На самом деле, разницу между этими двумя местоимениями нужно понимать тем, кто больше связан с письменным английским. Потому как в речи разница будет едва заметна (современные говоруны не склонны выражаться витиеватыми сложноподчиненными предложениями). И вообще, мне кажется, что вас больше интересует, когда правильно употреблять WHOM ))
И тем не менее, давайте разбираться.
Для начала отметим, что корень непонимания кроется в двух словах: предмет и объект.
Итак, who относится к предмету в предложении, в то время, как whom — к объекту.
А теперь то же самое, только в примерах:
Who
По-русски who в данных случаях будет переводиться как обычное «кто?»
- Who is going? — Кто идет?
- Who are you? — Кто ты?
- This is who warned me. — Это тот, кто предупредил меня.
- Jack is the one who wants to go. — Джек — тот, кто как раз хочет пойти.
- Anyone who knows the truth should tell us. — Кто-либо, кто знает правду, должен рассказать нам.
Whom
- Whom будет переводиться как «о ком», «с кем»… (короче говоря,все остальные падежи, кроме именительного)
- Whom is this story about? — О ком эта история?
- With whom are you going? — С кем ты собираешься пойти?
- Whom did they tell? — Кому они рассказали?
- This is the man whom I told you about. — Это тот человек, о котором (о ком) я тебе рассказывал.
- John is the man whom you met at dinner last week. — Джон — человек, кого ты встретил за ужином на прошлой неделе.
NB! Заметьте,что whom станет правильным выбором после предлогов: with whom, one of whom.
- The students, one of whom is graduating this year, failed the test. — Студенты, один из которых заканчивает учебу в этом году, провалили тест.
- Lisa is the girl with whom I’m driving to Maine. — Лиза — девушка, с которой я еду на машине в Мэйн.
И еще есть такое правило:
Rule
he = who
him = whom
Как и whom, местоимение Him оканчивается на m. Поэтому, когда вы не можете решить,что поставить: who или whom, спросите себя, что бы вы поставили на это место — he или him.
Например:
«Who (or whom) do you love? — «ответом будет — «I love him.» поэтому ставим whom.
«Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?» — ответом будет — «He stepped on Squiggly.» Никакого м нет, поэтому ставим who.
Вот так. Надеюсь, разобрались)
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pronoun
the objective case of who: Whom did you call? Of whom are you speaking? With whom did you stay?
the dative case of who: You gave whom the book?
VIDEO FOR WHOM
How To Use «Who» vs. «Whom»
In short, whom is the object form of the pronoun who. But, let’s have some examples to spell it out.
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Origin of whom
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English hwām, dative of interrogative pronoun hwā who
words often confused with whom
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whom
who, whom (see confusables note at who)
Words nearby whom
whole wheat, wholism, wholistic, who’ll, wholly, whom, whomever, whomp, whomso, whomsoever, whoof
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use whom in a sentence
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By whom?By such as pretend to love her; but come To feed upon her.
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They were among the whom-not-to-know-argues-one-self-unknowns.
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D-did-did you o-over-overhear huh-huh-whom he was going to kuk-kill?
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And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his auntsHis sisters and his cousins!Whom he reckons by the dozens,And his aunts!
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A woman can’t be too careful not to be seen alone with I-don’t-know-whom.’
British Dictionary definitions for whom
pronoun
the objective form of who, used when who is not the subject of its own clausewhom did you say you had seen?; he can’t remember whom he saw
Word Origin for whom
Old English hwām, dative of hwā who
usage for whom
It was formerly considered correct to use whom whenever the objective form of who was required. This is no longer thought to be necessary and the objective form who is now commonly used, even in formal writing: there were several people there who he had met before . Who cannot be used directly after a preposition – the preposition is usually displaced, as in the man (who) he sold his car to . In formal writing whom is preferred in sentences like these: the man to whom he sold his car . There are some types of sentence in which who cannot be used: the refugees, many of whom were old and ill, were allowed across the border
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
- Вопрос
Расскажите, пожалуйста, о правилах употребления слов «who» и «whom«.
- Ответ
Английское произношение:
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There are two things worth knowing about the use of the pronoun ‘whom‘. Firstly, in modern English usage it’s considered rather formal and old-fashioned, although it does still sometimes appear in academic and official forms of writing. ‘Who‘ is the modern equivalent that can be used either formally or informally and in spoken and written forms.
Об использовании местоимения «whom» (кому) стоит знать две вещи. Во-первых, в современном английском языке его употребление считается весьма формальным и старомодным, хотя оно всё еще иногда появляется в академической и официальной формах письма. «Who» (кто) – это современный эквивалент, который может быть использован как формально, так и неформально и в разговорной, и письменной формах.
We are also more limited with the use of ‘whom‘ grammatically, as it only appears as an object pronoun — so relating to or defining the object of the sentence, rather than the subject. For example, we might refer to the man to whom I spoke. In this case the man is the object, and I the subject. ‘Whom‘ refers to ‘the man’, not me, and is preceded by the preposition ‘to‘. In modern everyday use, we’d be much more likely to say the man who I spoke to, with the preposition coming at the end of our sentence and creating a much more informal and colloquial effect.
Мы также больше ограничены в использовании «whom» грамматически, так как оно является только объектным местоимением – то есть относится к объекту или определяет объект предложения, а не субъект. Например, мы можем обратиться к человеку, с которым я говорил (the man to whom I spoke). В этом случае человек – это объект, а я – субъект. «Whom» относится к «человеку», не ко мне, и перед этим словом ставится предлог «к» (to). В современном каждодневном использовании, мы бы куда вероятнее сказали: человек, с которым я говорил (the man who I spoke to), ставя предлог в конец предложения и создавая намного более неформальный и разговорный эффект.
‘Who‘ is also flexible in that it can be both a subject or an object pronoun. So, the man who spoke to me or the man who I spoke to would both work. We can’t do the same thing with ‘whom‘ which is limited to defining our object.
«Who» также более гибко в том, что оно может быть использовано и как субъектное, и как объектное местоимение. Так, человек, который говорил со мной (the man who spoke to me) или человек, с которым я говорил (the man who I spoke to): в обоих случаях местоимение подойдет. Мы не можем сделать то же самое с ‘whom‘, которое ограничено в определении нашего объекта.
So, I hope that’s clear — thanks again for your question.
Итак, я надеюсь, что вам стало понятно, и ещё раз спасибо за ваш вопрос.
Sian Harris
Страницы:
Указатель изучаемых английских слов и словосочетаний:
A, B
C, D
E, F
G, H
I, J
K, L
M, N
O, P
Q, R
S, T
U, V
W, X
Y, Z
Who vs. Whom
Many speakers have abandoned the word “whom” and use only the word “who.” Both formal and written English preserve the distinction between them, however, and vive la difference! The difference is one of case; “who” is the nominative or subjective case form, whereas “whom” is the accusative, or objective case form. Modern English does not use case for nouns in general, except for the genitive, or possessive –‘s. Pronouns, however, retain case, and in formal and written English, relative pronouns are no exception. To understand when to use “whom,” one should first review the use of case in English pronouns more generally.
Consider these two charts:
| Case | First Person Singular Personal Pronoun | First Person Plural Personal Pronoun | Second Person Personal Prounoun | Second Person Personal Prounoun | Third Person Personal Prounoun | Third Person Plural /gender neutral singular
Personal Prounoun |
| Nominative a.k.a. subjective | I | We | (Thou) You | You (ye) | She
He It |
They |
| Genitive a.k.a. possessive | My | Our | (Thy) Your | Your | Her
His Its |
Their |
| Predicative Genitive | Mine | Ours | (Thine) Yours | Yours | Hers
His Its |
Their |
| Accusative a.k.a. objective | Me | Us | (Thee) You | You | Her
Him It |
Them |
| Case | Relative
Pronoun |
Interrogative Pronoun |
| Nominative
a.k.a. subjective |
Who
Which That |
Who?
What? |
| Genitive
a.k.a. possessive |
Whose
Of which |
Whose?
Of what? |
| Predicative Genitive | N/A | N/A |
| Accusative
a.k.a. objective |
Whom
Which That |
Whom?
What? |
Nominative case identifies a word as either a subject or a subject complement. Consider the sentences:
1a. I am writing this article.
1b. You are reading a book.
1c. She runs in marathons.
1d. He leaps over fences.
1e. They ate out last night.
1f. Who wants pizza?
1g. What will happen tomorrow?
The pronouns identified in boldface are all the subjects of their respective verbs and sentences. As subjects, they are all in the nominative, or subjective case. Consider as well:
1h. Who is she?
1i. I am she.
1j. When did she become he?
Each of these sentences has two pronouns in the nominative case, one for the subject, and the other for the subject complement. In sentence 1h, “who” is the subject and “she” is the subject complement. One could argue as well that “she” is the subject at a deeper level of the structure of the sentence; the very possibility that “she” may be the subject clinches the need for the nominative. In sentence 1i, “I’ is the subject, and “she” is the subject complement; “she” “agrees with” or refers back to the subject. In 1j, “she” is the subject, and “he” is the complement, referring back to the same subject. Subject complements take the nominative; they must agree with their subjects in case and number (plural vs. singular), although not necessarily in person. In general, notwithstanding 1j, they agree in gender as well; one can conceive a similar exception to the rule of number agreement:
1k. When did he become they?
Genitive case, also known as possessive, indicates belonging to, pertaining to, or coming from.
2a. My shoes got wet.
The shoes belong to the speaker (the I); the “I” possesses them; they are the shoes of the
speaker. If we can substitute of, then we need the genitive case.
2b. Liza’s answers make a lot of sense.
The answers come from Liza; they are of her. Hence, genitive case: Liza’s.
2c. Your comments intrigue me.
The comments come from you; they are of you. Therefore, they are your comments; “your” is genitive.
2d. Her purple coat reaches her ankles.
The purple coat both pertains and belongs to her; “her” must therefore be genitive.
2e. His tie has green polka dots.
As with the purple coat, the tie both pertains and belongs to him, so the pronoun must be in the genitive: “his”.
2f. The dog’s leash is loose. In fact, its leash is so loose that it may slip off altogether.
The leash pertains to the dog; it is the leash of the dog (and of its owner); therefore dog is in the genitive case (dog’s), as is the pronoun “its” in the second sentence here.
2g. Their advice helped me enormously.
The advice in question comes from them; it is the advice of them; therefore, they are in the genitive case: “their”.
2h. Whose idea was that?
The predicative genitive is a genitive that can serve as the predicate of the sentence; it can fit into the last position in a sentence of the type: The widget is ______.
3a. The widget is mine.
vs. ordinary genitive: It’s my widget.
3b. The book is yours.
vs. ordinary genitive: It’s your book.
3c. The cloak is his.
3d. The decision is hers.
vs. It’s her decision.
3e. The place is theirs.
vs. their place
3f. This child is ours.
vs. our child
3g. That gargantuan umbrella is whose?
The accusative case, also called the objective case, marks the direct object of a verb, and also the object of a preposition.
4a. I love thee.
4b. Thou lovest me.
4c. She loves him.
4d. She loves her.
4e. He loves her.
4f. He loves them.
In 4a., the speaker loves the person addressed, “thee.” In 4b, the person addressed loves the speaker (or so, at least, the speaker declares). Note that “you,” originally the plural or formal form, does not show this distinction. In all the examples above, the accusative marks the one who is loved, and the nominative marks the one who loves. This holds equally for other verbs: the nominative “verbs” the accusative, i.e., the one doing the action is in the nominative case, and the one on the receiving end of the action is in the accusative. Similarly:
4g. You love whom?????
Note that in spoken English, many people would say, “Who do you love?” but the more formal, written language requires “Whom do you love?” instead; more formal registers of the spoken language also require “Whom do you love?”
Let’s try this with some other verbs:
4h. Did you walk the dog? Yes, I walked him.
4i. The artist drew them last week.
If we change these to use the relative or interrogative pronoun, then we will need to use “whom” to retain the accusative case:
4j. The dog whom you walked seems upset.
4k. Whom did you walk?
4l. The people whom the artist drew last week are now in California.
4m. Whom did the artist draw?
Indirect objects also take the accusative case:
4n. Mindy gave her the book when she visited.
Ordinarily, however, one would use the preposition “to” or “for” together with the accusative case to mark the indirect object. Objects of prepositions also take the accusative.
4o. Mindy gave the book to her.
4p. Cindy bought the book for him.
4q. Wendy drew a picture of them.
Here, too, if we substitute relative or interrogative pronouns, they will need to be accusative, i.e. “whom”:
4r. The person to whom Mindy gave the book read it in one sitting.
4s. To whom did Mindy give the book?
4t. The person for whom Cindy bought the book didn’t appreciate it.
4u. The person of whom we were speaking suddenly appeared.
In 4u, “of” means “about,” but “of” can also mean “belonging to.” This meaning is called “genitive” or “possessive.” When “of” has a genitive or possessive meaning we substitute “whose” for “of whom:”
4v. The person whose picture Wendy drew dyed her hair and got colored contacts the next day.
And now, I hope, the people for whom I have written this article understand when to use “whom” and when to use “who.”
Question
Обновлено на
15 окт. 2021
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Испанский (колумбийский вариант)
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Испанский (мексиканский вариант)
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Испанский
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Английский (американский вариант)
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Английский (британский вариант)
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Вопрос про Английский (британский вариант)
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Английский (британский вариант)
«Whom» is rare in speech now. It is primarily found in writing. The commonest instance is immediately after a preposition — «for/to/by/with/from whom».
«That’s the person I did it for» (informal) = «that is the person for whom I did it».
Where the preposition is at the end of the sentence, «who» is used (or sometimes omitted altogether as above), but where a preposition is moved in front of «who», it must become «whom». So we write «with whom», not «with who».
«Who did you go to the party with?» (ordinary speech) = «With whom did you go to the party?» (very formal).
The second use of «whom», which is less common and doesn’t come at all naturally to native speakers, is as a direct object pronoun:
«the girl who he kissed» (or «the girl that he kissed» or «the girl he kissed») = «the girl whom he kissed» (very formal).
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Английский (британский вариант)
«Whom» is rare in speech now. It is primarily found in writing. The commonest instance is immediately after a preposition — «for/to/by/with/from whom».
«That’s the person I did it for» (informal) = «that is the person for whom I did it».
Where the preposition is at the end of the sentence, «who» is used (or sometimes omitted altogether as above), but where a preposition is moved in front of «who», it must become «whom». So we write «with whom», not «with who».
«Who did you go to the party with?» (ordinary speech) = «With whom did you go to the party?» (very formal).
The second use of «whom», which is less common and doesn’t come at all naturally to native speakers, is as a direct object pronoun:
«the girl who he kissed» (or «the girl that he kissed» or «the girl he kissed») = «the girl whom he kissed» (very formal).
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Испанский (колумбийский вариант)
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Испанский (мексиканский вариант)
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Испанский
@RichardSw thanks a lot, is very useful✌🏼
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Who, which, that, whom – это относительные местоимения (relative pronouns). Все они соответствуют русскому слову «который», поэтому у изучающих английский часто возникает вопрос: какое местоимение выбрать? В этой статье мы найдем на него ответ.
Когда используются who, which, that, whom
Who, which, that и whom используются после существительного, к которому они относятся. Эти местоимения дают дополнительную информацию о человеке или предмете.
- Мы используем who, когда говорим о людях. Также мы можем использовать who в отношении животных, если это наши домашние любимцы или питомцы друзей, которых мы знаем.
The man who I saw the other day was very tall. – Мужчина, которого я видел на днях, очень высокий.
My lovely kitten who I picked up at the street likes playing with stuffed toys. – Мой милый котенок, которого я подобрал на улице, любит играть с мягкими игрушками.
- Which нам показывает, что речь идет о предмете, явлении или животном. Обычно имеется в виду незнакомый предмет, явление, а также дикое или незнакомое нам животное.
The Polar lights which I managed to see in Norway were amazing. – Северное сияние, которое мне удалось увидеть в Норвегии, было восхитительным.
Take an apple which I put on the table. – Возьми яблоко, которое я положил на стол.
Watch out for the bears which live in the forest. – Остерегайся медведей, которые живут в лесу.
Если мы хотим выделить не отдельное существительное, а целое предложение, нам на помощь снова приходит which.
She cancelled our meeting this evening, which is great. I have plans for today. – Она отменила нашу встречу вечером, что просто замечательно. У меня есть планы на сегодня.
Ben never liked football. But he agreed to watch the match with us, which was quite surprising. – Бен никогда не любил футбол. Но он согласился посмотреть с нами матч, что было очень неожиданно.
- That применимо как к людям, так и к предметам. Это универсальное местоимение, которым мы можем заменить who и which. That считается разговорным словом, в письменной речи лучше используйте who и which.
The man that I saw the other day was very tall. – Мужчина, которого я видел на днях, очень высокий.
Take an apple that I put on the table. – Возьми яблоко, которое я положил на стол.
The Polar lights that I managed to see in Norway were amazing. – Северное сияние, которое мне удалось увидеть в Норвегии, было восхитительным.
- Whom – это форма местоимения who, которая используется в основном в формальной и письменной речи. На русский язык она переводится словами «которому», «с которым», «для которого». Часто whom сопровождается предлогом.
I met a colleague who is writing a report in the lift. – В лифте я встретил коллегу, который пишет отчет.
I met a colleague with whom I am writing a report in the lift. – В лифте я встретил коллегу, с которым пишу отчет.
А сейчас давайте посмотрим видео о who, which, that от преподавателя Rebecca.
Какие бывают предложения с who, which и that в английском языке
В английском языке предложения с относительным местоимением бывают двух видов:
- Ограничивающие (restrictive clause) – те, которые сообщают важную информацию. Такие предложения дают уточнения о лице или предмете, выделяют его среди остальных подобных.
My friend who is a mechanic helped me to repair my car. – Мой друг, который работает механиком, помог мне починить машину. (у меня много друзей, и именно тот, который механик, мне помог)
The milk which I bought yesterday has spoiled. – Молоко, которое я вчера купил, испортилось. (есть еще молоко, которое купили в другой день, но именно то, что купили вчера, испортилось)
- Неограничивающие (non-restrictive clause) – те, которые сообщают неважную информацию. Эти предложения дают дополнительные сведения, которые мы можем с легкостью опустить, и смысл предложения от этого не поменяется, они всегда отделяются запятой.
My friend, who is a mechanic, helped me to repair my car. – Мой друг, который работает механиком, помог мне починить машину. (мы просто дополняем информацию о своем друге, если опустить часть who is a mechanic, смысл останется прежним)
The milk, which I bought yesterday, has spoiled. – Молоко, которое я вчера купил, испортилось. (мы сообщаем о том, что молоко испортилось; то, что его купили вчера, – дополнительная информация)
- Подробнее об этих предложениях читайте в статье «Общие случаи употребления запятой. Запятая в Relative clause в английском языке».
Предложения с that могут быть только ограничивающими, они всегда выделяют лицо или предмет среди подобных.
My friend that is a mechanic helped me to repair my car. – Мой друг, который работает механиком, помог мне починить машину. (помог именно друг-механик, а не друг-врач или друг-экономист)
The milk that I bought yesterday has spoiled. – Молоко, которое я вчера купил, испортилось. (испортилось именно то молоко, что купили вчера, не позавчера, не три дня назад)
Who или that
По правилам классической грамматики that относится только к предметам и явлениям, с людьми мы употребляем who. На тему того, применимо ли that к людям, давно ведутся споры.
В повседневной жизни носители языка часто использую that вместо who. Несмотря на то, что разговорная речь бывает далека от канона, все же нельзя пренебрегать ее особенностями, ведь в жизни мы беседуем с людьми, а не с учебниками по грамматике. Однако, если вы собираетесь сдавать экзамен по английскому, лучше придерживайтесь стандартных правил.
He is a person who (that) I can rely on. – Он человек, на которого я могу положиться.
The girl who (that) entered the room was pretty. – Девушка, которая вошла в комнату, была симпатичной.
Обратите внимание: с собирательными существительными (обозначают группу людей) мы используем только that, а не who.
The family that is the largest in the neighbourhood went on their vacation. – Семья, которая самая большая в районе, отправилась на каникулы.
Which или that
Относительно which и that тоже есть некоторые оговорки. Согласно стандартным правилам грамматики which может вводить как важную, так и неважную информацию. Но при таком заявлении некоторые американцы могут на вас недоуменно посмотреть, ведь в американском варианте английского с помощью which мы сообщаем только неважные сведения, а с помощью that – только важные.
The pen that I hold in my hand won’t write. – Ручка, которую я держу в руке, не хочет писать. (именно та, которую я держу, а не которая у меня в кармане)
The pen which you are looking for is in the kitchen. – Ручка, которую ты ищешь, на кухне. (именно та, которую ты ищешь)
The pen, which is on the table, is green. – Ручка, которая лежит на столе, зеленая. (есть только одна зеленая ручка; то, что она на столе, – дополнительная информация)
Посмотрите видео о разнице между which и that с преподавателем Alex.
Для того чтобы вы не путались в местоимениях, мы составили табличку. В ней указано, по каким критериям выбирать местоимение для предложения.
| Местоимение | Степень формальности | Одушевленное или неодушевленное существительное | Ограничивающее или неограничивающее предложение |
|---|---|---|---|
| who | формальное, нейтральное | люди, домашние питомцы | ограничивающее и неограничивающее |
| which | формальное, нейтральное | предметы, явления, животные | ограничивающее и неограничивающее |
| that | разговорное | все: люди, животные, предметы, явления | только ограничивающее |
| whom | очень формальное | люди | ограничивающее и неограничивающее |
Who, which, that, whom все время встречаются в английском языке. Для того чтобы лучше их запомнить, пройдите тест. И не забудьте скачать таблицу с относительными местоимениями.
↓ Скачать таблицу употребления относительных местоимений в предложении (*.pdf, 176 Кб)
Тест
Разница между who, which, that, whom в английском языке
Если вы нашли ошибку, пожалуйста, выделите фрагмент текста и нажмите Ctrl+Enter.
Many have heard the proverb, “Good things come to those who wait.” But who are these mysterious people who wait? Is it one person or many? Does “who” refer to a singular person or many people?
The word “who” has no plural. It is a pronoun, meaning we use it to replace a noun. It does not have the power to indicate singularity or plurality because it is an interrogative pronoun. We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions, and the plural form of the sentence is indicated through the subject, verb usage, and the object.
While the word “who” might be easy to explain, some forms of the word require extra explanation. Stick around so we can break down the “who’s,” “whose,” and “whoms” of the root word, “who.”
What is “Who” and How is it Used?
“Who” is an interrogative pronoun. As the word interrogative suggests, it is a “question word.” We use interrogative pronouns to ask questions and clarify information that we do not know (source).
We use a pronoun to take the place of a noun. This can be either a proper noun — the name of someone — or a common noun. The most common use of “who” is when it starts a question. For example, “Who are you?”
“Who” can be used in the middle of a sentence as well to give information and introduce a specific type of clause, such as: “I will visit the woman who donated her kidney.” In this scenario, it is a relative pronoun (source).
The part of a sentence that starts with “who” and provides information about the person is called a relative clause. They are easy to identify because the words that appear after the word “who” will always provide more information about the person.
Consider these examples:
- Mary is the girl who won the game.
- I know he is someone who will never give up.
- John, who was 82, has just passed away.
By examining these examples, you can easily see that the words that follow “who” tell us more about the subject of the sentence.
Is “Who” Singular or Plural?
“Who” is the interrogative word used to ask about a person or a name. For example, “Who is coming to dinner?”
You can respond to this sort of question with the name of a person or persons: “John is coming to dinner,” or with a common noun that can be singular or plural, such as “The neighbors are coming to dinner.”
Therefore, it’s quite easy to see why “who” is not exactly a plural form of a word. Other words, including auxiliary verbs, the subject of the sentence, and object, need to be plural to indicate plurality. But we can use “who” for singular and plural forms.
When thinking about plural words in a sentence, you may want more information about how many can be used in a sentence. To learn more, read “Can Two Plural Words be used in a Sentence?”
Plural of Whom
There is no plural form for “whom.” Similar to “who,” “whom” is also an interrogative pronoun that can refer to a singular or plural subject.
If we can replace the subject with the pronouns “him,” “her,” or “them,” then “whom” is the correct form.
Who and Whose: How and When to Use Them
We already know what “who” means, but what does “whose” mean? First, “whose” should not be confused with “who’s,” which is a contraction of “who is” or “who has.” We use “who is/has” the exact same way as “who” but in the present tense.
“Whose” is a possessive pronoun used to indicate possession in both an interrogative or declarative sentence.
In its interrogative form, “whose” is generally used to start the question. Some examples are as follows:
- Whose house is this?
- Whose phone is better?
- You and whose army?
The example sentences above show that the word “whose” is usually followed by a noun. Since “whose” is possessive, it needs to indicate what object is being possessed, hence the noun that always follows it.
When “whose” is used in a declarative sentence, otherwise known as a statement, its usage is quite different. While it still functions as a pronoun, it is not used to ask a question, but rather to inform the reader about the owner of the noun.
When we were hacked, we did not know whose identities were compromised.
I need to figure out whose house this is because I want to buy it.
I have a brother whose ambition is to be a YouTuber.
As with the interrogative sentences, we still must follow the word “whose” with a noun. “Whose” and “who’s” are not too difficult to tell apart, and the easiest and best strategies are below.
Strategy One
“Whose” is always followed by a noun, while “who’s” is followed by a verb. Since “who has” and “who is” are usually asking some kind of question, they will be followed by a verb.
Who’s (who is) coming to dinner?
Who’s (who has) decided which restaurant we’re going to?
Whose house are we going to for dinner?
Knowing which part of speech follows the “who’s” or “whose,” is a quick way to check if you’re using it correctly.
Strategy Two
It helps to remove the contraction of the “who’s” to see if it is used correctly. Let’s look at an example sentence where “who’s” is used incorrectly:
Who’s lunch is this?
By breaking this sentence down to “Who is lunch is this?” you can easily see that the sentence doesn’t make sense and, hence, the other “whose” should be used here instead.
Let’s try another example.
Whose house are we going to?
While “whose” is being used, we can still try breaking this sentence down as if it was to confirm if we are right. Would “Who is house are we going to” make sense? Since the answer is no, we know we have the correct form.
Plural of Whose
“Whose,” like its other compatriots within the “who” family, does not have a plural form. It can represent either plural or singular forms, but the sentence’s verbs and nouns will indicate whether it is singular or plural.
Using “Who” and” Whom”
“Who” vs. “whom” is a common confusion for even native English speakers, and many people are never quite sure when to use “who” and when “whom” is more appropriate.
“Whom” has become an almost archaic term, and many people do not use it when speaking or writing, but the word does have space in the English language.
English teachers often suggest a few quick mental tricks to ensure that students use “who” and “whom” correctly.
Strategy One
We should replace the pronouns “he” and “she” with “who.” If the words “him” or “her” are used, then “whom” is the correct way to go (source).
Let’s break down the technical aspects of this.
We use “who” to refer to the subject of a sentence, which would follow a three-sentence process.
- Nancy is a smart person.
- She is a smart person.
- Who is a smart person?
With these examples, you can see that by referring to a specific person, it is easy to understand why the word “who” should be used. This same technique would also work when using “who” as a relative pronoun.
Understanding when to use “whom” is a little trickier, but far from impossible. From a technical perspective, we use “whom” to replace an object of a verb or preposition.
To work out when to use “whom,” you have to use it in a question or statement and think about the answer or the response that one would expect.
To whom are you writing the letter?
I don’t know whom to take to the wedding.
Since you would respond to these questions with something like “I am writing the letter to her,” or, “You should take him to the wedding,” you will know that your usage of “whom” is correct.
Plural forms can also be used in a response, such as “You can take them to the wedding.”
Strategy Two
The second strategy is easy, but it does require a basic understanding of parts of speech. First, identify all of the verbs in the sentence (colored in red). The second step is to find the subject that correlates with the verb (in purple).
Essentially, you are looking for active and passive sentences. If the subject is doing the verb, then use “who.” If the subject is having the verb done to them, then use “whom.”
Let’s look at a few examples:
Jacob is crying because he burned his pizza.
In this sentence, Jacob (the subject) is crying (the verb), so “who” would be correct.
Who is crying?
Jacob, who was crying, has burned his pizza.
To compare, let’s look at a passive sentence, where the subject has the action done to them:
The pizza was burned by Jacob.
The pizza was burned by whom?
This trick is quite an easy one for those who have not forgotten basic English grammar tenets, but we have one more trick that could help you.
Strategy Three
The final trick is the preposition rule. It is not fail-proof, but most of the time, it should help you to guess whether to use “who” or “whom” if the previous methods have not worked for you.
Generally, you will notice the use of a preposition just before the word “whom.” A preposition indicates the subject’s relationship to the object (source).
Since “whom” is more appropriate in passive sentences because the subject appears after the verb, it also places the subject after the preposition.
One of Hemingway’s more famous novels, For Whom the Bell Tolls, is a great example of the usage of “whom” after a preposition. Still, you will also see it in 99% of sentences when “whom” is used within the sentence as a relative pronoun and not as an interrogative pronoun.
Another book that will help you understand prepositions is Dreyer’s English, an excellent style guide to all your finicky grammar questions. Available on Amazon, it’s even better than a Google search because the answers are incredibly easy-to-understand.
Other examples of sentences which use “whom” as a relative pronoun just after a preposition (in orange) are as follows:
She didn’t know a lot about the woman with whom she was working.
To whom do you wish to speak?
Who cares about whom?
“Who” and “whom” should not be too difficult, and when in doubt, say the sentence out loud, and use the one that sounds the most correct. While that method is not perfect, you’ll begin to get a sense for which sounds like it makes more sense.
Who vs. Whom for a Group
We can use “whom” for a group of people when the pronoun it is referring to is “them.” The same points from strategy one can be followed to use “whom” correctly for a group.
For example:
- To whom are you writing?
- I am writing to my parents.
- About whom are you speaking?
- I am speaking about the team.
Since the common nouns, “parents” and “team” can be replaced with the pronoun “them,” the use of the word “whom” is correct.
Here is another example:
- Who is coming over in the morning?
- My book club will be here at 10 am for brunch.
In this example, “whom” would be incorrect. Since the pronoun used to replace
“my book club” would be “they,” then the relative pronoun “who” should be used.
Final Thoughts
We have examined many forms of the root word “who.” These tips and tricks are good ways to check your writing. Speaking and writing correctly is always important, and it’s important to know when you’re using the right forms for these words.
Whether it is “who,” “whom,” or “whose,” who can deny that English is an interesting language?