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WHO VS. WHOM

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WHO VS. WHOM

by Nidhs » Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:16 pm
however many times i do this i still get this wrong. Please explain

This is the man (who / that/whom) I wanted to speak to and whose name I'd forgotten

Marvin wondered whom he should give the message.

Why does the first statement take who and the second take whom.
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by hemanth28 » Fri Mar 07, 2008 10:45 pm
In the fist example "who" is subject...but in second example who is used as object....
For clear understanding go through Manhatten SC under topic "Pronoun Case"
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by Nidhs » Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:38 pm
If who is the subject of the first sentence..then what is I

This is the man (who / that/whom) I wanted to speak to and whose name I'd forgotten

This is the man. I wanted to speak to him( him object...therefore whom)
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by hemanth28 » Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:32 am
Hi Nidhs,

I am sorry..i didnt think while replying.I blindly went with the answer you gave.
I think in the first case also it should be "whom".

"I wanted to speak to" is the dependent clause and as you rightly pointed out I is the subject and speak is the verb acting on object "man".
So i guess the pronoun refering to it should be objective.

So i IMO "whom" should be used instead of who in first case also.

Could someone let me know,i am wrong again :(
Now i am also confused :(
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Sat Mar 08, 2008 7:09 am
Both of them should be "whom".

This is the man to whom I wanted to speak...

Marvin wondered to whom he should give the message...

We use "whom" when we're referring to the object of the sentence.

We use "who" when we're referring to the subject.

There's a very simple test you can use to figure out which version to use:

Turn the statement into a question and answer it with a pronoun.

For example:
This is the man to whom I wanted to speak.
To whom did I want to speak? I wanted to speak to HIM.
I really hate the guy who stole my girlfriend.
Who stole my girlfriend? HE did.

If you answer the question with him/her/them, then "whom" is the right choice.

If you answer the question with he/she/they, then "who" is the right choice.
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by skr172 » Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:07 pm
Why isnt "This is the man that i wanted to speak to." correct? Is it becoz of the "...and whose name.."?
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by boston_mba » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:49 pm
Hi Stuart,

Thanks for explanation.

Quick follow-up though.

In the sentence,

I really hate the guy who stole my girlfriend.

why is it wrong to ask:

who do I hate? I hate HIM

I think it's because the "who" is the subject of the subordinate clause - right?

However, the point that confuses me is - isn't the same "who" also the object of another clause (I hate HIM).

Sigh - why do people mix clauses :)?
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by Stuart@KaplanGMAT » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:16 pm
boston_mba wrote:Hi Stuart,

Thanks for explanation.

Quick follow-up though.

In the sentence,

I really hate the guy who stole my girlfriend.

why is it wrong to ask:

who do I hate? I hate HIM

I think it's because the "who" is the subject of the subordinate clause - right?

However, the point that confuses me is - isn't the same "who" also the object of another clause (I hate HIM).

Sigh - why do people mix clauses :)?
"Who" is wrong in that example. "I" is the subject (since I'm doing the hating), so the person you hate is the object and we need to use "whom" if we want to use a pronoun.
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by boston_mba » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:36 am
Hi Stuart,

Let me repeat to be sure I understand. You believe that the sentence shoudl read -

I really hate the guy whom stole my girlfriend.

?
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by JorgeStevenson » Tue Mar 18, 2008 11:51 pm
No, I think he's referring to the question you formed: "Who do I hate? I hate him".

It's incorrect to say "Who do I hate" in the first place, so your example question doesn't really make sense. In the sentence "Who do I hate", I is the subject, because I am the one hating (i.e. the verb belongs to I). "Who" could therefore not be the subject, and therefore it should be "whom".

As for why the question "who do I hate?" is not a legitimate application of the rule this guy is introducing, in the sentence he presented ("I really hate the guy who stole my girlfriend")...he's saying you should consider the dependent clause as a separate entity entirely from the rest of the sentence. Then, ask a question based solely on the information in this clause.

Hope that helps buddy. Good luck on the test.
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by boston_mba » Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:55 am
Got it Jorge.

Thank you. And yes, I'll need that luck on the test!
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by yalephd2007 » Sun Apr 13, 2008 9:31 am
I have the same confusion. Thanks.
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Who/ Whom?

by netigen » Sun Apr 13, 2008 10:26 am
Rule for Who/ Whom, works in most of the cases

You can tell when ‘who’ is more appropriate, and when ’whom’ is more
appropriate by changing the adjective clause into a free running sentence. If
the free running sentence contains he, she or they – use who

e.g.: He had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast.
(He sailed before the mast)
If the free running sentence contains him, her or them – use whom
e.g.: A man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before.
(I have never set my eyes on him before)
e.g.: Who are you going to marry? I am going to marry ‘he/she’. (Wrong)
Whom are you going to marry? I am going to marry ‘him/her’. (Correct)
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by mmslf75 » Sun Jan 10, 2010 2:45 am
netigen wrote:Rule for Who/ Whom, works in most of the cases

You can tell when 'who' is more appropriate, and when 'whom' is more
appropriate by changing the adjective clause into a free running sentence. If
the free running sentence contains he, she or they - use who

e.g.: He had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast.
(He sailed before the mast)
If the free running sentence contains him, her or them - use whom
e.g.: A man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before.
(I have never set my eyes on him before)
e.g.: Who are you going to marry? I am going to marry 'he/she'. (Wrong)
Whom are you going to marry? I am going to marry 'him/her'. (Correct)
Do we have real sentences where GMAT tests this ??
Or are we worrying too much ?
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by mohit29 » Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:50 am
still getting them wrong
1) The boy who/whom I trusted proved worthy of my confidence.
2) He was the man who/whom they determined should be the next mayor.

why the answer to first one is 'whom' and for second one it is "who".

as for first we can put "who proved worthy of my confidence ?" answer "He is"
for the sec answer " They determined HIM to be the next mayor"
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