Whom Vs. Who - Grammar Rule

Don't you just hate those 'whom vs. who' and 'I vs. me' and 'he vs. him' grammar rule based questions? Well I don't! Because I feel that they fall pretty much within my strength area. Like you, even I was a dud at grammar a few years ago, but with a little reading and practice, I mastered all these grammar rules. And it is not even as hard as you think. In fact, after reading this article I hope that you too will become well versed with the whom or who grammar rule and never have problems with it, ever!

Whom or Who - When to Use

Before we proceed to the rule, let me explain the basics that govern whom versus who when to use. Remember 'subject' and 'object'?

The Subject and the Object
It may seem like I'm simply digging out more and more old English language grammar demons, but the subject and the object are two of the most important cornerstones of the English language. What is the subject in a sentence? The subject is the thing or person that is doing something. Hence, the subject in a sentence is the doer. The object, on the other hand is something on which an action is performed and would remain unchanged, should the action not have been performed. So basically, the subject performs an action on the object. Perhaps an example would come in handy.

The dog bit the man.

In this sentence, it is clear that the dog is doing something to the man. Had the dog not done its action (biting), the man would have remained just fine. But due to the action performed by the dog, the man gets bitten. Hence, as per the rule given above, the doer of the action - the dog - is the subject of the sentence, while the person on the receiving end, which is having the action done to it - the man in this case - is the object.

Perfect Usage
Now the laws of English grammar will doubtless tell you that both the words 'who' and 'whom' are pronouns. But which one to use where? Going back to the subject and object at this point. When the question is directed at the object of the sentence, the questioning pronoun used in this case is 'whom'. If the question is directed at the subject of the sentence, then 'who' is used as the questioning pronoun. Well that's just the grammar rule so I bet it went straight above your head! So why not continue the above example to help you understand?

The dog bit the man.

Seeing this sentence, you can ask two questions of it. One of them starts with a 'who' and the other one starts with a 'whom', But which one goes where?

Back to the who vs. whom grammar rule, we can see that if you're asking a question, to which the answer will be the object of the sentence, then the question should star with 'whom'.

Whom did the dog bite?
The man.

The rule also says that if you ask a question the answer to which is the subject of the sentence, then the question should start with 'who'.

Who bit the man?
The dog.

Exercises

Of course, grammar rules cannot be internalized in one reading and need a lot of practice. Hence here are some practice questions.

• _____ let the dogs out?

Imagine the answer here. Let's assume that 'John' let the dogs out. The subject of the sentence is John. Hence the questioning pronoun is 'who'.

• _____ did John let out?

Imagine the answer here. Suppose John let the dogs out, then the dogs are the object of the sentence. Hence the questioning pronoun is 'whom'.

Here are some more questions. Use the mouse to hover over the answer tab to get the answer.

• _____ signed the Declaration of Independence?

• ______ invented electricity?

• To ______ is this letter going?

• ______ are you visiting?

• _______ is responsible for this mess?

Grammar rules need practice so that they are properly assimilated in your brain. With a lot of practice and reading (because there you have correct sentences and usages anyway), you will be able to get your whom vs. who problem sorted out even faster. Good luck!