Who or whom?

1
Who or whom?

• These often cause confusion.
• Its easier to remember which are
• subject pronouns and which are
• object pronouns.

2
Subject pronouns

• Who/Whoever (think he/she)
• Subject pronouns do the action.

3
Object pronouns

• Whom/Whomever (think him, her)
• Object pronouns receive the action of the verb.

4
Having trouble?

• Dont know when to use a subject or an object
  pronoun?
• Substitute he and him.
• If the subject pronoun works in the sentence, use
  who or whoever.
• If the object pronoun works better, then use whom
  or whomever.

5
Example

• (Who, Whom) is that child?
• Choices
• Him is that child.
• He is that child.
• Therefore
• Who is that child.

6
Rearranging to make sense

• In order to make this shortcut work for you, you
  may have to rearrange the subject and verb in a
  question.
• (Who, Whom) are you calling?
• You are calling he?
• You are calling him?
• Whom are you calling?

7
One last example

• Rearrange
• The coach picks (whoever, whomever)
• Incorrect the coach picks he
• Correct the coach picks him
• Im sure that whomever the coach picks will
• help our team.

8
One last thought

• Cannot remember which is a subject pronoun and
  which is an object pronoun?
• Because he/she ends in a vowel, you know it goes
  with who/whoever (subject pronoun).
• Because him/her ends in a consonant, you know it
  goes with whom/whomever (object pronoun).

9
White Board Practice

• 1. Who/Whom owns the sailboat over there?
• 2. To who/whom did you throw the ball?
• 3. Who/Whom did Miguel marry?
• 4. Who/Whom was the stranger with the ten-gallon
  hat?

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White Board Practice

• 5. For who/whom did you knit the sweater?
• 6. Who/Whom is the author of the book about
  Jackie Robinson?
• 7. Who/Whom did Josh choose as his subject.
• 8. By who/whom was this work painted.

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Continued Practice

• Page 190 of the Holt Handbook.