Selling Books

Your Guide to Writing, Publishing and Marketing Books and Ebooks

  • Blog
  • Free Newsletter
You are here: Home / Cathy's Blog / Who or Whom? Which is Correct?

Who or Whom? Which is Correct?

September 9, 2014 by Cathy Stucker

whomThis is possibly the trickiest confusion-causing grammar rule imaginable. So many of us see the two words “whom” and “who” and our eyes begin to cross because we can’t even start trying to figure out the difference between them. I see many people try to sound correct by using “whom” even when they should use “who”! Let’s explore their uses and how to properly put them in a sentence. Here we go—it’s going to be a trip.

“Who” and “whom” are both pronouns, but they refer to different parts of the sentence. “Who” refers to the subject of the sentence, meaning, the noun that the sentence is about. “Whom” refers to the object of the sentence, which means the noun that is having something done to it. So what does that mean? Let’s look at one sentence:

  • James punched the green turtle.

Here, James is the noun that is doing something. The sentence is about him and his love of punching. This means that he’s the subject. The poor green turtle is what is having something done to it, and though it’s a part of the sentence, it’s not all about the turtle. This means that the turtle is the object.

So now that we have a better grasp of subject and object, let’s replace the sentence with two containing “who” and “whom.”

  • Who is punching the green turtle?
  • James is punching whom?

I know, I know, we’re back to punching turtles. But look at how the sentences flow. “Who” has replaced the subject of the sentence, and “whom” has replaced the object.

The easiest trick you can use to remind yourself of which to use and when is to replace the word “who” with “he” in a sentence and see if it makes sense. Likewise, switch “whom” for “him.” It’s easy to remember when you keep in mind that “him” and “whom” both end with the letter M. Let’s replace the words in the previous sentences.

  • He is punching the green turtle?
  • James is punching him?

Check and check—it totally sounds perfect!

The next problem comes about when we start switching around the order of words in a sentence. This happens because most of the time, we’re used to having a sentence start with “who” regardless of what we’re actually saying. For example:

  • Who do I call?

I’m just trying to ask in this sentence: which person should I call to get the information I want? The problem is that the words are arranged to form a question. Let’s rearrange it so the subject is closer to the front:

  • Do I call who?

Now let’s replace “who” with “he.”

  • Do I call he?

It doesn’t make sense. Let’s try switching to “him.”

  • Do I call him?

Yes, that’s much better. The correct word in that case would be “whom.” Let’s see a correct original sentence then:

  • Whom do I call?

Perfect. The quick and easy rule of switching the words to check is extremely helpful when double-checking your work. Just like with anything else you do in life, learning the correct rules for writing, and then using them all the time will ensure that it becomes habit and you no longer have to waste time checking over your work with a fine-toothed comb. Good luck!

Related Posts :

Avoid These Words to Make Your Writing Strong
Words are, like, important?
Avoiding Comma Confusion
15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

Filed Under: Cathy's Blog, Writing Tagged With: grammar

Comments

  1. Tanya says

    September 16, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    This is one of those things I have never understood. Thanks for clearing it up a bit 🙂
    Tanya recently posted..5 Ways For Employees to Trust One AnotherMy Profile

Sell More Books!

FREE! Sign up Cathy Stucker's Selling Books newsletter. You will get useful tips and techniques for writing, publishing and selling books, plus member-only exclusives such as free webinars.

BONUS! Get instant access to Cathy's audio program on how to Build an Effective Author Platform!

I respect your privacy & will NEVER sell, rent or share your email address. More than a policy, it's my Privacy Pledge.

Recent Articles

  • Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet
  • Stop Procrastinating, Start Writing
  • FAQs About Children’s Book Illustrations
  • 5 Posts Every Author Should Write on their Website
  • Reducing Everyday Distractions So You Can Get More Writing Done
  • E.S.Danon – Moon in Bastet
  • Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue – Complicated Heart
  • OLUWAmuyiwa Omole – Re.Think CULTURE
  • Dale S. Rogers – Lighthouse on Tortola
  • What’s in a Name?

Pages

Contact
Contribute Articles
Contributing Authors
Free Newsletter to Help You Sell More Books
Get Interviewed
Publishing Resources
Subscribe/RSS
Privacy/Disclosure Policies

Categories

Agents Amazon.com Article Marketing Author Interviews Author Platform Blogging Book Business Book Design Book Marketing Book Proposals Book Publicity Book Publishing Book Reviews Book Signings Bookstore Book Titles Book Tours Cathy's Blog Children's Books Content Marketing Copyright Copy Writing Ebooks Editing Fiction Writing Freelance Writing Get Published Ghostwriters Internet Marketing Marketing Fiction Motivation Networking Non-Fiction Writing Oprah Winfrey POD Publishing Public Speaking Research Resources for Writers Running Your Publishing Company Self Publishing Social Media Special Sales Video Marketing Writers Block Writing

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2006 - 2021 Cathy Stucker · All Rights Reserved

Log in to your account