{"id":1973,"date":"2015-07-10T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2015-07-10T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=1973"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:45:40","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:45:40","slug":"who-vs-whom-in-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/who-vs-whom-in-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Who vs. Whom in Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOpen questions\u201d in English, questions that can be answered in many ways (and not just with \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d) are a little tricky. This is especially true when you are deciding whether to use \u201cwho\u201d or \u201cwhom.\u201d<\/p>\n

First, it\u2019s important to remember that in some cases, the subject<\/em> of the question is really the object<\/em> of a preposition. This can be seen in a question such as \u201cWhom will I speak with?\u201d Here, \u201cwhom\u201d is really the object of the preposition \u201cwith.\u201d In informal English, you would say \u201cWho will I speak with?\u201d This may seem strange to you. You\u2019ll recall that in my last post on this subject<\/a>, I said you should always<\/em> use \u201cwhom\u201d as the object of a preposition in statements, whether the language is formal or informal.<\/p>\n

Questions are a little different than statements when it comes to \u201cwhom\u201d and prepositions. If the preposition is at the end of the question, informal English uses \u201cwho\u201d instead of \u201cwhom.\u201d (As seen in \u201cWho will I speak with\u201d above.) However, if the question begins with a preposition, you will need to use \u201cwhom,\u201d whether the sentence is formal or informal. (As in \u201cWith whom will I speak?\u201d)<\/p>\n

In other questions, the subject<\/em> of a question is really the object<\/em> of a verb. For example: \u201cWhom did you see?\u201d In this question, \u201cwhom\u201d is really the object of the verb \u201csee.\u201d In informal English, you would ask \u201cWho did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n

Still in other questions, \u201cwho\u201d really is the subject of a sentence or clause, because it refers to a person (or people) that are doing something. Examples of this would include \u201cWho is coming to the party?\u201d and \u201cWho works with your father?\u201d In this case, you would use \u201cwho\u201d in both formal and informal English.<\/p>\n

Basically, in questions, \u201cwho\u201d and \u201cwhom\u201d follow all of the same rules as the ones seen in this chart<\/a>, with one exception: If the preposition is at the end of an informal question, the object of the preposition can be \u201cwho.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of this can be a little confusing, I know. I have some activities below that can help you practice these who\/whom rules by writing your own questions. Be sure to consult this post and my previous who\/whom post<\/a> while you do your writing. I\u2019ve given example question sentences help you get started. (I\u2019ve included explanations of my sentences in italics<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Question Activity:<\/h2>\n

1) Write two formal<\/strong> questions with \u201cwhom\u201d as the object of the verb.<\/p>\n

Example answers:<\/strong><\/p>\n