If you’re an English language learner, you may be confused about the proper use of who and whom. These two words are often used interchangeably, but it’s important to know which one is correct.
Who and whom are relative pronouns that connect a noun to a phrase or clause with more information. They can also work as interrogative pronouns.
Subject Pronoun
Who and whom are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference that English language learners and native speakers of English alike can sometimes get confused about. That’s why it’s a good idea to learn which pronoun to use in a question or in a relative clause.
Who represents the subject of a sentence or clause, while whom refers to the object. Who is also used after prepositions to refer to a specific person.
When choosing between who and whom, there are some simple tests you can try to help you determine which one is the correct choice. First, replace the word with he or she and see if it sounds right.
Object Pronoun
Choosing the correct object pronoun can be a challenge for English speakers. The object pronoun indicates to whom the action of a sentence is performed.
It is used in questions and sentences that end with a preposition. It is also used after a verb.
The object pronoun should always be used when the person it is describing is the object of the sentence or is mentioned after a preposition.
The subject and object of a sentence are often confused by language learners, as well as native English speakers. It can be a challenge to know when the correct pronoun is needed, so learning the rules can help you avoid common grammar mistakes.
Interrogative Pronoun
Who and whom are both pronouns, and they can be confusing for English language learners or even native speakers of the language. The difference is that who should be used as the subject of a sentence, while whom should be used as the object of a sentence or when it comes after a preposition.
In informal English, who is used more often as a relative pronoun than whom, but he or she can be substituted for whom when it sounds better. When whom is used as an object pronoun, it can sound more formal than who, so it’s important to know when to use whom and when to use who.
Who and whom both belong to the category of interrogative pronouns, which means they are used to ask questions. They also belong to the category of relative pronouns, which means they are placed after a relative clause in a sentence.
Relative Pronoun
The relative pronoun is one of the most commonly used parts of speech. It’s also the most confusing to use.
Relative pronouns are words that introduce a dependent clause and link it with an independent clause. They can be called defining clauses because they provide extra information that enhances the meaning of another part of the sentence.
They are also called question words because they function like interrogative determiners. They replace nouns in interrogative sentences to help the reader answer questions.
Relative pronouns come in many forms, but all of them start a clause to connect a noun or pronoun with an adjective clause and provide extra information about the noun. Relative pronouns can be restrictive (they describe a noun antecedent) or nonrestrictive (they don’t describe a noun antecedent).