Who or Whom?
You’ve probably heard people in the “learned circles” use the words “who” and “whom,” and you’ve probably wondered what’s the difference between these two.
“Who” and “whom” are both pronouns. They both stand in place of a person.
For example:
This is the boy “whom” we were talking about.
This is the boy who won the spelling quiz.
So what really is the difference?
“Who” is a subject pronoun, and “whom” is an object pronoun. When the person in question does something, you use “who.” When something is done to the person in question, use “whom.”
Example:
This is the girl who scored highest in the test. (The girl did something)
This is the girl whom we took on the tour. (Something was done to the girl)
Remember that a subject pronoun performs an action while an object pronoun receives an action.
