of the Guide to Reading and Writing. Capital Community College Foundation. 28 November 2008. < http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm#who>. 2. Grammar Girl. 9 March 2007. Holtzbrinck Publishers Holding, LLC. 28 November 2008. < http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/who-versus-whom.aspx>. I would recommend both these sites. They both have many more links to different types of grammar arraignment.
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Latest page update: made by sevans5
, Nov 28 2008, 5:15 PM EST
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