Who Vs. Whom
“Who” and “whom” are two relative pronouns that are often confused, but they have different uses in grammar.
Who is used to refer to the subject of a clause, while whom is used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition.
Here is a simple rule to help you remember the difference:
- If you can replace the word with he, she, or they, use who.
- If you can replace the word with him, her, or them, use whom.
Who
“Who” is a pronoun used to refer to the subject of a sentence or clause. It is the subject form of the pronoun used when the person being referred to is the one performing an action. Here are the key points to remember about “who”:
- Subject Pronoun: “Who” is used when the person being referred to is the subject of the sentence or clause, the one carrying out the action:
- Who is the author of this book? (The author is the subject of the question.)
- Pronunciation: “Who” is pronounced with a /hu:/ sound and rhymes with “screw.”
Whom
“Whom”, on the other hand, is also a pronoun used to refer to people, but it is the object form of the pronoun. It is used when the person being referred to is the object of a verb or preposition, not the one performing the action. Here are the key points to remember about “whom”:
- Object Pronoun: “Whom” is used when the person being referred to is the object of a verb or preposition, the one receiving the action:
- To whom did you send the letter? (The letter was sent to someone; that someone is the object of the preposition “to.”)
- Pronunciation: “Whom” is pronounced with a /hu:m/ sound and rhymes with “gloom.”
The difference between Who Vs. Whom
| Pronoun | Use |
| who | Subject of a clause |
| whom | Object of a verb or preposition |
I hope this blog post has helped you to understand the difference between who and whom. If you have any other questions about English grammar, please don’t hesitate to ask.
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