Who vs. Whom
The Grammar-verse is calling! It has only one question: Who versus Whom?
Who's a good pronoun?
Who and whom are pronouns, just like he, she, it, him, her, and they. They stand in for proper nouns, and the difference between them comes down to their role in your sentence.
Taking center stage-The Subject, Who!
Who is the subject, or the performer of actions in your sentence.
Who flew the TARDIS?
Doctor Who flew the TARDIS into a bubble universe.
Our subject, Doctor Who, is the one flying the TARDIS. Since he's our subject, we use the pronoun Who.
My kingdom for an object!
Whom is the object, or recipient of the subject's action.
Whom should I address this letter to?
Address the letter to Amy Pond.
Our object, Amy Pond, is the receiving the letter. Since she's our object, we use the pronoun Whom.
That is the question!
To make this super simple (because you who doesn't love grammar simplicity?), you need only ask yourself one question in the Who versus Whom debate:
She/He or Her/Him?
He has two hearts and twenty-seven brains = Who has two hearts and twenty-seven brains?
Send him the message through the psychic paper! = To whom do I send the message?
We were curious whom the sonic screwdriver belonged to. (The sonic screwdriver belonged to him.)
Furthermore.
Rose Tyler is the companion who I like best. (I like Rose Tyler the best.)
This example can prove tricky, but if you know who your subject is, then you'll be fine. When in doubt, rearranging the sentence can help you determine Who versus Whom.
The subject here is not Rose Tyler, but I. The main point of the sentence is which companion is liked best, and the one doing the liking is I:
Who do I like best? I like Rose Tyler.
Rose Tyler is traveling with whom? She is traveling with him.
To whom do I forward the planetary distress call? Forward it to her.
Who looks cool in bow ties? Doctor Who (he) makes bow ties look cool.
Resources:
Grammar Rules: Who vs. Whom
Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips: Who versus Whom
CORRECTION - Keep Reading!!
I made a mistake!
Rose Tyler is the companion who I like best. (I like Rose Tyler the best.)
Do you see it? I hope so, because that means your grammar skills are growing. I could try and say this mistake was made intentionally, but alas, it is not so! Now you get to learn from my error! J
After it was pointed out to me, I realized this was a simple fix:
Whom do I like best? I like her the best.
Since the correct response to Who/Whom here is Her, it means we need Whom. (Remember The Question:She/he or Her/him? She/he equals Who and Her/him equals Whom.) I created an odd word order to highlight a common grammar error—then fell into the trap myself. The phrase “who(m) I like best” is a relative clause.
Say what?
A relative (or adjective) clause cannot stand alone, and, in the case of “whom I like best,” it begins with a relative pronoun (whose, that, which, who, or whom). By itself, it becomes an adjective, and is not a complete sentence.
Which prompted him to run around the bus twice.
While a relative clause has a subject (him) and a verb (to run), it lacks a complete thought, which is needed to have a complete sentence. The inclusion of the relative pronoun (which) knocks it into fragment territory.
Lewis discovered a bee up his sleeve, which prompted him to run around the bus twice. (Now, it’s complete.)
Fix it, fix it, fix it!
Rose Tyler is the companion who I like best.
Who, in this case, is acting as a relative pronoun, and signals the start of my relative clause. “Who I like best” becomes an adjective modifying “Rose Tyler is the companion.” Though a slightly odd statement (one that might answer, “Who is Rose Tyler?”), it is a complete sentence alone. Adding “Whom I like best” provides extra detail for who Rose Tyler is.
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Ouch! Grammar brain freeze!
What does all this stuff mean? In an attempt to simplify this grammar twister, think of “Whom I like best” as simply “Best.”
Rose Tyler is the best companion.
“Best” is an adjective strengthening the meaning of our object “companion.” Rose isn’t just any companion—she’s the best companion. My sentence (Rose Tyler is the companion whom I like best) is saying something similar; it’s just written in a weird way with a statement masquerading as an adjective.
So…
Whom I like best is adding complexity to my description of Rose Tyler, making Rose Tyler (not I), the subject.
Remember the test: Whom do I like best? I like her the best. Since the statement uses her, the correct usage is
Rose Tyler is the companion whom I like best.
Resources:
Grammar Bytes!: The Relative Clause
Grammar Bytes!: The Relative Pronoun
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