Whom vs Who

First, let’s get through the technical way to learning whom vs who. You use who when referring to the subject of the sentence and whom when referring to the object of the sentence.

That’s great, but what is the difference between a subject and an object?

What is a subject pronoun?

A subject is the person or thing doing the action.

Example: Who ate the cake? This is correct because who is doing the action (eating the cake).

What is an object pronoun?

An object is the person or thing having the action done to them.

Example: Whom are you going to vote for? The action (voting) is being done to the nominee.

Here’s a trick to help determine which to use, who or whom.

Try answering the question with the words he/she or him/her. If you can answer the question with he or she, then use who. If you can answer it with him or her, use whom.

he/she = who

him/her = whom

Who ate the cake? He ate the cake, use who.

Whom are you voting for? I am voting for him, use whom.

Here is a mnemonic memory trick: Both him and whom end in M. That will help to link he/she with who and him/her with whom.

If you have any questions about whom vs who or any other grammar question, go toGrammar Perfection or emailhelp@grammarperfection.com.