0. Sign up to receive the FREE weekly GrammarBook.com E-Newsletter. 5. Just when is 'whom' the grammarian-approved choice? 20. All you have to remember is that who is used for the subject (of the sentence or the clause), and whom is the object of a preposition. It doesn't look like this is the right address. To play this quiz, please finish editing it. Others use it only in well-established phrases such as “to whom it may concern.” Some people never use it. Fly steals focus during debate, litany ——————- did you give that prize to? Who vs. The pair of words is analogous to they and them: just as we'd say (forgetting the lack of clarity) "They helped them," we'd say "Who helped whom.". For each of the following, choose the correct sentence. While most of our site should function with out, we recommend turning it back on for a better experience. Group: Grammar Grammar Quizzes : Topic: Grammar The new department logo tham we saw yesterday has already been re-designed a) who. becomes "My dog should apologize to X." I was the man —————– they thought was dead. After reading this article, you might conclude that knowing when to use who or whom is not as difficult as you think. —————— do you think she is? Note, though, that the subject is itself a clause with its own subject and predicate: "Who is on the cat's good side." 14. Questions. Whom should be used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition. Edit. Italics? The prize was given to John ——————- the teacher said was very talented. Also explore over 126 similar quizzes in this category. 8th - 10th grade . To determine whether whom is the preferred pronoun, we need to figure out if the noun or noun phrase that who refers to is in the object position or not. No, the subject of the sentence (car) is not performing the action. Omar will talk about his girlfriend with whomever asks him. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe... Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? 5. 16.    Who As I have said here before, I cannot parse a sentence, and I can never tell anything about subjects and objects and all that stuff. fly Who is a pronoun, which means that it's used instead of a noun or noun phrase to refer to a noun/noun phrase that has already been mentioned or that does not need to be named specifically. Abbot and Costello at their most brilliant! Save. “Who’s on first?” 7. by alecfeldman. I’m looking for an assistant on who I can depend. In fact, it's about as easy as keeping a dog from eating an unguarded, and ostensibly abandoned, sandwich. Therefore the sentence should technically in fact be: My cat, whom I was eager to believe, has been known to fib. Who/whom When a few letters make a large difference. : Underline? wants to go with us? Compounds, such as whoever and whomever, follow these same rules. The only way that I remember when to use who and when to use whom is my own mnemonic. 1.    Who Did you spot a typo? That man in the ball cap is, I believe, the one who took my purse. a) who b) whom 7) ___ wrote that beautiful love poem? 10. 12. Remembering Jane Straus | May 18, 1954—February 25, 2011 | Author of the original Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. This is a bit tricky because whatever follows the preposition to. 4. You’ll be shocked when I tell you whom called me last night. 1. If you think the whom examples sound awkward or prissy, you are not alone. I don’t care ——————– 3. Copyright by Jane Straus/GrammarBook.com. 3. 4. In standard English who is used as a subject or a predicate nominative. Who is the subject of the subordinate clause, who has paid his dues. Relative pronouns introduce subordinate clauses, a subordinate clause being a group of words that has a subject and predicate but that doesn't by itself form a complete sentence. Feedback. Edit. The subject is I; the predicate is everything else. Use whom in your question. More Grammar Quizzes. 5. 0. Who vs Whom DRAFT. a) who b) whom 4) Cedric hasn’t decided ___ should be appointed yet. 0. 3. That man in the ball cap is, I believe, the one ______ took my purse. 4. 'Whom' is used to refer to the object of the sentence or clause, the one the verb action is being performed unto. An object, in grammatical terms, is a noun or noun equivalent (such as a pronoun, gerund, or clause) that receives the action of a verb or that completes the meaning of a preposition—so, for example, sandwich in "They bought a sandwich"; it in "My dog ate it"; apologizing in "an appropriate time for apologizing"; and that it was true in "I was afraid that it was true.". EnglishPractice.com © 2020 - All rights Reserved. . Remembering Jane Straus | May 18, 1954—February 25, 2011 | Author of the original Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. 6. Harris describes threat of climate change. Stripped down to its most essential meaning, the sentence can be understood as "Who (aka, which creature) always matters," which tells us that the subject is the entire bit "Who is on the cat's good side," and the predicate is "always matters in such cases.". However, you may not alter the material or remove this notice of copyright. by murraydtas. In "The sandwich's owner, who my dog apologized to, requires a replacement sandwich," the subject of the verb apologized is "my dog"; who is actually the object of the preposition to, which means that whom is the preferred pronoun here: The sandwich's owner, whom my dog apologized to, requires a replacement sandwich. If anything, people are trying to get rid of whom and just use who all the time because most people do that already. The word 'who' is used as the subject of a sentence or clause, as a placeholder for the person performing the verb action. However, you may not alter the material or remove this notice of copyright. Let’s not add to the burden! While most of our site should function with out, we recommend turning it back on for a better experience. Uh oh! The sandwich's owner my dog apologized to. B) Whom do you bank with? Since the sentence is still quite complex, we'll simplify again, finding the main subject and predicate. B) Who is your closest friend? 18. This is one of the most difficult things in English, IMO, and even a language reactionary like me finds it unnecessary, really. Therefore, who is indeed the preferred choice. Whom is used as an object (direct, indirect, object of preposition, etc.). Difficulty. Do you disagree with something on this page? 10.    Who This is a bit tricky because whoever follows the preposition to. You’ll be shocked when I tell you who called me last night. 1. Whom is the objective case of who. Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! The prize was given to John ——————— the teacher considered very talented. Save. The doctor whom you recommended is not available for three months. a) whom. For each of the following, choose the correct sentence. All materials contained in this membership subscription area may be reproduced and distributed. Harris describes threat of climate change, 9 Pairs of Words That Look the Same But Different, Set your young readers up for lifelong success, which is ancient and perfectly grammatical, Study Up With Our Official SCRABBLE Dictionary. Titles of Books, Plays, Articles, etc. Who often functions as an interrogative pronoun, which means that it introduces questions that have nouns as the answer: Both of these sentences sound natural with who, but if we want to know whether whom is the grammarian's choice in either of them, we'll have to determine if each who is in the object position. A) Chip is the kind of person who my parents warned me about. Quotation Marks? Are you talking about someone who is doing something? Here, we have the conjunction that introducing a subordinate clause headed by the pronoun who. 1. 8 Questions | By Andreeaaa | Last updated: Jul 21, 2015 | Total Attempts: 260 . As I have said here before, I cannot parse a sentence, and I can never tell anything about subjects and objects and all that stuff. Whuddaya think? 9. Whom is both simple and complicated. Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz 1. It is simple in that it is simply the objective case of who, which means that it's the form of who that is in the object position in a sentence. did you ask for directions? It is Alice ——————– I think is the prettier of the two. You can also use questions to determine when to use who and when to use whom. Who vs. 2. The sandwich's owner, who my dog apologized to, requires a replacement sandwich. It looks like you have JavaScript turned off. The word 'who' is used as the subject of a sentence or clause, as a placeholder for the person performing the verb action. vs "You gave it to whom?"). Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster. Sign up to receive the FREE weekly GrammarBook.com E-Newsletter. ______ did you choose to serve on your committee? All materials contained in this membership subscription area may be reproduced and distributed. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? B) Whom do you think will win the award? Give the found money to ______ needs it. Settings. It is the form of who in the object position of a sentence, and is functionally similar to them. Oh venqax, language is trending toward simplification, not complication! 64% average accuracy. This means that our original sentence is indeed technically correct, despite the fact that who appears in what look like an object position, after the verb know: After all that, surely no one can claim that keeping who and whom in their prescribed places is easy to do. Finish Editing. I don’t care ——————– 11.    Who 1. Material created by Jane Straus and GrammarBook.com. In a sentence, who is used as a subject. becomes "X told my dog about that sandwich," with "X" standing for the unknown divulger of sandwich existence. This was repeated, including in an old film clip, in the brilliant motion picture “Rain Man”. Who and whom are both pronouns. 19. If I can substitute the word “him” (which ends with an M), then I use whom (which also ends with an M). Just fill the blanks using the right word. The new department head ______ we met yesterday has already resigned. 4. A) Who should I ask to the dance? 4 years ago. The new department head whom we met yesterday has already resigned. a) who b) whom 6) To ___ have you offered the flowers? Again, some analysis is required to determine if who here is in the object position and should therefore technically be whom.