Who vs. Whom
As it turns out, whom is not just a fancy way to say who. I know, surprising! But there’s actually a right way to use each, and it’s one or the other—both are never correct. I always thought this was so confusing, but it’s really not. There’s a simple way to know which word to use (who or whom). Here’s the shortcut:
he = who
him = whom
When you’re not sure whether to use who or whom, just answer the question it’s asking. If the answer could be “he,” use who. If the answer could be “him,” use whom. Examples,
I don’t know who(m) made the cake.
[Who(m) made the cake? He made the cake.]
Correct: who
Who(m) is that present for?
[It’s for him.]
Correct: whom
I want to know who(m) came to the door.
[He came to the door.]
Correct: who
I asked who(m) they were talking about.
[They were talking about him.]
Correct: whom
See? It’s actually not that hard! Don’t get thrown off by people throwing whom in their sentences all the time just to sound sophisticated. There actually has been some talk that who may be acceptable in speech all the time even when whom is technically correct. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to know when to write it though . . .
Whoever vs. Whomever
The same goes for whoever and whomever. This could get trickier though because it requires knowing the parts of the sentence . . . stick with me! We got this! Once again, use this shortcut:
he = whoever
him = whomever
1. The presence of one of these words indicates a dependent clause in the sentence. Use the verb of that dependent clause to answer the question. Examples,
Give it to who(m)ever wants it.
[He wants it.] “wants it” is the dependent clause
Correct: whoever
Give it to who(m)ever you want.
[You want him.] “you want” is the dependent clause
Correct: whomever
2. If there isn’t a dependent clause and whoever/whomever is the subject of the sentence, use the verb connected to that subject to answer the question.
Who(m)ever wants to see the movie should get tickets.
[He wants to see the movie.] “wants to see the movie” is connected to the subject
Correct: whoever
Who(m)ever you gave the puppy will need these toys too.
[You gave the puppy to him.] “you gave the puppy” is connected to the subject
Correct: whomever
If you want more grammar tips, check out these blog posts!
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