Do people still use whom in everyday speech?

In casual conversation, many people just use who for everything. However, in formal writing, academic papers, and standardized tests, the distinction between who and whom is still strictly enforced.

What about whoever and whomever?

The exact same rule applies. If the word is the subject (he/she/they), use whoever. If the word is the object (him/her/them), use whomever.

Why does whom sound wrong sometimes even when it is right?

Because whom is fading from casual spoken English, our ears are more accustomed to hearing who in almost every situation. When writing formally, trust the grammar rules rather than what sounds conversational.

When do you use who versus whom?

To know when to use who versus whom, you just need to figure out if the word is doing an action or receiving an action. Who is a subject pronoun, meaning it performs the verb. Whom is an object pronoun, meaning it receives the action of a verb or follows a preposition. <br><br> Think of it like a basketball game. Who is the player throwing the pass, while whom is the player catching it. If the person you are talking about is doing the throwing, use who. If they are on the receiving end, use whom.

The He/Him Replacement Trick

The easiest way to choose between who and whom is the he/him method. If you can replace the word with he, she, or they, use who. If you can replace it with him, her, or them, use whom. Notice how whom and him both end in the letter M. That makes it easy to remember that they belong together in the object category.

Prepositions and Whom

Whom almost always follows a preposition. Words like to, for, with, about, and from are prepositions. If you see one of these words right before your pronoun, whom is usually the correct choice. For example, you write To whom it may concern, not To who it may concern, because the preposition to requires an object.

Where Students Slip Up

Sentences with complex clauses often trip students up. For example, in the sentence I am not sure who/whom to ask, you can isolate the clause: to ask him. Since him fits, whom is correct. Another trap is when who follows a preposition but acts as the subject of the next clause. For example, Give the prize to whoever answers first. Even though there is a preposition (to), whoever is the subject of the verb answers, so it remains in the subject form.

Worked through

Fill in the blank with who or whom: The manager, ____ we hired last week, is doing a great job.

First, isolate the clause with the missing word: ____ we hired last week. Next, rephrase it using standard pronouns to see what fits. You would say we hired him last week, not we hired he last week. Since him is the correct fit, the object pronoun is needed. Therefore, the correct word is whom. The full sentence is: The manager, whom we hired last week, is doing a great job.

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Where this comes from: Purdue OWL: Who vs. Whom · Khan Academy: Grammar - Who vs. Whom · The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White