Who vs. Whom, Advanced Usage

Question

Do I use who or whom in the following sentence? "There is a wall as regards knowing who(m) management is." This question refers to companies listing corporations as managers in public filings.

Answer 1

"Who", and "Whom," are both pronouns used in the English language to refer to people. However, they have different functions in a sentence, and their usage can be more advanced in certain situations.

"Who" is used as the subject of a sentence or clause, while "whom" is used as the object of a verb or preposition. For example;

Who are you?

To whom it may concern

In more advanced usage, "whom" is used in formal writing or in situations where correct grammar is emphasized. For example;

With whom are you meeting?

Again, the use of "whom" is declining in informal English. However, in formal written English, it is still important to use "whom "correctly to demonstrate good grammar skills.

Answer 2

Zeke R,

In this case, you would use whom. The phrase "knowing management" is a dependent clause that functions as the object of the preposition "as regards." Within this dependent clause, the pronoun "who/whom" is the object of the verb "is." The pronoun is referring to the person(s) who hold the position of manager in the corporations listed in public filings. Since the pronoun is the object of the verb, it should be in the objective case, which is "whom." Therefore, the correct sentence is: "There is a wall as regards knowing whom management is."

I hope this helps!

Best,

Erik L.

Answer 3

"Who" would be a correct pronoun to use because "Who" is the subject for clause.