Use relative pronouns: who and whom

Key Notes:

  1. What are Relative Pronouns?
    Relative pronouns are used to connect a dependent (relative) clause to a main clause, providing more information about a noun. Who and whom are relative pronouns that refer to people.
  1. ‘Who’ as a Relative Pronoun
  • ‘Who’ is used as a subject in a sentence or clause. It refers to the person who performs the action of the verb.
  • Examples:
  • The student who answered the question is correct.
  • She is the one who made the announcement.
    (In these sentences, ‘who’ is performing the action: ‘answered’ and ‘made’.)
  1. ‘Whom’ as a Relative Pronoun
  • ‘Whom’ is used as an object in a sentence or clause. It refers to the person who receives the action of the verb.
  • Examples:
  • The person whom I called didn’t answer.
  • The student whom the teacher praised felt proud.
    (In these sentences, ‘whom’ receives the action: ‘called’ and ‘praised’.)
  1. Key Difference Between ‘Who’ and ‘Whom’
  • Use ‘who’ when the pronoun is the subject of the clause (the person doing the action).
  • Example: The woman who teaches math is my favorite teacher.
    (‘Who’ is the subject of the verb ‘teaches’.)
  • Use ‘whom’ when the pronoun is the object of the clause (the person receiving the action).
  • Example: The woman whom I met is a doctor.
    (‘Whom’ is the object of the verb ‘met’.)
  1. How to Decide: ‘Who’ vs. ‘Whom’
  • An easy trick is to mentally substitute he/she or him/her in place of the pronoun:
  • If he/she fits, use who.
  • If him/her fits, use whom. Examples:
  • The girl who is reading the book is my friend.
    (He is reading → ‘who’ is correct.)
  • The teacher whom the students admire is retiring.
    (The students admire him → ‘whom’ is correct.)
  1. Elliptical Clauses
    In some sentences, parts of the clause are omitted because they are understood. You still need to choose between who and whom correctly based on the missing words.
  • Example:
  • The person whom I spoke to was very helpful.
    (The full sentence is “The person to whom I spoke was very helpful.”)
  1. Common Mistakes with ‘Who’ and ‘Whom’
  • Using ‘who’ instead of ‘whom’ as an object:
  • Incorrect: The man who I saw yesterday is a teacher.
  • Correct: The man whom I saw yesterday is a teacher. (He is the object of ‘saw’.)
  • Using ‘whom’ instead of ‘who’ as a subject:
  • Incorrect: The girl whom won the race is fast.
  • Correct: The girl who won the race is fast. (She is the subject of ‘won’.)
  1. Relative Pronouns in Formal vs. Informal Writing
  • ‘Whom’ is more commonly used in formal writing, though in casual speech or informal writing, many people use ‘who’ even when ‘whom’ is technically correct.
  • Example of Formal Use:
  • The applicant whom we selected for the position will start next week.
    (Formal setting requires correct use of ‘whom’ as the object of ‘selected’.)

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