Who Vs Whom

Many English speakers are not clear when it comes to the question of who vs whom. Although both who and whom happen to be interrogative pronouns, yet there is a difference when it comes to their uses. Furthermore, the use of the word ‘who’ happens in the place of a question’s subject. In contrast, the use of the word ‘whom’ happens in place of a question’s object. Also, use of who can take place in statements instead of a clause’s subject. One the other hand, the use of the word ‘whom’ can take place in statements instead of a clause’s object. Moreover, the word ‘whom’ happens to be the correct choice following a preposition.

The difference of who vs whom is similar to differences of he vs him, she vs her, and I vs me. Also, the words who, he, she, I are subjects. In contrast, the words whom, him her, and me are objects.

Difference between Who and Whom

Let us go into further details of this who vs whom matter. Who refers to a sentence’s subject. In contrast, whom meaning is that it refers to an object of a preposition or verb.

There are English speakers who may be aware of the existence of a difference between who and whom. However, they may fail in explaining exactly what that difference is. Furthermore, knowing the difference between who and whom is not as difficult as most people think it to be.

Understanding the difference between who and whom comes in handy when indulging in formal writing.  Knowing how to use who or whom sentence will provide an individual with a strong command over the English language and grammar. It will also strengthen the very foundation of one’s English.

The word ‘who’ is a pronoun that is of a subjective-case type. In contrast, the word ‘whom’ is a pronoun of an objective-case type.

Is there a simple way to understand the difference between who vs whom? An easy trick would be to substitute the words “him” or “her” and “he’ or “she”. Most noteworthy, if the words “he” or “she” fit, then use of who must take place, while whom must be used for “him” or “her”.

There’s an ongoing debate among English experts regarding when one should use the word who and when to use the word whom. According to formal English grammar rules, use of ‘who’ must take place in the sentence’s subject position. In contrast, use of ‘whom’ must take place after a preposition as well as in the object position.

The words ‘who’ and ‘whom’ also happen to be relative pronouns. Moreover, ‘whom’ is certainly more formal than ‘who’. It is acceptable and advisable to use the more formal whom in preposition constructions due to its highly formal nature.

There is one specific context in which whom seems obligatory: This happens when who is preceded by quantifiers such as all, many of, few of, of, both of, several of, etc.

When/How to Use Who

The way to use who is as a sentence’s subject. The reason for this is because it performs actions. Furthermore, this is similar to words like they, we, she, and he.

A correct use of the word who is- “who is talking on the phone”. Furthermore, an incorrect use of the word who is- “the car is driven to home by who”. Moreover, in the second example, the use of the word whom should have taken place instead of who.

When/How to Use Whom

The use of the whom is certainly trickier than the word who. In contrast to who, whom is a word that is acted on. Moreover, the word whom is similar to words like them, us, her, and him.

A correct use of the word whom is- “the homework was done by whom?”. Moreover, an incorrect use of the word whom is- “whom ate my burger?” In the second case, the correct word would be ‘who’ instead of the word ‘whom’.

Examples of Who – Using Who in a Sentence

Below are some examples of using the word ‘who’ in sentences. These examples will bring out the difference of who vs whom in a more clear manner.

Example 1: Who is driving the car? As one can see, the sentence is in the form of a question.

Example 2: Who should I consult regarding opening a bank account?

Example 3: Who is ready to ready to go on an adventure trip?

Examples of Whom – Using Whom in a Sentence

Examples of the word ‘whom’ will better clarify the matter regarding who vs whom. Below are some examples of ‘whom’.

Example 1: To whom should I speak regarding the submission of fees? As one can see here, the sentence is basically a question.

Example 2: By whom is the bus driven to the bus stop?

Example 3: To whom should I talk to about my case?