who vs whom

who vs whom
  Who and whom are both pronouns.
  Who is used to give further information about a person or people previously mentioned in a sentence.
  Basically anytime "I", "she" or "he" 'feels' right, who can be used.
  For example:-
  Lynne built that funny English website.
  She is the person who built that funny English website.
  In questions who is used when asking which person or people did something, or when asking what someone's name is.
  For example:-
  "Who is that woman over there?" - She is the boss.
  "Who let the dogs out?" - I didn't do it, he did!
  "She asked me if I knew who had got the job. I had to tell her she hadn't got it."
  To be honest, in informal writing and speech who is used most of the time, and poor old "whom" seems to be on its way out, but in an English test or exam, it's best to know when and where to use it.
  Whom is used in formal English instead of "who" as the object of a verb or preposition.
  For example:-
  "For whom the bell tolls."
  "There were 500 passengers, of whom 121 drowned."
  ♦ !Note - Whom is rarely used in questions. For example:
  "To whom do you wish to speak?" (This sounds very old-fashioned and stilted.You are more likely to hear "Who do you want to speak to?"
  ♦ !Note - If in doubt, try the "he or him" test:-
  Try rewriting the sentence using "he or him ".
  For example:
  "He took out a photo of his son, whom he adores." - "He adores he" should 'feel"'wrong. So it must be "He adores him."
  If you're still not sure and it's not an exam or test, go with who, 99% of the time you'll be right.

English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words. 2014.

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  • who and whom — 1. Who is used as a relative pronoun (The woman who saw you) and as an interrogative (Who is there?), and whom is, formally, its objective form (The woman whom you saw / Whom did you see?). In all these uses who (or whom) refers to a person or to …   Modern English usage

  • who vs whom —   Who and whom are both pronouns.   Who is used to give further information about a person or people previously mentioned in a sentence.   Basically anytime I , she or he feels right, who can be used.   For example:   Lynne built that funny… …   English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words

  • who - whom — Who and whom are pronouns. ◊ asking for information You use who when you are asking about someone s identity. Who can be the subject, object, or complement of a verb. It can also be the object of a preposition. Who invited you? …   Useful english dictionary

  • Whom — Who Who, pron. [Possess. {whose}; object. {Whom}.] [OE. who, wha, AS. hw[=a], interrogative pron., neut. hw[ae]t; akin to OFries. hwa, neut. hwet, OS. hw[=e], neut. hwat, D. wie, neut. wat, G. wer, neut. was, OHG. wer, hwer, neut. waz, hwaz, Icel …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Who — Who, pron. [Possess. {whose}; object. {Whom}.] [OE. who, wha, AS. hw[=a], interrogative pron., neut. hw[ae]t; akin to OFries. hwa, neut. hwet, OS. hw[=e], neut. hwat, D. wie, neut. wat, G. wer, neut. was, OHG. wer, hwer, neut. waz, hwaz, Icel.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whom — ► PRONOUN ▪ used instead of ‘who’ as the object of a verb or preposition. USAGE On the use of who and whom, see WHO(Cf. ↑who) …   English terms dictionary

  • whom — see who and whom …   Modern English usage

  • Who (pronoun) — The pronoun who , in the English language, is the interrogative and relative pronoun that is used to refer to human beings. The corresponding interrogative pronouns for non sentient beings are what and which , and the relative pronouns are that… …   Wikipedia

  • who — /hooh/, pron.; possessive whose; objective whom. 1. what person or persons?: Who did it? 2. (of a person) of what character, origin, position, importance, etc.: Who does she think she is? 3. the person that or any person that (used relatively to… …   Universalium

  • who, whom — No situation in English speech and writing causes more difficulty for more persons than choosing between who and whom (and whoever, whomever when they are used). Current usage studies indicate that the distinction between these forms is breaking… …   Dictionary of problem words and expressions

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