Mastering Who and Whom
To whom it may concern,
Whose job is it to write the who/whom/whose test questions? Who’s behind those questions anyway?
I mean, no one who understands grammar understands the difference between “who” and “whom.” In other words, no one for whom the understanding of grammar is a top pursuit knows the difference between “who” and “whom.” So why are you wasting the time of students, who are already stressed out from the whole “I need to do well on this test or else my self-worth will be destroyed” mindset, with this nonsense?
After all, “who” is a word you use in typical, everyday speech, and “whom” is a word you use when you want to sound fancy. Right? There can’t possibly be more to it than that.
Should students—whose teachers were themselves trained by professors to whom this knowledge came easily—be left to their own devices simply be taught the difference? Should grammarians, to whom the knowledge of the difference between “who” and “whom” was hard won, simply give away said knowledge to whomever asks? Should Jack, whose entire sense of self is wrapped up in lording his understanding of the use of archaic pronouns over others, stop writing long, self-referential sentences and get to whatever point he’s trying to make?
No!
I mean, “yes!”1
Here is the secret I have guarded with my life for so many years:
| Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Possessive Pronoun |
| Who | Whom | Whose |
Now, my ultimate super-secret secret is that, on these questions, “who” is almost always the correct answer. Circle it, and move on.
Those [who/whom] saw Bobert with Stinky Pete claim that their friendship surpassed the meager label of “best friends.”
Which pronoun do we need?2
If you want to have the confidence of a master, you can devote a bit of time to understanding the difference between subject and object pronouns.
| Subject Pronouns | Object Pronouns | Possessive Pronouns |
| I You He/She/It We They Who | Me You Him/Her/It Us Them Whom | Mine Yours His/Hers/Its Ours Theirs Whose |
1 Well, I don’t mean “yes,” but I feel obligated to say “yes” due to the societal pressures placed upon me of being a test prep tutor who is writing a public blog. It’s so difficult being me. It’s a real burden being the best at absolutely everything, including being the worst. You wouldn’t understand.
2 This pronoun is right before a verb, and it’s in the subject of the sentence. Therefore, we need the subject pronoun “who.”
To whom it may concern, we have more informative posts!
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