when exactly does a person use "whom" and "who"? This has always confused me. HELP!?

Answer 1

If you are learning American English then "whom" is nearly extinct. The only time you will find it in American English is when you have a relative clause or question that starts with a preposition: "To whom are you speaking?" "I saw the man to whom I am speaking". Otherwise, "whom" is not used in American English: "Who are you speaking to?" "I saw the man who I was speaking to"

Answer 2

If the person is the subject, i.e. the one doing the verb, you use "who". If the person is the object, the one to whom the verb is done, you use "whom".
"Who" and "whoever" will always be either the subject or the predicate pronoun of their own clauses. (A subject and a verb comprise a clause.) Thus, in sentence 1, "who needs it most" is correct because "who" is the subject of the verb "needs." In sentence 3, "who" is the predicate pronoun of the clause "who you are." (Because of the linking verb "are," the clause says "you = who.") Sentence 5 is correct because "who" is the subject of the verb "is."

"Whom" and "whomever" will always serve as objects. Sentence 2 is incorrect because in the clause "who we hired last month," the subject is "we," the verb is "hired," and the object of that verb is "whom." Likewise, in sentence 4, the subject is "you" and the object of the verb "are calling" is "whom." In normal order, the clause reads "we are calling whom." Here are corrected versions of sentences 2 and 4:

2. We filed a complaint against the contractor whom we hired last month.
4. Whom are you calling?

Sentence 7 correctly employs "whomever" as the object of its own clause, "Whomever we elect for president." The subject is "we," the verb is "elect," and the direct object is "whomever." In normal order, the clause reads "we elect whom."

Here is the four-step trick for getting these words straight every time:

Step 1: Isolate the clause containing the "who(ever)" or "whom(ever)." (Sentences that ask questions, such ase 4 and 5 above, can have only one clause.)

Step 2: Ignore the part of the sentence that is NOT in the "who(ever)" or "whom(ever)" clause.

Step 3: In place of the word "who(ever)" or "whom(ever)," plug in the words "he" or "him" and see which one sounds better. (Sorry, ladies; we can't use "she" and "her" because "her" doesn't end with an "m," and the trick won't work!)

Step 4: If "he" sounds better, then choose "who(ever)." If "him" sounds better, then choose "whom(ever)." Remember that the "m" words ("him" and "whom") go together.

Let's try the trick on sentence 1:

(1) Isolate the "who/whom" clause: We will give the money to the person [who needs it most].

(2) Ignore the rest of the sentence outside the bracketed clause.

(3) Plug in "he" or "him" and see which sounds better: "he needs it most" or "him needs it most"?

(4) Obviously, "he" sounds better, so our choice will be "who."

Let's try it on sentence 7:

(1) Isolate the "whoever/whomever" clause: [Whomever we elect for president] will be in office for four years.

(2) Ignore the rest of the sentence outside the bracketed clause.

(3) Plug in "he" or "him" and see which sounds better: "we elect he for president" or "we elect him for president"?

(4) Obviously, "him" sounds better, so our choice will be "whom"--or, in this sentence, "whomever."

The trick works even when the "who" or "whom" refers to a group of people; simply use "they" and "them" instead of "he" and "him." The "m" words still go together: "them," "him," "whom," and "whomever."

We get in trouble when we forget step 2 of the trick and don't ignore the part of the sentence that is outside the "who/whom" clause. Notice what would have happened if we had made that mistake with sentence 6 and said "we will be kind to him" instead of "he knocks on our door for help." We would have incorrectly chosen "whomever" instead of "whoever."

TEST YOURSELF: Which word--"who," "whom," "whoever," or "whomever"--belongs in each blank?

1. She was asked to keep track of _______ came in late to work each day.
2. ________ should I say is calling? [With questions, it's a good idea to make statements out of them before trying to decide which word to use: I should say ____ is calling.]
3. _________ finishes the project first can leave work early.
4. _________ she selects as project manager will have to work many long nights.
5. We are pleased with the person _______ she has chosen to be the office manager.

Answer 3

its hard to get used to......but once you get the hang of it, its easy. Think of times you'd say "for him" and those would be the same types of situations where you'd use "for whom". For example: WHO wrote the book? HE wrote the book. As opposed to To WHOM does that bike belong? That bike belongs to HIM.

Hope that helps a little!!

Answer 4

are you familiar with the concept of 'cases' in a sentence.
when you use "who", it refers to the first case (nominativ) you ask 'who' did something? eg. the woman who i know is over there.
when you use 'whom," it refers to the third and fourth case, (dativ, akkusativ) eg. this is a friend, whom i have given a ride in my car.
and there is also 'whose' which refers to the second case (genetiv). this is tom, whose mother i know.
sorry, i guess this answer is not very clear.....

Answer 5

this is the simple rule that i follow: if there's a preposition in front or after it, then it's "whom."

To whom, for whom, of whom, whom for, by whom...

then you have everything else:

who was it? who went? who are they? etc etc etc...

Answer 6

who quiere decir quien y whom quiere decir "a quien"/"para quien". Sólo piénsalo en español. Y hay otra palabrilla: whose, que quiere decir "de quien"/ "cuyo".