BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

who vs whom

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times
by paes » Tue May 11, 2010 7:22 pm
While it was initially unclear whom was to blame for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, evidence later surfaced that a group of Serbian military officers organized a conspiracy to exterminate the leader and cause a break-up of the Balkan states that would eventually lead to the First World War.

(A) While it was initially unclear whom was to blame for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
(b) While it was initially unclear to whom was to blame for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,
(c) While it was initially unclear who was to blame for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,
(d) While it was initially unclear to who was to blame for the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,

[spoiler]OA is C. How to find out 'Who vs Whom' usage here ?[/spoiler]
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:16 am
Thanked: 3 times

by DAYNE » Tue May 11, 2010 7:27 pm
c, who

who = he was to blame

whom = him was to blame

who makes sense
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 576
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 8:31 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 97 times

by liferocks » Tue May 11, 2010 8:26 pm
Who" and "whoever" are subjective pronouns; "whom" and "whomever" are in the objective case.
here the sentence needs a subject...hence whom is wrong.

you can check this also for detail explanation
https://web.ku.edu/~edit/whom.html
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."
Lewis Carroll
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Tue May 11, 2010 9:33 pm
DAYNE wrote:c, who

who = he was to blame

whom = him was to blame

who makes sense
I tried to apply the same approach but got the answer b.
we can think the sentence like :

We should blame to him.

So, b is looking correct.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 995
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:56 pmFollowed by: 1 member
Thanked: 31 times

by paes » Tue May 11, 2010 9:37 pm
liferocks wrote:Who" and "whoever" are subjective pronouns; "whom" and "whomever" are in the objective case.
here the sentence needs a subject...hence whom is wrong.

you can check this also for detail explanation
https://web.ku.edu/~edit/whom.html
See the example on this page :

Whom can we turn to in a time of crisis? (Can we turn to her?)

Here 'we' is the subject, so clearly whom is the right choice.

But we can write the sentence like :

Whom to turn to in a time of crisis? -- subject is not clear here.

With this logic, answer should be (b).
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:16 am
Thanked: 3 times

by DAYNE » Wed May 12, 2010 3:57 am
paes wrote:
DAYNE wrote:c, who

who = he was to blame

whom = him was to blame

who makes sense
I tried to apply the same approach but got the answer b.
we can think the sentence like :

We should blame to him.

So, b is looking correct.
no, theirs no we nor should in that sentence
whom is awkward
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1