Who and whom?

Question

Whats the difference and how should each be used in language?

Answer 1

Just remember this question as a Memory Device: Who gives what to whom?

"Who" is always the subject meaning it is used to identify the person performing the action.

"Whom" is always the direct object meaning it is to identify the person the action is directed toward.

Examples:
Who gave you that? (Who is doing the action).
To whom did you give it? ("You give" is the action but "Whom" is the recipient of the action.)

I hope that helps!

Answer 2

Hi there,

Who is an interrogative, that is a question word, whereas whom is a conjunction. Although, who can be used as a conjunction on its own. The conjunction joins two clauses of a sentence together to make one larger sentence.

For instance. The man, WHO lives over there, knows everything

With whom: The man, of whom I have spoken, knows everything

The man, to whom I have spoken, knows everything.

1. The 2 clauses are always kept separate by commas. In the above, a clause is in the middle of another and is surrounded by commas.
2. the word (who) stood alone as a conjunction, but whom required of, to or by to create it. Were there words not to have been introduced we the sentence would have who instead.

Please forgive me if i have been too complex.

Have a happy festive season.

Kind regards

Michael Cavanagh

Answer 3

Who is used whenever the word relates to the subject of a sentence, whom is used elsewhere, either as a direct object or after a preposition.

The man, who is studying Latin, is also studying French.
The man whom I saw (although 'that' is better instead of whom.)
The children to whom I gave the apples . . .

Answer 4

Unless you are answering questions on a test in English class, "whom" is nearly extinct in American English, even among the self-proclaimed grammar experts when they are not paying attention. "Who" is used when the referent is the subject of the Relative Clause. "Whom" is used when the referent is any other noun except a possessor in the Relative Clause ("whose" is used in that case). But don't worry about it in speech. If you actually use "whom" in speech in the U.S., people consider you to be a stuck-up snob. It only exists in very formal writing in American English.

Answer 5

Who is he?
Who do you think I am?
Whom did you see in the street?
Give it to the one whom you love
Give it to the one who loves you
I saw the girl whom you adore
Marry whom ever you love
Convey the message to whomsoever you meet first
Who are you looking for?
Who is used as subject. The girl who rescued him is my friend
Whom is used as a complement. The man whom she rescued is also my friend.
We ignored the people who were late.
The mouse got past the cat who was asleep.
To whom were your remarks addressed?
Whom did she embrace?
I demanded to know whom he had spoken to.
who did you see at the party?
I want to know who you spoke to just now.
I want to know to whom you spoke just now.

Answer 6

who could tell whom the use of whom?
jane doe

Answer 7

The people WHOM I hate the most are the ones WHO don't know the difference between who and whom. Freeking learn your own language.

Uh, no, whom can never be a verb, and who can also mean more than one.

Answer 8

'Who' for the subject and 'whom' for the object. It's similar to 'i' and 'me' and 'he' and 'him'.
You gave the book to whom?
I gave the book to him. ( 'to he' would sound wrong)
Who drove the car?
I drove the car. ('Me drove' would sound wrong.)

Answer 9

whom can sometimes mean more then one and it can be a verb

Answer 10

I don't know..it is instinctive.