Yesterday's post was updated with a photo of Jass in her cat house.
Young people will not hesitate over whether to use who or whom, and in my opinion it is good thing that they probably just use who.
I didn't get a great lotta learnin' about grammar, but I've kinda picked it up along the way. Don't end a sentence with it, which I frequently do. Probably don't end a sentence with 'do' either, which I just did. Don't end a sentence with did...etc.
At times a suspicion comes to me that the word I am typing should be whom and not who. EG; Who did you go with, or, with whom did you go. If spoken, the latter sounds pompous because of the rephrasing. Who did you go with, is a perfectly clear question.
Understanding the rules of object and subject about who and whom are beyond me. I've read them but I can't absorb them.
I believe among my senior readers are some excellent grammarians, so can any of you simplify when who or whom should be used?
Or, should I just see whom as legalese and forget about ever using whom?
Speaking of words, I heard or read in media somewhere whereby someone referred to a forty oneth birthday. I must have heard the word, because if I read it, I would know how to spell oneth, and I don't.
This doesn't feel quite finished but I wrote it some time ago, and I don't want a backlog of unfinished posts.
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I'm a lazy blogger when it comes to grammar and such.
ReplyDeleteWho relates to the person performing the action in a sentence – also known as the subject of the sentence. Whom relates to the person receiving the action – the object of the sentence.
ReplyDeletePut simply, if a question about the sentence can be answered with “him” or “her”, the pronoun “whom” is correct. To whom are you responding? I’m responding to him.
If the question can be answered with “he” or “she”, the pronoun to use is “who”. Who wrote the book? She wrote the book.
How To Work Out Which To Use:-
Simply substitute the word “who” or “whom” with he/she (subject pronoun), and him/her (object pronoun). If he or she fits, the correct word to use is “who”. If him or her fits, use “whom”. For example:
Who likes Inspector Morse?
She likes Inspector Morse would be correct; Her likes Inspector Morse would not. So the correct word to use is “who”.
To whom should I send my story?
Should you send your story to she, or to her? You’d send it to “her”, so use “to whom”.
If you’re not sure, divide the sentence into two parts and see whether you’d use he/she, or him/her, in the second part. Again, if it can be replaced with him or her, use whom, otherwise it’s who.
The man whom I showed round the office yesterday. Break it down: The Man. I showed him round yesterday. So it’s WHOM.
The lady who was in the office yesterday. The lady. She was in the office yesterday. So it’s WHO.
I hope that this dispels your confusion Andrew. See me in my study next Tuesday after school and I will test your understanding.
Andrew, this man (YP) has done this before. Must have been very high up if he has a "study."
DeleteI am much obliged YP. I have printed your explanation out and hopefully it will sink into my brain better than when I printed out a map of northern to central Europe, regularly looking at the map as I studied which country was where and which sea was which. The information failed to enter my memory bank, just as golf scoring didn't, nor the offside rule.
DeleteKosov was curious about what I printed out and he looked, and would you believe he knew, as he had learnt this in his English classes for his Australian visa language test. Young memory banks absorb.
I have always been a good speller, and grammar is usually good for me as well. However, we can all learn something new, and I am always open to and happy to do so.
ReplyDeleteI am with Linda. We spent years in primary school in the 1950s concentrating on grammar and spelling, and I still take it seriously now. But my grandchildren do not.
DeleteMy education was sadly lacking when it came to grammar, but voracious readers tend to pick up grammar.
DeleteI suggest forgetting about "whom" unless you are planning to emigrate to the UK. Many other grammar rules also no longer apply unless you belong to the upper-upper class and have daily contact with lawyers and politicians.
ReplyDeleteForty-oneth birthday??? 🤣🤣 I see stuff like that on the cake wrecks website.
River, I won't be using it in conversation as it would sound very pretentious, but it would be nice to get it right in written English. I hope young people don't bother their heads with this, but still learn good English.
Delete"To Whom It May Concern" sounds better than "To Who It May Concern" but I can't tell you why.
ReplyDeleteKirk, I think you instinctively know what is right and what might be wrong, as I do. I am interested in the rules.
DeleteThe preposition "to" takes the accusative case. Whom, iow!
DeleteWell the teacher amongst us has given us the lesson and for which we should all be thankful, at least I am.
ReplyDeleteThelma, I am sure YP's advice wasn't something you needed. I would guess you just know.
DeleteI found this if it helps, Andrew.
ReplyDeleteWho is used to refer to the subject of a sentence or clause (the person performing an action). Whom is used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition (the person being affected by an action).
Who and whom are both pronouns. Who is a subject pronoun (like I, he, she, we, and they), whereas whom is an object pronoun (like me, him, her, us, and them).
Try this simple trick when in doubt: If you can replace the word with he or she, use who. If you can replace it with him or her, use whom.
Thanks Margaret. That's much as YP said above, but a bit simpler.
DeleteI have never heard "oneth." But there are a lot of regional differences in the use of the language. I have learned not to judge, just to try to understand.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that the use of "whom" seems to be on the decline. I'm not sure I ever encounter the word in casual conversation or even in writing. If I'm ever uncertain about my grammar I usually restructure the sentence to avoid the issue entirely!
ReplyDeleteI hear whom used wrongly a lot. It's not a fancy version of who! But I agree, when in doubt, rephrase and dodge the issue.
ReplyDelete