Wednesday, February 25, 2009

English Grammar - Incorrect Usage 2

Who versus Whom.

Who and Whom are both pronouns. And gramatically, they are often not interchangeable.

'Who' is used when you are referring to the subject of a clause. And 'Whom' is used when you are referring to the object of a clause. It is very tricky in usage. But let's get this straight.

Use 'Whom' when you are referring to the object of a sentence.
Ex. Whom did you play with?
'Who did you playwith?' with is wrong.

On the contrary, you'd use 'Who' if you are referring to the subject of a sentence.
Ex. Who played with you?
'Whom played with you' is wrong.

And to recap, Subject is the one taking action and object is the one being acted upon.

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