It's Not who you know, It's WHOM YOU KNOW!! Part 2 of our English Lesson...
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 and 506:
The use of who or whom in a subordinate clause is determined by the pronoun's function in the clause. The case is not affected by any word outside the clause.
To solve a who-whom problem, ask yourself the following three questions:
1. What words make up the subordinate clause?
2. How is the pronoun used in the clause-as subject, predicate nominative, object of the verb, object of the preposition?
3. What is the correct case form for this use of the pronoun?
Problem: They were relatives (who, whom) I had not seen in years.
Step 1: The subordinate clause is: (who, whom) I had not seen in years
Step 2: In this clause the relative pronoun is used as the object of the verb had seen.
Step 3: The object of the verb is in the objective case, and the objective form of the pronoun is whom.
So say: They were relatives whom I had not seen in years!
More fun with English:
Ta ta for now! More later...
