In a series of posts Virtus will provide tips and advice covering many aspects of publishing. This series will be an ongoing selection of language tips, covering areas that many authors find difficult or confusing. These will be short and to the point.

“Who” versus “Whom”

Well-known example: For Whom the Bell Tolls. (See below.)

An error I see crop up very often in many places (including books, newspapers and magazines) is the misuse of “whom” when “who” is actually correct. More often though I hear it come up in conversation, usually from people who are unsure or unaware that there are actual rules and are simply trying to “sound smart.”

There’s an easy way to determine which is correct, provided by one of my favorite sources, Grammarbook.com.

Let’s take a look at their explanation. I’ve reformatted for clarity. As always, the end of the quoted material is denoted by the box (∎):

Rule. Use this he/him method to decide whether who or whom is correct:

he = who
him = whom

Examples:

Who/Whom wrote the letter?
He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.
Who/Whom should I vote for?
Should I vote for him? Therefore, whom is correct.

We all know who/whom pulled that prank.
This sentence contains two clauses: we all know and who/whom pulled that prank. We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He pulled that prank. Therefore, who is correct.

We wondered who/whom the book was about.
This sentence contains two clauses: we wondered and who/whom the book was about. Again, we are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. The book was about him. Therefore, whom is correct. 

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Let’s pause here: Grammarbook.com raises a very important issue I was referring to when I said that some people use “whom” in an effort to sound smart. Again from Grammarbook.com:

Note: This rule is compromised by an odd infatuation people have with whom—and not for good reasons. At its worst, the use of whom becomes a form of one-upmanship some employ to appear sophisticated. The following is an example of the pseudo-sophisticated whom.

Incorrect: a woman whom I think is a genius

In this case whom is not the object of I think. Put I think at the end and the mistake becomes obvious: a woman whom is a genius, I think.

Correct: a woman who I think is a genius
∎

So remember, the basic rule is simple:

• • If you can replace the word “who” or “whom” with “he”’ or “’she,” use “who.” 

• • If you can replace the word “who” or “whom” with “him” or “her,” use “whom.”

So referring to the picture at the top, who does the bell toll for? It tolls for her, so whom is correct.

It is very important to understand the distinction between the two examples. Keep this simple rule in mind when making any changes related to these words.

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