"When do I use who versus whom?" Do people still use whom?

Answer 1

Yes, people do still use whom, but it’s less common in casual speech and writing. In formal writing (like academic papers, official documents, and professional emails), whom is often used to maintain a more polished tone, especially in contexts where it’s grammatically correct.

When Whom is Most Commonly Used:

1. In Questions:
2. Formal question: "To whom should I address the letter?"
3. In everyday speech, though, many people would say, "Who should I address the letter to?"
4. After Prepositions:
5. "For whom the bell tolls" or "With whom are you speaking?" sound more formal and correct in structured contexts, but these might be rephrased more casually in conversation (e.g., "Who are you talking to?").

Should You Use Whom?

1. If you’re writing something formal, it’s a good idea to use whom where it’s grammatically correct. In casual speech, though, it’s okay to use who in place of whom without sounding incorrect. However, knowing when to use whom can add clarity and sophistication to your writing, especially in formal settings!
2. "When do I use who versus whom?"

Why This Question is Popular

1. The who/whom distinction often confuses students because it's less common in everyday speech, and the rules for when to use each can feel unclear. This is also a question that pops up frequently in writing and on standardized tests, so students often want to master it.

Quick Guide to Answering This Question

1. Here’s a simple rule to help them:
2. Use who when referring to the subject of a sentence or clause (the one performing the action).
3. Example: "Who is going to the store?"
4. Use whom when referring to the object of a sentence or clause (the one receiving the action).
5. Example: "To whom did you send the invitation?"

Trick for Figuring It Out

1. Encourage students to try substituting he or him in place of who or whom to check:
2. If he fits, use who (subject).
3. If him fits, use whom (object).
4. For example:
5. Who/whom are you talking to?
6. “Are you talking to him?” (him fits, so use whom).
7. Correct answer: Whom are you talking to?
8. This rule and tip make it much easier for students to decide between who and whom and gives them confidence in their choice!

Answer 2

If you think of the words “who” and “whom” according to sentence structure and parts of speech, this could help guide you with understanding their proper use based on their original grammatical purpose. Also, doing daily challenging reading would also help you to see how professional writers have used these words. Challenging reading could be classical literature, a professional research journal article, or a biography of a historical figure. Less challenging reading would be news articles and online posts found on blog and social media platforms.

[Note: Because this is a tutoring platform, I am referring to professional and academic writing, not to more commonplace or informal writing, such as a letter to a friend or a personal journal.]

Who

part of speech = pronoun

Subject pronoun = acts as the subject of a verb, precedes the action of the verb, the person does the action

Example = The woman who won the race is from this college.

versus

Whom

part of speech = pronoun

Object pronoun = acts as the object of a verb, receives the action of the verb or preposition, the person is the object of the sentence

Formal Example = Is this the woman about whom you were talking?

Informal Example = Is this the woman you were talking about?