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Originally Posted by Latch
I have one that bugs the hell out of me, though. "Who" vs. "Whom". When do you use one and when do you use the other?
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I don't think I ever use "whom", but the internet offered this up:
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Rule #1: Substitute “he/him” or “she/her”: If it's either “he” or “she,” then it's who; if it's “him” or “her,” then it's whom.
Rule #2: Every verb with a tense in a sentence must have a subject. And that word is always in the nominative case, so it's "who." For example: In this sentence, “I decided to vote for whoever called me first”:
• “I” is the subject of “decided”
• “he” (whoever) is the subject of the verb “called.”
In the sentence, “Give it to whoever deserves it”:
• The implied “you” is the subject of “give”
• "he" (whoever) is the subject of the verb “deserves.”
This rule supersedes the first rule as it relates to who” and “whom.”
Note: Related to this rule is one that says: The subject of a phrase is always attached to that phrase -- no matter what. For example:
Ask whoever reads that book to answer the question.
Break down the sentence thusly:
(You) ask him (he reads that book) to answer the question.
In the phrase “he reads that book,” you cannot separate the subject “he” from the phrase to which it is attached.
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