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Seriously, When Do You Actually Use “Whom”?

July 18, 2020

There are certain word rules that can stump even the most eloquent speaker — like “lay vs. lie,” “than vs. then,” and “effect vs. affect,” for example. But in the English-speaking world, the “who vs. whom” debate takes its rightful place as one of the greatest language puzzlers.

How do we solve the problem? Is the answer to stop using “whom” altogether? Is it simply an archaic, outdated way of saying “who”? Or does it have its place in modern times? Read on for a handy trick that will ensure you always know which “w” word to use, in any context.

The Real Rule

The technical rule is as follows:

“Who” is used when referring to the subject of the sentence.

“Whom” is used when referring to the object of a verb or preposition.

Now, let’s turn that into something practical and useful:

When a person is the focus of a sentence, i.e. they are the ones who have completed an action or are being discussed, they are the subject. This is when you use “who.”

For example:

Who showed you how to do that?
Who ate all my cake?
Who wrote this article?

When a person is having (or has had) something done to them, they are no longer the subject, but the object of the verb. This is when you use “whom.”

For example:

Whom do you like best?
Whom are you going to meet at the coffee shop?

Sometimes, a preposition (for, to, by, with, about) needs to be used with “whom”:
With whom are you going to this party?
This article was written by whom?

See More . . . 

Filed Under: Grammar Tips

12 Most Popular Grammar Questions and Answers on WritersDigest.com

February 7, 2020

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Filed Under: Grammar Tips

Ellipsis

September 16, 2019

The Ellipsis

Those three little dots are called an ellipsis (plural: ellipses). The term ellipsis comes from the Greek word meaning “omission,” and that’s just what an ellipsis does—it shows that something has been left out. When you’re quoting someone, you can use an ellipsis to show that you’ve omitted some of their words. For example:

Hamlet asked whether it was “nobler . . . to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of troubles.”

In the sentence above, the words “in the mind” have been omitted from the quote. Occasionally, you might need to leave out part of a quote because it’s irrelevant or makes the quote hard to understand in the context of the sentence. The ellipsis shows that you have left something out.

You can also use an ellipsis to show a pause in speech or that a sentence trails off. This technique doesn’t belong in formal or academic writing, though. You should only use the ellipsis this way in fiction and informal writing. For example:

Andrew, can you, um . . . never mind, I forgot what I was saying. So, do you think we should . . . ?  See More. 

 

Filed Under: Grammar, Grammar Tips

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