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I like the word, and use it when it "sounds" right to me. I'm not a grammar whiz either but I still like words, how they sound, and the feel of them rolling off my tongue... language is musical to my ears.
As for "whom"... I love it. "Never ask for whom the bell tolls... it tolls for thee." (wiggling my eyebrows)
That just has to make ya smile!
Ok, a question after my own heart - and not all answers are to my liking
First of all, there is nothing wrong with this sentence:
Originally Posted by Dr. Kevin Brown Whereas we feel this action was inappropriate, we also believe these are good kids. We do not believe this is reflective of who they are as individuals or who we are as a community
Next, English is my second language - a foreign language which I learned in school and learned to love! "Love" brought me to this country, so it came in handy LOL, especially when I went looking for an office job many years ago.
I must confess the "mis"use of who and whom bothers me a lot! I guess I had a great teacher, because I can't figure out why people have such a difficult time with it. Not being snobby, just "ranting" ;-)
Don't think the use of "whom" should be discontinued...
I agree that whom frequently sounds stilted when spoken aloud, even when used correctly. So I tend to use who colloquially.
When I see whom used incorrectly in writing, the effect is jarring and I wonder why the author did not just rewrite the sentence to avoid the difficulty of deciding whether to use who or whom at all. The author of a novel I recently read used whom repeatedly as the subject of sentences in which who was definitely correct. I blame the editor for this. Of interest is that the book was co-authored by a mother and son. I suspect I know who was responsible for the error. Notice: who was responsible.
I believe Dr. Brown was correct to use who, not whom. The objects of the preposition of are "who they are ... " and "who we are ..." and you may recast those as "they are who" and "we are who." "Who" is correct.
While "whom" can often sound stilted, when it's used incorrectly, it does stand out. I just read this in an obituary, "She left many nieces and nephews, who she loved as her own children." You would think someone at the newspaper would edit that.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Find out if you can replace it with *him*.
If yes, then *Whom* is the correct answer .
On the other hand, if you read what is written here on this forum, those of you, who get slightly upset when occasional errors are found in grammar, would be cringing ALL the time ...
From the letter:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Kevin Brown Whereas we feel this action was inappropriate, we also believe these are good kids. We do not believe this is reflective of who they are as individuals or who we are as a community ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe it's because I haven't had my coffee yet but you would say, "reflective of WHOM they are"? Who they are. It doesn't even SOUND right.
Goes to show coffee doesn't necessarily make one smarter. I agree with your pre-caffeine ascessment. Now where's my mug?
I've given up on trying to remember when to use who vs. whom unless I am writing a professional email. It seems like no one cares and if I screw up the usage and find out later, I feel like a maroon.
What drives me crazy is when people misuse whom. Seems to be happening more lately. Example: "I don't know whom this dog belongs to." It's almost as if people think it makes them sound smarter when they use whom in place of (the correct) who.
I will second the poster who used the rule: Replace it with 'him' and that is when you use 'whom'. Would you say "I don't know him this dog belongs to?"
What drives me crazy is when people misuse whom. Seems to be happening more lately. Example: "I don't know whom this dog belongs to." It's almost as if people think it makes them sound smarter when they use whom in place of (the correct) who.
I will second the poster who used the rule: Replace it with 'him' and that is when you use 'whom'. Would you say "I don't know him this dog belongs to?"
In your example, the correct word is "whom". It's the object of the preposition "to" which is languishing at the end of the sentence.
Better:
"I do not know the owner of this dog." Rewrite it to avoid the awkward construction.
Which avoids the (to me) stilted
"I do not know to whom this dog belongs." Get that preposition out of the end of the sentence.
Or, we could ask, "To whom does this dog belong?"
Or, "This dog belongs to whom?"
Or, colloquially, "I don't know who this dog belongs to." It does sound less pretentious, though it is not technically correct. I would not say it that way in formal writing but I would probably say it that way in everyday conversation.
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Rewrite it to avoid the awkward construction.
