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The basic rule is this: Use the pronoun "who" when it is the subject of a clause and use "whom" when it is the object of a clause.

Probably 90% of the places where you need to use "whom" are prepositional phrases. It's always "to whom", "from whom", "on whom", "with whom", "over whom", "of whom", since "whom" is the object of the preposition.

If you are using the pronoun as the subject of the sentence, use "who". It's always, "Who is", "Who went", "Who did", "Who came", "Who left",

Here's a trick to help remember: It's the same as the difference between "he" and "him". If a reply to your sentence would use "he", then your sentence should use "who"; if a reply to your sentence would use "him", then your sentence should use "whom". (Remember that "whom" and "him" both end with 'm'.) For example,

"Who made this mess?" "He made this mess."

"Who drove the car?" "He drove the car."

"To whom did you give the keys?" "I gave them to him."

"From whom did you hear that rumor?" "I heard it from him."

Here's a tricky one--the subject is "you" and the object is "whom", but they're turned around:

"Whom did you hit with a snowball?" "I hit him."

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To decide whether to use whom in a sentence see if you can replace it with what?

The pronoun 'whom' takes the place of a noun for a person.The pronoun 'whom' functions as an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun.The pronoun 'whom' functions as an object in a sentence, most commonly as the object of a preposition (to whom, by whom, with whom, etc.)The corresponding subject pronoun is 'who'.


Guidelines in using who and whom?

Who and whom are precisely like he and him, or I and me. In formal writing, who is always the subject of a verb and whom is always the object of a verb or a preposition, but in complex sentences these relations may not always be obvious. For example : My friend, whom I know to be true, is here tonight. In this sentence whom is the object of the verb know. But: My friend, who I know is true, is here tonight. In this sentence, who is the subject of is, and the phrase I know is "absolute," that is grammatically outside of the sentence. If you are not sure whether to use who or whom, use who. Even if it is wrong, it is a lesser error than using whom incorrectly would be.


Is this correct 'whom is displayed in the'?

Since "whom" is the subject of the sentence, it should be "who" not "whom."And you need some sort of noun after "the."For example:Who is displayed in the window?If you want an example of how to use the word "whom," we need to change the sentence around:Whom did they display in the window?In this example, the subject is "they" and the object is "whom." So "whom" and not "who" should be used.


What are the grammatical rules for using words whom and who?

Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct. he = who him = whom Examples: Who/Whom wrote the letter? He wrote the letter. Therefore, "who" is correct. For who/whom should I vote? Should I vote for him? Therefore, "whom" is correct. We all know who/whom pulled that prank. This sentence contains two clauses: We all know and who/whom pulled that prank. We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He pulled that prank. Therefore, "who" is correct.


Is there a comma before of whom in a sentence?

Yes, in most cases, a comma should be placed before "of whom" in a sentence. This comma is used to set off a dependent clause or phrase that is providing additional information about the subject.

Related Questions

To decide whether to use whom in a sentence see if you can replace it with what?

The pronoun 'whom' takes the place of a noun for a person.The pronoun 'whom' functions as an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun.The pronoun 'whom' functions as an object in a sentence, most commonly as the object of a preposition (to whom, by whom, with whom, etc.)The corresponding subject pronoun is 'who'.


Guidelines in using who and whom?

Who and whom are precisely like he and him, or I and me. In formal writing, who is always the subject of a verb and whom is always the object of a verb or a preposition, but in complex sentences these relations may not always be obvious. For example : My friend, whom I know to be true, is here tonight. In this sentence whom is the object of the verb know. But: My friend, who I know is true, is here tonight. In this sentence, who is the subject of is, and the phrase I know is "absolute," that is grammatically outside of the sentence. If you are not sure whether to use who or whom, use who. Even if it is wrong, it is a lesser error than using whom incorrectly would be.


What is the correct grammar in this sentence trust who or whom to trust?

The correct grammar is 'whom to trust'. I didn't know whom to trust.


Is this correct 'whom is displayed in the'?

Since "whom" is the subject of the sentence, it should be "who" not "whom."And you need some sort of noun after "the."For example:Who is displayed in the window?If you want an example of how to use the word "whom," we need to change the sentence around:Whom did they display in the window?In this example, the subject is "they" and the object is "whom." So "whom" and not "who" should be used.


Pronoun case for who and whom - Should the wording be 'To who should you send the letter of commendation' or 'To whom should you send the letter of commendation'?

The wording of the question should be, "To whom should you send the letter of commendation?".The pronoun "whom" is the objective form, in this sentence, functioning as the object of the preposition to.The pronoun "who" is the subjective form, which functions as the subject of a sentence or a clause.Example: Who did you send the letter to?


What job is the noun clause doing in this sentence - We won't know whom the students chose for cheerleader until Monday morning?

The noun clause is "whom the students chose for cheerleader", which is the direct object of the verb "know".NOTE: The relative pronoun 'whom' is not correct. Although the noun clause is functioning as the direct object of the verb "know", the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause.The sentence should read:We won't know who the students chose for cheerleaderuntil Monday morning?


Is it correct to say whom should our soldiers be?

Use of the interrogative pronouns 'who' (subjective) and 'whom' (objective), depends on the function in the sentence. Examples: To whom should our solders be reporting on base? Who should our soldiers be reporting to on base?


Whom did you laugh at?

The correct interrogative pronoun is 'who' as the subject of the sentence. The interrogative pronoun 'whom' is the objective form. To use the objective form, the sentence should read:At whom did you laugh? (the pronoun 'whom' is the object of the preposition 'at')To use the pronoun 'who' as the subject:Who did you laugh at?


What are the grammatical rules for using words whom and who?

Use the he/him method to decide which word is correct. he = who him = whom Examples: Who/Whom wrote the letter? He wrote the letter. Therefore, "who" is correct. For who/whom should I vote? Should I vote for him? Therefore, "whom" is correct. We all know who/whom pulled that prank. This sentence contains two clauses: We all know and who/whom pulled that prank. We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He pulled that prank. Therefore, "who" is correct.


Who should i sue?

If you do not know whom to sue, you should not sue anybody.


When do you say whom instead of who?

The pronoun 'who' is used as a subject pronoun.The pronoun 'whom' is used as an object pronoun.The pronouns 'who' and 'whom' are interrogative pronouns and relative pronouns.An interrogative pronoun introduces a question.A relative pronoun introduces a relative clause.Examples:Who is your new math teacher? (interrogative pronoun, subject of the sentence)Mr. Smith who taught science is also teaching math. (relative pronoun, subject of the relative clause)To whom should I give my completed application? (interrogative pronoun, object of the preposition 'to')The manager is the one to whom you give the application. (relative pronoun, object of the preposition 'to')


Which is correct Bob and Sue whom you met OR who you met?

"Whom" is not the plural form of the interrogative "who" (as a previous answerer stated), it is the objective form. So it does not matter if you're talking about more than one person or only one person. You should use "whom" when it's acting as an object (direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition), and "who" when it's acting as the subject of a sentence. There's much debate over whether "who" or "whom" should be used as predicate nominative, though traditionally, you would use "who" (this is similar to the debate of whether we should say "It is I" or "It is me", "It is I" is traditionally correct, but more current English speakers say "It is me"). In the example of the independent clause "whom you met", "you" is the subject, "met" is the predicate, and "whom" is the direct object. "Whom" is correct, not "who".