{"id":1386,"date":"2025-06-20T11:52:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T11:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/?p=1386"},"modified":"2025-06-20T11:52:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T11:52:38","slug":"how-to-use-who-and-whom-correctly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/how-to-use-who-and-whom-correctly\/","title":{"rendered":"Grammar 101: How to Use Who and Whom Correctly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many English learners \u2014 and even native speakers \u2014 often struggle with when to use who<\/em> and when to use whom<\/em>. But don\u2019t worry \u2014 once you understand a few simple rules, you\u2019ll be using them confidently in no time! In this guide, we\u2019ll break it all down with clear explanations, useful examples, a fun quiz, and answers to common questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Difference Between Who<\/em> and Whom<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The key difference comes down to how these words function in a sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Who<\/strong> is a subject<\/strong> pronoun (like he<\/em>, she<\/em>, or they<\/em>) \u2014 it performs the action.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Whom<\/strong> is an object<\/strong> pronoun (like him<\/em>, her<\/em>, or them<\/em>) \u2014 it receives the action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Example:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Who<\/strong> called you? (He\/She called you.)
    You met whom<\/strong> at the party? (You met him\/her.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use who<\/strong> when referring to the subject<\/strong> of a sentence (the person doing something).
    Use whom<\/strong> when referring to the object<\/strong> of a verb or a preposition (the person receiving the action).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The \u201cHe\/She vs Him\/Her\u201d Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When unsure, replace who\/whom<\/em> with he\/she<\/em> or him\/her<\/em> and see what sounds correct:
    If he<\/em> or she<\/em> fits, use who<\/strong>.
    If him<\/em> or her<\/em> fits, use whom<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Situations Where You Must Use Whom<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s one case where you should always use whom<\/strong> \u2014 after a preposition<\/strong> (such as to<\/em>, with<\/em>, for<\/em>, about<\/em>):
    To whom<\/strong> should I send this letter?
    The person with whom<\/strong> I spoke was very helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of Who<\/em> vs Whom<\/em> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Correct use of Who<\/em>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This is who<\/strong> warned me. (He\/She warned me \u2014 subject)
    Jack is the one who<\/strong> wants to travel. (He\/She wants to travel \u2014 subject)
    I wonder who<\/strong> made that decision. (He\/She made it \u2014 subject)
    I know who<\/strong> your friend is. (He\/She is your friend \u2014 subject)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Correct use of Whom<\/em>:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    With whom<\/strong> am I speaking? (I am speaking with him\/her \u2014 object)
    To whom<\/strong> it may concern. (This concerns him\/her \u2014 object)
    We invited several guests, one of whom<\/strong> is a famous chef. (One of them \u2014 object)
    She didn\u2019t know much about the man with whom<\/strong> she was working. (She was working with him \u2014 object)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Quiz: Who<\/em> or Whom<\/em>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Choose the correct word in each sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Who\/Whom<\/strong> is paying for dinner?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. He saw a man who\/whom<\/strong> he thought was the manager.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. She spoke to a client who\/whom<\/strong> she admired.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Who\/Whom<\/strong> wants to volunteer?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. This is the friend who\/whom<\/strong> I told you about.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. To who\/whom<\/strong> were you speaking just now?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. That\u2019s the actor who\/whom<\/strong> starred in the movie.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    8. I met a writer with who\/whom<\/strong> I collaborated last year.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      The Advanced Who<\/em> vs Whom<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Sometimes, sentences can get tricky \u2014 especially when clauses are involved. Let\u2019s look at this example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      A group of friends went out, one of whom<\/strong> was celebrating a birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why whom<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • The phrase \u201cone of whom\u201d is an object \u2014 the birthday boy was one of them<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • If you said \u201cone of who,\u201d it would sound wrong, because \u201cone of he\u201d or \u201cone of she\u201d doesn\u2019t work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Quiz Answers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Who<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Whom<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        3. Whom<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        4. Who<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        5. Whom<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        6. Whom<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        7. Who<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
        8. Whom<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          FAQ: Who<\/em> vs Whom<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Q1: Is it wrong to use who<\/em> instead of whom<\/em> in casual speech?<\/strong>
          A: In everyday conversation, native speakers often use who<\/em> even when whom<\/em> is technically correct \u2014 especially at the beginning of a sentence. However, in writing (especially for formal or academic contexts like IELTS essays), using whom<\/em> correctly will make your grammar stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Q2: Is whom<\/em> becoming old-fashioned?<\/strong>
          A: Not exactly \u2014 it\u2019s still correct and useful in formal writing and when following a preposition (to whom<\/em>, with whom<\/em>). In casual speech, who<\/em> is more common, but for exams or professional settings, knowing how to use whom<\/em> is still important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Q3: How can I quickly tell if I need whom<\/em> in a sentence?<\/strong>
          A: Do the simple he\/she vs him\/her<\/em> test! If him\/her<\/em> fits, use whom<\/em>. If he\/she<\/em> fits, use who<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Q4: Why is this important for IELTS?<\/strong>
          A: Correct grammar, especially with tricky words like who<\/em> and whom<\/em>, helps boost your IELTS Writing and Speaking scores. It shows strong command of complex sentence structures and formal grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Q5: Are there exceptions to these rules?<\/strong>
          A: The biggest \u201cexception\u201d is that in casual spoken English, whom<\/em> is often skipped \u2014 but for formal writing (academic essays, IELTS, emails, business), always follow the rules we\u2019ve shown you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Many English learners \u2014 and even native speakers \u2014 often struggle with when to use who and when to use whom. But don\u2019t worry \u2014 once you understand a few simple rules, you\u2019ll be using them confidently in no time! In this guide, we\u2019ll break it all down with clear explanations, useful examples, a fun […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ielts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1386"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1387,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1386\/revisions\/1387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kampus-group.com\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}