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4.7.1: WHO and WHOM

  • Page ID
    122469
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    WHO and WHOM

    Both WHO and WHOM are relative pronouns that replace persons.  The difference is that WHO replaces the subject of a sentence, while WHOM replaces the object of a sentence.

    Examples with WHO

    I went to the public market with my sons.  They needed to buy a present for my wife. 
    They is the subject of the sentence and means the same as my sons.

    I went to the public market with my sons who needed to buy a present for my wife.

     

    Jane is a good friend of mine.  She grew up in Seattle.
    She is the subject of the sentence and means the same as Jane.

    Jane, who grew up in Seattle, is a good friend of mine.

     

    Allan French is a teacher in this college.  He lives in Tacoma.
    He is the subject of the sentence and means the same as Allan French.

    Allan French, who lives in Tacoma, is a teacher in this college.

     

    Examples with WHOM

    I gave my students an exam.  I teach them every day.
    Them is the object of the sentence and means the same as my students.

    I gave my students whom I teach every day an exam.

     

    My sister was talking to my brother.  She used to take care of my brother.
    My brother is the object of the sentence.

    My sister was talking to my brother whom she used to take care of.

     

    The police were looking for the criminal.  They found him at his friend’s house.
    Him is the object of the sentence and means the same as the criminal.

    The police were looking for the criminal whom they found at his friend’s house.

     

    The mother punished her daughter.  She made her clean the toilet.
    Her is the object of the sentence and means the same as her daughter.

    The mother punished her daughter whom she made clean the toilet.


    This page titled 4.7.1: WHO and WHOM is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Don Bissonnette.

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