It's Not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW!!!! Origins of our name, and a lesson from Peachy Deegan courtesy of Warriner's. Not everyone went to the fabulous Rennie McQuilkin's English Class and did the Bloopers, so here's a lesson for you! Part 1 of Who versus Whom

Whom is the object of the verb know.


We know all of our readers are smart, or you wouldn't be reading this site-we do not appeal to the masses.  On the day Whom You Know began, January 25, 2009, Peachy Deegan called her English teacher Rennie McQuilkin to see if anyone else was using the name, and to see what he thought.  Ever since, we have been told it is a great name, so thank you very much, and we wanted you to know it comes from Peachy Deegan's 10th grade English class at Miss Porter's School.  After her nightmare of an English teacher in 9th grade, Peachy was lucky enough to have Mr. McQuilkin as an English teacher for 10th and 11th grade and she loved it.  Everyone did-two Movers and Shakers previously featured were also in that class of about 10 girls.


So, we want you to have fun with English too because you want the world to think you know it all even if you have to thumb to our column English Errors for a reference!  We quote from English Composition and Grammar Fifth Course Warriner's page 505:


The pronouns who and whom are used two ways in English sentences: as interrogative pronouns, which ask a question, or as relative pronouns, which introduce a subordinate clause.  


Who is nominative; whom is objective.  The pronoun who is correct whenever he, she, we or they can be substituted for it.  The pronoun whom is correct whenever him, her, us or them can be substituted for it.


Nominative: Who played this role?  [Who is the subject of the verb played.  She played this role.]
Who should it be? [Who is a predicate nominative.  It should be who.]


Objective: Whom did you meet today?  [Whom is the object of the verb did meet.  You did meet whom (him) today.]
With whom did you write the script?  [Whom is the object of the preposition with.  Did you write the script with him?]


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Lesson from Peachy:


Correct usage of who:
Who drank all my champagne?  [Who is the subject of the verb drank]  You are in trouble if you did not share with Peachy!
Who is going to invent the most beautiful perfume of 2011?
Who will be the next Mover and Shaker?


Correct usage of whom:
With whom will you drink the bottle of champagne? [Whom is the object of the preposition with.]
Whom did he wink at?  Peachy, of course!  [Whom is the object of the verb wink.  He did wink at Peachy!]


Ta ta for now!  More later...