who vs whom trick
Use who when it’s doing the action; use whom when it’s receiving the action or follows a preposition.
Quick Scoop
The 1-second trick
- Replace who/whom with he or him.
- If he fits, use who.
- If him fits, use whom.
Example:
- “Who/Whom should I call?” → “I should call him.” → whom is correct.
- “Who/Whom is calling?” → “He is calling.” → who is correct.
A tiny memory hook:
If you can answer with him , end it with whom. 😄 (Same “m” sound.)
Subject vs. object (for when you want to be precise)
- Who = subject (the one doing the action):
- “Who made those hats?” (Who = one doing the making.)
- Whom = object (the one receiving the action or after a preposition):
- “To whom will she give them?” (Whom = one receiving the hats.)
* “For whom was the gift intended?”
Quick mini-checklist
- Can you swap in he or him?
- He → who
- Him → whom
- Is it after a preposition (to, for, with, by, from, of, etc.)?
- “to whom,” “with whom,” “by whom” → almost always whom in formal English.
- Is it doing the verb’s action inside its own little clause?
- Then it’s who : “the person who called,” “the one who helped.”
Tiny “who vs whom trick” examples
- “Who/Whom did you invite?” → “You invited him.” → whom.
- “Who/Whom is going to present?” → “He is going to present.” → who.
- “I don’t know who/whom they chose.” → “They chose him.” → whom.
Mini table of the trick (HTML)
| Sentence | Test with he/him | Correct form |
|---|---|---|
| Who/Whom should I vote for? | I should vote for him. | whom |
| Who/Whom is at the door? | He is at the door. | who |
| To who/whom was the gift sent? | It was sent to him. | whom |
| The person who/whom called you is here. | He called you. | who |