Distinguishing Between Who & Whom

The two words who and whom are both pronouns in English grammar. The main distinction between who and whom is that who indicates the subjective case, while whom denotes the objective case as interrogative pronouns. It’s essential to understand the difference between who and whom to use the terms correctly in a grammatically accurate manner. The word who can function as an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun.

Key Takeaways

• Who and whom are both pronouns in English grammar, with who representing the subjective case and whom representing the objective case.
• Who can function as both an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun, while whom is exclusively an interrogative pronoun.
• Who is often followed by auxiliary verbs such as “is” or “was,” while whom is often preceded by the preposition “to.”

What Does Who mean?

The word who has its origins in the Old English word hwā. In the English language, several phrases use the word who, such as who should say, who am I to do something, and who goes there. Who can be both an interrogative and a relative pronoun.

The word who is used as a subject in sentences like:
– Who broke this window?
– Who captured this state?

In both examples, who is used as an interrogative pronoun. The word who is often followed by auxiliary verbs, either “is” or “was,” as in the sentences:
– Who is the captain of the cricket team?
– Who was the leader of the opposition then?

Who is also frequently used in questions, such as:
– Who defeated the Mughal emperor Humayun?

What Does Whom mean?

The word whom, on the other hand, is used as an object, as in the sentences:
– Who said it to whom?
– To whom did he give the book?

In both cases, the word whom is used as an object. This is the primary difference between who and whom. Whom is used instead of who as the object of a verb or preposition. The word whom is often preceded by the preposition “to,” as in the sentence:
– To whom did you give your pencil?

Whom is also frequently used in questions, such as:
– To whom did you give your car?

What is the Difference Between Who and Whom?

Who vs Whom:
– The word who is used to introduce a clause giving further information about a person or people previously mentioned.
– The word whom is used instead of “who” as the object of a verb or preposition.

Grammatical Category:
– Who can be both an interrogative pronoun and a relative pronoun.
– Whom is an interrogative pronoun.

Usage:
– Who is the subjective form.
– Whom is the corresponding objective form of who.

Auxiliary:
– The word who is often followed by the auxiliary verbs, either “is” or “was.”
– The word whom is often preceded by the preposition “to.”

Summary – Who vs Whom

Both who and whom can be categorized under the grammatical category of pronouns in the English language. The difference between who and whom is that who denotes the subjective case and whom denotes the objective case as interrogative pronouns.