Who - Subject of Verb
The word 'who' can only be used when it is the subject of a
verb.
Examples:
 Who paid for the meal?
("Who" is the subject of the verb "to pay".)
I have not seen the man who lives in the hut by the beach for a week.
("Who" is the subject of the verb "to live".)
I wonder who is in charge.
("Who" is the subject of the verb "to be"; i.e. "who is".)
Sarah gave the tickets to who?
("Sarah" is the subject of "to give", but "who" is not the subject of any verb.
Therefore, you cannot use "who". It should be "whom")
Do you know the boy who rang the bell?
should be 'who'
(subject of the verb existed)
(TV listing in magazine)
should
be 'who' (subject of 'will notify')
(notice in office)
Don't Get it? Use Who
There is often confusion about when to use 'who' and 'whom'. If you are unsure which to use,
use 'who'. Firstly, it is much more common than 'whom'. Secondly, the use of
'whom' is considered old fashioned in some circles. (Of course, Grammar
Monster does not condone this practice, but if you don't have time to learn the
difference, this advice will do for now.)
Example:
Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?
(Groucho Marx
quote)
(This quote by Groucho Marx is incorrect. It should start "Whom are
you going to believe". However, as "whom" sounds a bit contrived,
we'll let Groucho off this time.)
Whom Is Never the Subject of a Verb
'Whom' is never the subject of a verb.
('Who', on the other hand, is always the subject of a verb.)
Examples:
You sat by whom all night?
(In this example, "whom" is not the subject of any verb. "You" is the subject
of "to sit".)
She is a wistful recluse whom lives near the river.
("Whom" cannot be the subject of the verb "to live". It should be "who".)
Claire saw whom yesterday?
(In this example, "whom" is not the subject of any verb. "Claire" is the subject
of "to see".)
Kelvin was with whom?
Whom after Prepositions
Always use 'whom' after prepositions. (Prepositions are words like
to, with, by, on, in, near.)
You have a child
by whom?
(by - preposition)
With whom did you see Janice?
(with - preposition)
That is the lady
to whom I made the promise.
(to - preposition)
That is the lady whom I made the promise
to.
(This is similar to the example above. Ideally, you should not
end a sentence in a preposition (like 'to'), but sometimes it
sounds better. The word 'to' still governs 'whom' even
though it is at the end of the sentence.)
should
be 'by whom'
(advertisement by estate
agent)
With whom did you go the cinema?
(with - preposition)
Whom did you go to the cinema
with?
(This is similar to the example above. Ideally, you should not
end a sentence in a preposition (like 'with'), but sometimes it
sounds better. The word 'with' still governs 'whom' even
though it is at the end of the sentence.)
A joke in a student comic:
Funny?
No. It should be "Two hits to whom?"
("joke" in a
student comic)
Select the correct version:
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SUBJECT OF A VERB?
Verbs are doing words (e.g., 'to dance', 'to sit', 'to fly', 'to
think') (See lesson Verbs.)
The subject of a verb is the person or thing that is doing the action.
Peter flies to Moscow on Tuesdays.
('Peter' is the subject of the verb 'to fly'.)
Helen's boss drinks like a fish during the day.
(Helen's boss is the subject of the verb 'to drink'.)
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WHO = HE (A NEAT TRICK)
Substitute 'who' with the word 'he'. If that part of the sentence still makes sense, then
'who' is almost certainly correct. (These are from the examples
to the left.)
He paid for the meal. (< sounds ok)
("Who paid for the meal?" is correct.)
...he lives in the hut... (< sounds ok - "who" is correct)
...he is in charge. (< sounds ok - "who" is correct)
...to he? (< does not sound ok - "who" is wrong)
'Who' and 'he' are always the subjects of verbs. They are said to be in the
subjective case. This is why the trick works.
WHO = THEY
In order to perform this trick for plurals, you will have to substitute
'who' with the word 'they'.
I met the people who were on the plane.
...they were on the plane. (< sounds ok - "who" is correct)
WHOM = HIM (A NEAT TRICK)
Substitute 'whom' with the word 'him'. If that part of the sentence still makes sense, then
'whom' is almost certainly correct.
Sarah gave the tickets to whom?
Sarah gave the tickets to him. (< sounds ok - "whom" is correct)
('Whom' and 'him' are never the subjects of verbs. They are said to be in the
objective case. This is why the trick works.)
WHOM = THEM
In order to perform this trick for plurals, you will have to substitute
'who' with the word 'them'.
The witness saw four boys, one of whom had a limp, leave
the shop.
...one of them had a limp... (< sounds ok - "whom" is correct)
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