Grammar Rules Lesson! Who or Whom?
One thing that you learn pretty quickly when writing articles is that the spell checker does not always pick the correct spelling and grammar!
I know from my own errors how easy it is to miss some simple grammar mistakes. Just looking at my last post here and I have made the “who and whom” mistake (again!) That will teach me to post on the blog at silly o clock in the morning! It is best to proof read your articles several times before publishing.
The problem with the word whom is it is quite old fashioned. Even when using it in the correct context, whom can sound quite awkward and stuffy. For most of us, it is not a word used in everyday speech any more. When you “write how you speak”, placing whom correctly in your articles is likely to be missed.
Who or whom – which one should you use in your articles?
Whilst you probably will say who instead of whom on a daily basis, when it comes to writing articles it is best to use correct grammar. I do not want to give a full English grammar lesson about subjects and objects. To be honest, I am totally unqualified to do so!
The easiest way to know if you are using the correct word is to remember the “m” rule. Put the word he or him in your sentence and see which sounds right. He uses the word who and him uses whom – notice the m’s.
If you are referring to a subject – he, her, they; then use “who”.
If you are referring to an object – him, she, them; then use “whom”.
For example…
Who/Whom is speaking? He is speaking, so who is the correct word.
Who/Whom should I ask? Ask him, so whom is the correct word to use.
I hope that helped solve some confusion! Now I am off to edit my last post…
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I wish the grammar police would strike more often, some news papers are terrible at spelling!