EDITING/GRAMMAR: WHO VS. WHOM

WORDY WEDNESDAY: WHO VS WHOM

POSTED: SEPTEMBER 14, 2016   WRITTEN BY:CLAIRE CAMPBELL

The question of whether to use “who” or “whom” in a sentence is easier to answer than you might think. These are the basic rules:
“Who” refers to the subject of a sentence. “Whom” refers to the object.
“Who” and “whom” work in the same way as “he” or “him.” You can work out which you should use by asking yourself the following:
“Who did that? He did” – “who” is correct. “Whom should I call? Call him” – “whom” is correct.
“That” is often used incorrectly in place of “who” or “whom.” Never use “that” in reference to a person.
Incorrect:
Who should I ask for help?
Whom helped you?
He was the only person that wanted to help.
Correct:
Whom should I ask for help?
Who helped you?
He was the only person who wanted to help.