When Should I Use Who vs. Whom?
Who and whom are commonly confused, but ‘who’ is used to refer to the subject of a sentence, while ‘whom’ is used to refer to an object.
Examples of When to Use Who vs. Whom
Some examples of when to use who vs. whom would be the following:
Elizabeth is the only student who got a perfect score on the exam.
– “Who” is the subject of the verb “got.”
Who will be filling in for Mr. Bingham today?
– “Who” is the subject of the verb phrase “will be filling.”
Anyone who buys five ice cream cones gets a sixth cone for free!
– “Who” is the subject of the verb “buys.”
To whom should I deliver this letter?
– “Whom” is the object of the preposition “to.”
Is Nestor the boy with whom you walk home from the bus stop?
– “Whom” is the object of the preposition “with.”
When You Should Use Who vs. Whom in Your Writing
One trick you can use to determine when to use “who” and when to use “whom” is the following:
If you can replace the “who/whom” word in the sentence with “he” or “she,” then use the word “who.” For example:
Who is at the door?
Correct: He is at the door.
Incorrect: Him is at the door.
If you can replace the “who/whom” word in the sentence with “him” or “her,” then use the word “whom.” For example:
Whom did you see at the door?
Rephrase it first: You did see whom at the door.
Correct: You did see her at the door.
Incorrect: You did see she at the door.
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