When can you use the word whom

The He/Him Test

To begin, the simplest way to determine the correct word is to replace “who” or “whom” with the same part of speech. Try another object pronoun (also called objective pronoun) or subject pronoun (also called subjective pronoun). See if you can substitute the mystery word for either “he” or “him.” When you can replace the word with “him,” you should use “whom,” another objective pronoun. When “he” fits, you should use “who,” another subjective pronoun. You can remember that “him” and “whom” go together—and end with the same letter.

Examples:

Who/whom is hungry?

He is hungry. (Subjective pronoun)

With who/whom did you argue?

I argued with him. (Objective pronoun)

You thanked who/whom?

You thanked him. (Objective pronoun)

Notice that in the second sentence we had to flip around the phrasing in order to determine which word—”he” or “him”—fit best. That’s quite common. Often, in order to replace the word, you’ll need to restate the phrase so that the subject and verb come first, followed by the object. When who/whom appears as an interrogative pronoun, try answering the question as a way of rephrasing the sentence with a subject-verb-object construction. 

Here’s another example with an interrogative pronoun:

Example: Who/whom could she ask?

Now, we’ll answer the question. 

She could ask him. 

In this example, the mystery word is acting as the object of the verb “to ask.” You would never say “She could ask he.” For that reason, “whom,” the objective pronoun, is correct.

Linking Verbs

When you use linking verbs, they describe a state of being, rather than an action. If you use a pronoun with a linking verb, you should always select a subjective pronoun. That’s a rule that has nothing to do with who/whom. It’s just one of those things that makes linking verbs special! 

It is I.

It was she.

This is he. 

Knowing that, you’ll have a much easier time choosing between “who” and “whom.” You’ll want to choose the subjective pronoun any time you see a linking verb in a sentence with only one clause. Just remember the simple trick: if you see a linking verb, choose “who” in a simple sentence. 

It is I. 

Who is it? It is who I say it is. 

It was she.

Who was it? It was who I thought. 

This is he. 

Who is this? This is who pulled the fire alarm. 

How to Use Whoever and Whomever

Use “whoever” and “whomever” the same way you would use “who” and “whom.”

Whoever/whomever knows the answer gets extra points. 

In the example above, you could substitute “he” for the mystery word. He knows the answer. He gets extra points. Once you know you’re looking for a subjective pronoun, the word “whoever” becomes the obvious choice.

Whoever knows the answer gets extra points. 

Now, we get to a more difficult use case. What if the sentence is more complicated? If you see two verbs, try to break down the sentence into parts. 

I trust whoever/whomever you hire.

In this case, you should use the objective case. Why? Well, first, you break the sentence into two sections. 

Section 1:

I trust ____.

Section 2: 

You hire ____.

In both sections of the sentence, you would use the objective case. I trust him. You hire him. Therefore, you should complete the sentence with the word “whomever.” I trust whomever you hire. However, if you broke the sentence into two parts and found that you needed both a subjective and an objective pronoun, then you would choose “whoever” instead.

Here’s an example.

I trust whoever/whomever completes the assignment.

Section 1: 

I trust _____.

Section 2: 

_____ completes the assignment.

This time, you would use both the objective case and the subjective case. I trust him. He completes the assignment. For that reason, you’d choose “whoever.” I trust whoever completes the assignment. 

The Object of a Prepositional Phrase

Sometimes you’ll find the mystery word nested in another clause, like a prepositional phrase. If that’s the case, determine whether the word is an object or a subject of a clause. For prepositional phrases, you’ll always choose “whom” because you need the mystery word to act as the object of the prepositional phrase. 

Here are some examples of how the word “whom” can be used within a prepositional phrase.

That’s the person about whom I was talking.

For whom were you named?

My aunt, with whom I traveled to Europe, turned eighty. 

The person from whom I got my car lied about the mileage. 

Those sentences may sound a bit old fashioned, but they follow the rules of proper grammar!

To recap, you should use the words “whom” and “whomever,” on the occasions when you need an objective pronoun. These words work well as the objects of phrases (like prepositional phrases) or the objects of sentences. Either way, without ever diagramming a sentence, you should be able to use the he/him test to decide whether the word “whom” is appropriate. If you’re looking at a particularly challenging sentence, try breaking it into sections to see which word fits best.

Test Your Skills

1) The last plate goes to whoever/whomever.

2) The last plate goes to whoever/whomever gets home first. 

3) He was the one who/whom took the prize. 

4) Who/whom is calling?

Answers: 1) whomever 2) whoever 3) who 4) who

Sources:

1. https://www.thoughtco.com/who-and-whom-1857114
2. https://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/who-vs-whom.html
3. https://www.proofreadnow.com/blog/who-or-whom-get-it-right-every-time-with-these-3-tricks
4. http://www.whitesmoke.com/janestraus_6

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Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Kelli Sipes

Score: 4.1/5
(26 votes)

General rule for who vs whom:

How do you use whom in a sentence examples?

Examples of “whom” in a sentence:

How do you use who in a sentence?

Who sentence example

Who vs whom in a question?

If the preposition is at the end of the question, informal English uses “who” instead of “whom.” (As seen in “Who will I speak with” above.) … However, if the question begins with a preposition, you will need to use “whom,” whether the sentence is formal or informal. (As in “With whom will I speak?”)

Who or whom would you recommend?

The commonly repeated advice for remembering whether to use who or whom is this: If you can replace the word with he or she or another subject pronoun, use who. If you can replace it with him or her (or another object pronoun), use whom.

23 related questions found

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A lot of people have trouble on when to use the words who and whom. Mixing these words up can be relatively easy, and, if you confuse them too frequently, it can cause your writing to look sloppy.

So, in this post we’ll talk about the grammatical functions of who vs. whom as well as give you a few tricks to easily determine which word to use and when.

Now, to begin, both who and whom are pronouns, which means they are words used as substitutes for nouns. But even though they are both pronouns, they are used different in a sentence. Let’s take a look at each word.

When to Use Who

When do you use who? When who is used in a sentence, it takes the nominative form. That simply means that it acts as the subject of the sentence. For instance,

• Who ate the pizza?
• He ate the pizza.

In this example, who is acting as the subject of the sentence in the same way that he is.

When to Use Whom

When do you use whom? When whom is used in a sentence, it takes the objective form. That simply means that it acts as an object, either of a verb or preposition. For example,

• You called whom?
• You called him?
• I deliver the pizza to whom?
• I delivered the pizza to him.

In both of these examples, the word whom is acting as an object.

In the first set, the word whom is acting as the object of the verb “call.” Whom did you call? I called him. It describes the person you called.

In the second set, the word whom is acting as the object of the preposition “to.” To whom did you deliver the pizza? I delivered the pizza to him. It describes the person to whom you delivered the pizza (to him).

Problem Sentences

Now, determining the case (nominative or objective) of these words can sometimes be tricky because who and whom so often find themselves in the form of a question.

This makes their true function within the sentence hard to see unless you sort the words into a standard subject-verb-object sentence. To help with this, I suggest changing sentences like the following ones into “I should say who is calling?” to make them easier.

• Wrong: Whom should I say is calling?
• Correct: Who should I say is calling?

By changing these sentences into the form “I should say who is calling?” you can more clearly see identify the subject, verb, and object.

Another problem that arises when determining the proper case is when the pronoun serves a function (for example, nominative) in a clause that itself serves a different function (for example, objective) in the main clause.

In situations like these, the pronoun’s function within its own clause determines its case. For example,

• WRONG: Give it to whomever wants it.
• CORRECT: Give it to whoever wants it.
• WRONG: Whoever you choose is fine by me.
• CORRECT: Whomever you choose is fine by me.

In the first example above, the entire clause “whoever wants it” is the object of the preposition “to.” But, in the clause itself, “whoever” serves as the subject, and that function determines the case.

Similarly, in the second sentence “whomever” is the object of “choose” in the clause, so it must be in the objective case even though the clause itself serves as the subject of the sentence.

Tricks to Remember

Now that you know the functions of whom vs. who within a sentence, I can show you an easy trick that can speed up the process of determining their cases.

If you still don’t know when to use who or whom, try simply substituting the words he/him in the clause where the whom or who appears. If “him” sounds better than “he” in the clause, use “whom” because “him” and “whom” both end in and “m” For our above examples,

• Wrong: I should say him is calling.
• Correct: I should say he is calling.

“Him” does not work in this sentence which means that “he” or “who” is the correct choice.

Summary

In short, who and whom have specific functions in a sentence, and it’s important to use each word correctly.

• The word “who” acts as the subject of a sentence.
  • Who ate my pizza?
• The word “whom” acts as the object of a verb or preposition.
  • Whom are you calling?
  • To whom are you talking?
• You can substitute he/him for who/whom if you are having difficulties in determining their function within a sentence.

Contents

• 1 What is the rule for who and whom?
• 2 How do you use some whom?
• 3 How often is whom used?
• 4 What is another word for whom?
• 5 Can whom be plural?
• 6 Is whom Too formal?
• 7 Does whom always follow with?
• 8 Is whom a dying word?
• 9 Why is whom no longer used?
• 10 Is whose and who’s the same?
• 11 Which vs who vs whom?
• 12 Is it pretentious to use whom?
• 13 Is it OK to not use whom?
• 14 Does Who or whom really matter?
• 15 Who vs whom advanced?
• 16 Is the a preposition?
• 17 Who do I love or whom I love?

What is the rule for who and whom?

The Rule: Who functions as a subject, while whom functions as an object. Use who when the word is performing the action. Use whom when it is receiving the action.

How do you use some whom?

Some of whom are musically gifted. Some of who are musically gifted. He waved to whoever is left in the stadium. He waved to whomever is left in the stadium.

How often is whom used?

Whom should be used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition. When in doubt, try this simple trick: If you can replace the word with “he”’ or “’she,” use who. If you can replace it with “him” or “her,” use whom. Who should be used to refer to the subject of a sentence.

What is another word for whom?

In this page you can discover 7 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for whom, like: who, that, what, her, whose, him and excommunicate.

Can whom be plural?

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.

Is whom Too formal?

Whom is usually considered to be too formal by most native speakers. If you asked someone, for example, whom should I call? the reply may be a smile or even laughter at your formality.

Does whom always follow with?

Whom is a pronoun that replaces the singular or plural object of a sentence. Whom can be used in a question or a statement. … With a direct object, a preposition isn’t necessary. You’ll also notice that a clause (a sentencelike phrase including both a subject and a verb) follows whom.

Is whom a dying word?

Fortunately, whom is rarely used in spoken American English today. More and more publications have stopped using it. In fact, whom has been dying for the past 200 years. But it still has a place in formal writing.

Why is whom no longer used?

That’s why, increasingly, whom is replaced in most usage by the “incorrect” who — the only situation in which it doesn’t work is the “To whom” form referenced just above, which is easily circumvented by “Who was she introduced to?” (Remember, sentences are permitted to end a preposition with.)

Is whose and who’s the same?

Who’s. Who’s is a contraction linking the words who is or who has, and whose is the possessive form of who. They may sound the same, but spelling them correctly can be tricky.

Which vs who vs whom?

Use who and whom to refer to people. Use “who” when you refer to the subject of a clause and “whom” when you refer to the object of a clause (for information regarding subjects versus objects, please refer to Sentence Elements).

Is it pretentious to use whom?

Using “whom” is pretentious! To avoid sounding pretentious, use “who” instead. Few persons use “whom” anymore.

Is it OK to not use whom?

“Whom” has been dying an agonizing death for decades—you’ll notice there are no Whoms in Dr. Seuss’s Whoville. Many people never use the word in speech at all. … “Whom” is very rarely used even by careful speakers as the first word in a question, and many authorities have now conceded the point.

Does Who or whom really matter?

Incorrect. You is the subject, so who is the object of the verb. Therefore, it should be whom. Correct: Whom are you calling?

Who vs whom advanced?

(Who is the subject of is. The answer to the question, “Who do they believe is Sir Fragalot?” is “He is Sir Fragalot.” He equals who; they’re both subject pronouns. He is the man whom they believe to be Sir Fragalot. (Whom is the subject of the infinitive to be, and therefore it has to be in the objective case (2).

Is the a preposition?

For is usually a preposition and sometimes a conjunction.

Who do I love or whom I love?

Who or Whom I Love so Much? The correct way to phrase this whom I love so much, not who I love so much. We know that whom is correct because this pronoun refers to the object of a preposition or verb. We may not have a preposition, but we have the verb love.

“Whom.” 

It’s one of those things you learned in English class but rarely hear in real life. Yet, just when you least expect it, “whom” appears out of nowhere.

When and why do people say “whom”? Using data on spoken and written English, we’ll show when English speakers most often use it – even in informal settings – and when you might want to consider using it too.

1. Quantity Word + “Of Whom”

Based on our research, “whom” is most often used in phrases like “all of whom,” “each of whom,” “either of whom,” etc. Here are some examples of this from our news site:

• A study on video games “looked at 3,274 people, all of whom were over 18 years old.”
• “The Faroe Islands are home to 50,000 people, most of whom live in Torshavn, the capital city.”
• A giraffe named “Forest” is “much taller than the two other giraffes at the zoo, both of whom are female.”
• A woman in Poland gave birth to six babies, “four of whom are girls.”

But how do we know that this is the most common usage ? Well, we searched through this library of American English from the past twenty years and found that “of” is, by far, the word that most often appears next to “whom.”

Then, we looked at examples from that library and also around the web and found that, most of the time, the prepositional phrase “of whom” came after a quantity-related word.

The cool thing is, “[quantity] + of whom” is also quite common in informal speech. For example, we searched through this library of TV show scripts from the six English-speaking countries, and found nearly 1200 instances of “of whom,” most of which come after a quantity-related word. Here are two examples:

• I have three sons, each of whom is the center of his own universe. (Home Improvement)
• He just wants to do a good job, unlike these two, one of whom forgot to wear shoes. (Man Up!)

So when you hear someone say “whom,” chances are, they’re using it in the structure “[quantity] + of whom”!

2. Preposition + “Whom”

The second most common way “whom” is used is with prepositions in general. If you look back at the chart above, you’ll notice that besides “of,” there are other prepositions, such as “with,” “to,” and “for.” 

This isn’t a coincidence. These days, “whom” is almost always used after a preposition. In fact, a study found that American college students were likely to use “whom” after prepositions even when it was grammatically incorrect.

Here are some examples from the internal emails of a US company (made public after a scandal):

• Please let me know with whom I should work to gather this information.
• To whom should Ken send this letter?

“[Preposition] + whom” is used in formal and informal English. For example, below are some people having an informal conversation about creativity. You’ll notice one of them uses the phrase “with whom”:

3. “To Whom It May Concern”

Finally, a specific instance of “[preposition] + whom” that we should mention is the formal greeting, “To whom it may concern.” 

This expression means “To whoever might care about this message,” and is used at the start of emails and letters. For example, if you are applying for a job and don’t know know the name of the recipient, you can use “To whom it may concern.”

Interestingly, this phrase has taken on a new life on the internet, where it has become a way to greet strangers online before telling them something they might not want to hear. The expression has even become an acronym: “TWIMC.”

TWIMC: If you don’t have anything constructive to say, you might want to check yourself. Your words are a reflection of your character. They can make you appear shades of beautiful or shades of ugly; you choose. pic.twitter.com/cx4V5zoHUP

— Alwaysshinethelight (@Alwaysshinethe1) May 10, 2019

“Whom” or “Who”?

So far, we’ve covered three common situations where English speakers actually use the word “whom.” You might be wondering if it’s possible to replace “whom” with “who” in these cases.  

In “To whom it may concern,” replacing “whom” with “who” would sound unnatural, since the phrase is a fixed expression. But what about in the other two cases?

1. Quantity + “Of Whom”

“Whom” in this case cannot be replaced with “who.” In fact, Lexico.com (a website run by Oxford University Press) calls this the “obligatory whom.”

✕ I have three sons, each of who is the center of his own universe.
✕ A woman in Poland gave birth to six babies, four of who were girls.

However, “whom” here can be replaced with another word – “them” – as long as the rest of the sentence is rephrased without the verb “to be.”

• I have three sons, each of them the center of his own universe.
• A woman in Poland gave birth to six babies, four of them girls.

2. Preposition + “Whom”

Sentences that use the “[preposition] + whom” structure can be rephrased with “who” as long as the preposition is moved after the verb (or the object of the verb).

• Please let me know who I should work with to gather this information.
• Who should Ken send this letter to?

In fact, “who … [preposition]” is more common than its whom counterpart in both informal and formal English. However, “[preposition] + whom” is still often used in informal contexts, because, well, English speakers sometimes think it flows better!

Final Word of Advice

We hope you now have a better idea of when the word “whom” is actually used. As a final tip, just remember that “whom” is almost always used after a preposition in modern English.

Do you want to practice having formal discussions in English? Or want someone to check an email you’ve written in English? Sign up for an Engoo account and get one free lesson with a tutor of your choice.

What’s the difference between who and whom? These are two words that cause a lot of confusion, even for native-English speakers. So, it’s well worth taking a few minutes to know the difference between the two. Below, we’ve provided an easy guide on understanding the grammatical rules. We’ve also given some examples on how to use who and whom correctly. If you want to avoid mistakes in using who vs whom, read on.

Who vs whom: the grammar rules

The difference between who and whom explained

Easy tip to tell the difference between who and whom

How to use who and whom correctly: sentence examples (with an explanation)

Grammar Quiz: Who vs Whom in English language

The Advanced Who vs Whom

Grammar Quiz: Answer key

Knowing when to use «whom» versus «who» can be difficult for even the most careful writers and speakers. Many writers and grammarians hope the day comes when «whom» is cast aside and designated by dictionaries as archaic.

Indeed, Paul Brians, a professor in the Department of English at Washington State University, says, «‘Whom’ has been dying an agonizing death for decades.» Until the last nail is placed in the coffin, however, it will be helpful to learn when to use «whom» versus «who» in various circumstances.

How and When to Use Whom

Put simply, use whom—which is a pronoun—when it is the object of a sentence. If you can replace the word with «her,» «him,» or «them» for example, use «whom.» You’ll know when to use «whom» if the pronoun is used in the objective case, or action is being done to the pronoun. Take the sentence:

• Whom do you believe?

The sentence may sound pretentious, even snobbish. But it is correct because «whom» is the subject of the infinitive «to,» as well as the object of the sentence as a whole. Turn the sentence around so that the object is at the end:

• You were talking to whom?

When you replace «whom» with «him,» it becomes even clearer:

• You were talking to him.
• Were you talking to him?

When to Use «Who»

If «whom» is used for the objective case, «who» is used for the subjective case—when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence, or the person creating the action. Take the sentence:

• Who is at the door?

The pronoun «who» is the subject of the sentence. Check this by replacing «who» with a subjective pronoun, swapping in «she» or «he» for «who,» as in:

• She is at the door.
• He is at the door.

«Who» is always used as the subject of a sentence or clause, and «whom» is always used as an object.

Examples

In the following sentences, «who» is correctly used in the subjective case. You can check this by replacing the pronoun «who» with another subjective pronoun, such as «she,» «he,» or «you,» for example:

• Who is coming to dinner? (He is coming to dinner?)
• Who was that masked man? (He was that masked man? or He was the masked man.)
• Sally is the woman who got the job. (She got the job.)

As previously noted, you’ll know when to use «whom» if the pronoun is used in the objective case, or action is being done to the pronoun, as in:

• To Whom It May Concern. (It may concern him.)
• I don’t know from whom the love letter came. (The love letter came from him.)
• They fought over whom? (They fought over him? or They fought over them?)
• After whom do I enter the stage? (I enter the stage after him.)
• Whom did you recommend for the job? (I recommended him for the job.)
• «For Whom the Bell Tolls» (The title of this famous Ernest Hemingway novel is saying, «The Bell Rings for Him.»)

Some of these sentences may sound odd, and this is why the word «whom» will probably disappear from the English language one day. As used in these examples, «whom» sounds a little awkward, even when it’s technically correct.

How to Remember the Difference

The key to understanding when to use «whom» or «who» is knowing the difference between subjective and objective case. Once you can easily identify the subject and the object of a sentence or clause, you will be able to figure out the correct usage of «who» and «whom.» For instance, if you want to decide which is correct in this sentence:

• Who/Whom should I consider as a college recommendation?

Rearrange the sentence so that it will make sense using «him» or «he.» You’ll come up with the following choices:

• I should consider him for the college recommendation.
• I should consider he for the college recommendation.

The pronoun «him» is clearly better. Therefore, the correct word in the sentence above will be «whom.» Remember this simple trick, and you’ll always know when to use «whom» and when to use «who.»

До сих пор многие, кто изучает английский язык, путают, когда нужно использовать who и whom в английском языке.

Согласно правилам грамматики, who должно использоваться в субъектной позиции в предложении, а whom следует использовать в положении объекта, а также после предлога.

Простое объяснение разницы между Who и Whom

Разница между этими словами в том, что whom это who только в косвенном падеже; who первоначально было только субъективным местоимением.

Сравните:

• Alan was playing the guitar. > Who was playing the guitar? He was playing the guitar.
• I saw Ivan at the party. > Whom did you see at the party? I saw him at the party.

Как видно из этих примеров, существует такая закономерность: если вы можете ответить, используя he, тогда  правильно использовать who в вопросительном предложении; а если вы отвечаете him, тогда правильным будет использование слова whom.

• The policeman was talking to the man. > To whom was the policeman talking?
• The man who was carrying the bags is Mary’s brother.
• The girl whom I saw at the party is my friend’s ex-girlfriend.
• The girl to whom an ugly man was talking is Jim’s daughter.

В этих предложениях who (который/которая) используется  в субъектной позиции; whom (которому/которой) находится в роли объекта, а также стоит после предлога.

В то время как whom может быть использовано только в положении объекта или после предлога, who может быть использовано в позиции, как субъекта, так и объекта.

Whom довольно редко используется в современном разговорном английском языке, хотя является общепринятым в письменном, особенно формальном варианте языка.

Если предложение длинное или сложное, и отделить предлог от местоимения не совсем удобно, то структура: предлог + whom — может быть использована в разговорном языке, тоже.

• We had already known the man who became the head of the office.
• The clients who need more information can write an email to customer support service.
• Who did you see at the party?
• Whom did you see at the party? (очень редко, но возможно)
• Who was an ugly man talking to?
• To whom was an ugly man talking?
• Who can we call in case of an emergency?
• To whom can we call in case of emergency?

Полезные общие фразы с Whom

Очень вежливая фраза, используемая в телефонном общении вместо простой и нейтральной фразы:

• Who would you like to talk to?
• Whom did you want me to contact?
• With whom did you go the meeting?

To whom it may concern – тому, кого это касается. Используется для обращения к людям, особенно в письмах, когда имя ответственного по делу, о котором вы говорите или пишете, неизвестно.

По сути, разница между who и whom важна больше в письменной речи. В разговорной речи, особенно неформальной, этому не придается большого значения.

Тем не менее нужно быть в курсе вот таких вот моментов. И как вариант, советую вам придумать свои фразы с who и whom, чтобы лучше запомнить случаи их использования.