Comments on: Word Pairs: Who vs. Whom

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:53:48 +0000

Yikes! Sounds pretty harsh, Terry. Even though I think that learning good grammar is important, I’m not sure it warrants the flat end of a yardstick!

By: Terry Wilson

Terry Wilson — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:47:35 +0000

Hey. I’m one of those crotchety English Canadians who went to public school in the 1940s and learned grammar at the flat of a yardstick. Screw up a there/their, a neither/nor or a who/whom question, and Whack! Primitive methodology perhaps, but effective. So you understand why I cringe when reading a passage and find a who sitting in place of a whom. Oh boy, I think, Mrs. Jackson is going to get you!
I suggest, whatever is accepted as correct grammar always be used except in dialogue where the ear is boss.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:05:14 +0000

One of the reasons the who/whom issue frustrates me is because it does sound uppity. Most people simply don’t use “whom” anymore. Why should they when “who” will do? There’s a similar dilemma with regards to ending a sentence with a preposition. We’re not really supposed to, but it actually sounds better in many cases. Each writer (or speaker) has to decide how closely to stick with the traditional rules. Just remember, language is always evolving!

By: Evelyn

Evelyn — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:29:20 +0000

Hmmm… never really thought about it. The us of whom does sound “uppity” but if it’s right, it’s right! I’ll try to be good. If I want to let people know why I’m sounding uppity, I’ll just share the link to this story! I may do that just so I can!
Evelyn´s last blog ..Happy Belated Birthday to Homespun Honolulu!

By: Word Pairs: Who vs. Whom : Writing Forward | Drakz Free Online Service

Word Pairs: Who vs. Whom : Writing Forward | Drakz Free Online Service — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:55:23 +0000

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By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:05:14 +0000

Good for you for embracing proper grammar. I do think that there is a time and place to break or bend the rules, but you still have to know them!

By: HERCULEANTHOR

HERCULEANTHOR — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:12:53 +0000

Having just finished a book replete with who and whom’s, I don’t feel that the issue is so much a question of being outdated but a question of proper grammar, regardless. I must say, my editing to this point (half-way) has revealed that for the most part, my whom to who usage has been spot-on. Frankly, it sounds a bit silly to try and use the “It sounds old-fashioned.” excuse to never use whom. Who made up that rule and to whom does it apply? Ha-ha. Think about it . . . anytime you have used such salutation in a letter, it goes to whom it may concern; not to who. Whom has its rightful place in proper English usage. Thanks for the useful article on other little hints to use that I may not have thought of. And yes, ending a sentence in a preoposition is a big no-no in APA format, but can be a great writer’s tool. Ciao babe.

By: Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway

Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:28:53 +0000

I agree with Deb. It probably makes people feel “uppity” to use the word whom.

This was a great explanation, Melissa! Fun indeed.

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:40:34 +0000

I think people fear sounding “uppity” if they use whom, even correctly because so many use it wrong.

I personally think it sounds Hemingway-esque; and it’s the closest I’ll get to his caliber of writing in the fiction category.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:05:23 +0000

Ashely, it does feel strange and outdated to use whom. However, there have been a few occasions where I found it appropriate, so I do think it’s good to know (just in case).

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:17:17 +0000

I’ve always felt weird using the word “whom” when writing fiction, even if was the correct word but it’s always good to know when to use it just in case.