When do I Use 'Whom' vs 'Who'?

by Alejandra Pinto
(Las Vegas)

I'd like to know when I should use "whom" vs "who"?


For example, is the following phrase correct?

"the inventor to whom this credit belongs"

Comments for When do I Use 'Whom' vs 'Who'?

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Feb 19, 2011
 Answer
by: Ola Zur

Hi,

We use WHO to talk about the SUBJECT.

Examples:
Who broke the window?
(This is similar to saying "Joe broke the window."
JOE is the subject.)
Who is the teacher?
Who is coming tomorrow?

We use WHOM to talk about the object.
Whom did you meet?
(This is similar to saying "You met Jane."
YOU is the subject, and JANE is the object.)
Whom did she invite to the party?
To whom should I call?

Note: WHOM is considered rather formal. In spoken English, native speakers usually use WHO instead.

So your sentence would be grammatically correct (but could be considered formal).

Here is an excellent lesson on this subject:
Who, Whom, Whose

Ola Zur is the editor of www.really-learn-english.com, an illustrated guide to English.
Feb 19, 2011
 Who & Whom
by: selma

I find it difficult to use " Whom ".
Thank you for telling us about this subject.

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