The subject is the person a sentence is about or the person completing an action. To understand the difference between who and whom, you must first understand the difference between the subject and object of a sentence. A Closer Look: The Difference between Who and Whom 1.

Once you know which word to use in the question, you can substitute the appropriate pronoun in the answer. Second, no need to worry! This mnemonic device simply utilizes the male pronouns him and he to help you determine whether to use who vs. 'But what if a woman is performing an action?' you ask.įirst, way to be vigilant about calling out gender inequality. If the question can be answered with he, the pronoun who is correct-here, remember that both these words end with a vowel. If a question can be answered with him, the pronoun whom is correct-just remember that both words end with an -m! The Quick Answer: When to Use Who and WhomĪ quick way to decide between who vs. whom.Īlthough they are the bane of both native and non-native English writers who believe that whom is simply an archaic and out-of-fashion form of who, both words do have their grammatically correct place in the English language. When it comes to misunderstood words, the award for Most Confusing Pronouns definitely goes to who vs.

Use of what who which whom why how