In today's article we offer a mini-lesson on the use of English pronouns who, whom and whose, which cause serious difficulties even for those who have been studying English for several months.
Personal, objective and possessive pronouns.
To understand how to use who, whom, and whose correctly, you first need to understand the difference between subject, object, and possessive.
The subject expressed by the pronoun performs the action:
She loves knitting.
They admire Pre-Raphaelites.
I am afraid of spiders.
The action is aimed at the complement expressed by the pronoun:
He describes him.
They told her the truth.
We let her in.
Possessive pronouns tell us that something belongs to a person:
Her piano is out of tune.
They had to cancel their tour.
The committee has rejected his offer.
- Who is a personal pronoun.
Who can also be called a subject pronoun because it acts as the subject. It can also be an interrogative pronoun, which is used to find out who has performed an action or is in some state:
Who is ready to speak?
Who is paying at the bar tonight?
Who is fit enough to climb that tree?
- Whom is the object case of the personal pronoun.
Whom is an object personal pronoun in the same group as him, her and us. such as “him”, “her”, “us”. We use the interrogative whom to find out who the action is directed at:
Whom are you planning to call?
Whom did you step on?
Whom did he love in his early twenties?
- Whose is possessive pronoun.
Whose belongs to the group of possessive pronouns along with her, his and our. We use whose in a question to find out who owns something:
Whose purse is left on the table unattended?
Whose car alarm has just gone off?
Whose swimsuit is hung up to dry outside?
Who, whom, whose in indirect questions.
The sentence below contains an example of an indirect question:
I don’t care whom he called yesterday.
Such sentences usually begin with phrases like "She is not sure", "I don"t know" or "They don"t care." Ignore the first part of the prepositional question and look carefully at the indirect question to decide whether it is better to insert who, whom or whose. Ask yourself whether the question is asking for a subject, an object, or a possessive pronoun.
She doesn't know who the headmaster is. (subject)
I don't care whom you were friends with in the past. (addition)
She is not sure whose credit card she is using. (possessive pronoun)
Who, whom, whose in subordinate clauses definitional sentences.
The following sentence is an example of a complex sentence with a attributive clause:
They were acquainted with the jockey who had won the race.
Subordinate clauses characterize or describe the noun in the main clause. When deciding whether to use who, whom, or whose in it, pay attention to the structure of the subordinate clause and the function of the noun to which it refers:
The singer who performed tonight is world renowned.
They try to arrange a meeting with the actor whom they are going to interview next week.
She looked up to the colleague whose supervision she was under.
Whom is becoming increasingly rare.
The form whom is rapidly losing popularity in modern English. Many English speakers generally think that "whom" sounds old-fashioned and pompous, and this tendency is especially common in the United States. Especially in combination with prepositions, many people prefer to use "who" instead of "whom", and for most native speakers the examples below sound quite familiar:
Who did you get the money from?
That is the man who I had a fight with.
I don't care who she gave her heart to.
Interrogative-Relative Pronouns in English.
Interrogative relative pronouns include who- Who, whose- whose, what- what, which, which- which. Adjacent to this group relative pronoun that– what, which.
Pronoun Who
Pronoun who refers to persons and is used without a subsequent noun or pronoun. When consumed who as an interrogative pronoun in the function of a subject, the predicate, as a rule, has a singular form:
Who helps
are you in your work?
- Who helps you in your work?
Exceptions are those cases when the questioner knows that the answer to his question will be a plural noun:
Who were
playing chess at thesecondtable? - Whoplayed chess at the second table?
If who as an interrogative pronoun, it is the nominal part of the predicate, the linking verb agrees in person with the subject:
Who are they?
- Who are they?
Whois
thisgirl?
- Who's that girl?
Who has the form of the oblique case whom, which is used as a question word in the complement function, especially in formal style. In an informal style, these functions are performed by who in the general case. Compare:
When consumed who as a relative pronoun “who”, “which” in the function of the subject in a subordinate clause, the predicate can be in both singular and plural:
The girl who was Barely 20 hadalready worked 5 years. - Young woman, which Just turned 20, already worked for 5 years.
Theyheardthemovementsofthose w ho were on the bank.- They heard movements those who was on the shore.
Who can be used as a relative pronoun in emphatic expression itis (was) ...who to highlight a subject denoting a person:
It was
I who told the police. - It's me told the police.
Pronoun usage whom as a relative pronoun is relatively rare:
This is Mr Perkins whom you metat the sales conference.
- This is Mr. Perkins, with which you met at a sales conference.
The people with whom he worked he is regarded as eccentric.
- People with which he worked, they considered him eccentric.
In an informal style whom or is replaced by that, or omitted altogether:
There's the man ( that) we met in thepublastnight.
- That man over there whom we saw it in the pub yesterday.
Pronouns What, Which And That
What And which– unchangeable pronouns that can be used both with nouns and personal pronouns, and independently.
When used without a noun or pronoun, what And which can only refer to inanimate objects:
Which
would you like – steak orplace? - What Will you have steak or flounder?
What would you like to drink? - What will you drink?
Wherein which implies limited, and what– wider choice.
What may apply to persons if their profession or occupation is ascertained. For example:
What are you? - By whom you are working?
What's your brother? - Who your brother?
what in the function of the subject it is used in the singular:
What has
happened? - What's happened?
Verb-predicate with a pronoun what in the function of the nominal part of the predicate agrees in person and number with the subject:
What is
your opinion on this question?- What's it like yours opinion about this question?
What are
his daughters like?
- Which him daughters?
(Question whatis/are...like? corresponds to the Russian “what”, “what”).
Pronoun what in the function of addition in combination with prepositions it corresponds to the Russian “what” in indirect cases with and without prepositions. Preposition relating to what as an interrogative or relative pronoun, usually takes place after the verb:
What
is he going to talk about?
- About what is he going to talk?
Combined with a noun which And what may refer to both inanimate and animate noun. The semantic difference between which And what and the same:
Pronoun what as a relative does not coincide in meaning with the Russian “what”. Relative pronoun what or adds an indirect question (subordinate clause explanatory sentence), or corresponds to the complex Russian conjunction “such as”, “that that”.
He asked me what I intended to do?
- He asked me, What I intend to do.
Heaskedmewhat
colorI'd like.- He asked me, Which the color I would prefer.
The life in the country is notwhat it used to be.- Life in the village is not like this, How was
earlier.
Igaveherjustwhat
sheneeded.- I gave it to her just what she need.
Do you want to hear what hesaid?- Do you want to hear That, What He said?
IN the latter case what has a general meaning - “all that” If such a meaning is somehow specified, instead what used that:
Do you want to hear the words that he said?- You want to hear those words kotory He said?
Relative pronoun that refers to words thewords and corresponds to the Russian “which”. If we need the relative pronoun to refer to the entire sentence, instead of what or that used which:
Sally went out with George, which Made Paul very angry.- Sally left with George, What made Paul very angry.
Which as a relative pronoun "which" can also refer to one of the members main sentence, denoting an inanimate object. In such cases, a comma before which not put:
Theyreturnedtotheircanoewhich
they had left in the stream.- They returned to their canoe, kotoswarm left on the river.
Relative pronoun that often used instead who(about people) and which(about objects) in subordinate clauses sentences in cases where the subordinate clause contains information absolutely necessary for understanding that, who or what the main clause is talking about. Compare:
Thewomanthat/
who
usuallycuts my hair has moved toanother hairdresser's.
- Woman, which She usually cuts my hair, she moved to work at another hairdresser.
Dorothy,who
cutsmyhairhasmovedtoanotherhair-dresser's.
- Dorothy, Who She usually cuts my hair, she moved to work at another hairdresser.
If we omit the subordinate clause in second sentence, it will not lose its meaning: it will remain quite clear who we are talking about - Dorothy. The very first sentence without an attributive clause loses its meaning. In such sentences it is used that:
Where'sthegirlthat
sellsthe- Where is that girl? which sells bi-
tickets? = ... who sells… years?
I've lost the bananas that I've- I lost my bananas which bought
bought this morning. this morning.
That especially often used after superlative degrees of comparison and words all, every(thing), some(thing), any(thing), no(thing), none, little, few, much, only:
It's the best
film that ever's been made on this subject. -
This best movie, which has ever been filmed on this topic.
Is this all that's left?- This All, What left?
Haveyougotanything
that
belongs to me?
- Do you have anything that belongs to me?
The only thing that matters is to find our way home.
- The only thing, What What matters is finding the way home.
If that is the object of the predicate clause, it is often omitted, especially in spoken English:
Heisamanpeoplelikeatfirstsight.- He's one of those Who I like it at first sight.
Pronoun Whose
Invariable pronoun whose–
whose usually used in relation to persons. In a sentence whose usually serves as a modifier and comes immediately before the noun it refers to. The noun in this case is used without an article:
Whose
books
arethese? - Whose This books?
Whose as a relative pronoun it means “whose”, “whose”:
This is Henry whose wife works for my brother.- This is Henry, whose wife/ wife whom works for my brother.
Sometimes whose can be used as a relative pronoun in relation to inanimate nouns:
Itwasameeting
whose
importance I didn’t realize at the time.- That was meeting, importance which I didn't understand at the time.
However, it is preferable to use a prepositional construction with which:
It was a meeting the importance of which I didn’t realize at the time.
IN English language You can find a number of pronouns that can not just replace nouns, but serve to combine two sentences into one - the main one and the subordinate clause. First of all, we mean the English pronouns who, which and that. These pronouns are usually called connective or relative. Often this group includes whom.
To begin with, you should understand that relative (Relative pronouns) and connecting (Conjunctive pronouns) pronouns are different groups.
I have a friend who can draw well. - I have a friend who draws great./ That is, we will find out exactly what kind of friend this is - a good drawer.
Do you know who wrote this book? - Do you know who wrote this book?/ Here the pronoun joins two clauses and does not define anyone.
Although they may be expressed in the same words and even have the same translation into Russian, these pronouns serve different functions in a sentence. The main purpose of our article is to help you choose the right word, and not to give a classification of pronouns. Based on this, we will talk about the features of each word, regardless of their group.
Each of the presented pronouns can be translated from English as “which”, “which”. Pronouns are NOT interchangeable. We will talk about the reasons further.
English pronoun Who
This pronoun can only be used to refer to a person. Remember, in English it is not enough to be an animate noun, such as cat or horse. Many grammar rules, associated with pronouns, divide nouns into the category “person” - “non-person”.
This is a song about a man who sold the world. - This is a song about a man who sold the world.
Let's find out who killed who. - Let's find out who killed whom.
Since the word that performs the function of the subject presupposes a person, a person, we use the pronoun ‘who’.
This pronoun has case form ‘whom’ - “which”, “which”. This word in an English sentence expresses the addition of a subordinate clause:
Do you remember whom did you tell about it? - Do you remember who you told about this?
However, many linguists and philologists consider this form to be bookish. IN colloquial speech it is most often replaced by 'that'.
English pronoun Which
The pronoun ‘which’ is also translated as “which”, “which”, but unlike previous word can only be used in relation to inanimate objects and animals, that is, to “non-people”.
Sally don’t remember which way to go. - Sally didn’t remember which road to take.
It is generally accepted that the pronoun ‘which’ is a more bookish version of ‘that’, which can be found more often in colloquial speech. However, these words cannot always replace each other. ‘That’ will never be used as the subject of a subordinate clause:
Tell me, which car is yours? - Tell me, what car is yours?
This important point, which you should pay attention to. The pronoun ‘that’, which we will now discuss, very often replaces ‘who’ or ‘which’ in speech, if they are relative.
BUT 'that' is never used as a connecting pronoun.
English pronoun That
So, we have decided what it is English pronoun is relative. Its beauty lies in the fact that it can replace almost any relative pronoun, regardless of what noun it is attached to - animate or inanimate, be it a person or an animal:
There's a look on your face that I would like to knock out. -Your face has such an expression that I want to punch you (which I just want to knock out).
In this sentence, the English pronoun 'that' refers to the inanimate noun 'look'.
Let's consider another proposal:
Do you have someone that you love to distraction? - Do you have someone you love madly?
IN in this example The pronoun 'that' refers to the word 'someone', denoting a person, a person.
Let’s talk about another niche occupied by the English pronoun ‘that’. There are several cases where we can only use this word:
- after ordinal numbers
- after construction with an adjective in superlatives
- after the words everything, all, any, every
The first rule that you should remember is - there are no rules. - The first rule you need to remember is that there are no rules.
This is the most beautiful painting that I’ve ever seen. - This is the most beautiful picture I have ever seen.
All that you need is love. - All you need is Love.
This choice is due to the fact that ‘that’, like the definite article ‘the’, refers to an object, one of a kind, concrete, given.
So, we hope that this article will significantly help you in choosing the right pronoun.
We wish you interesting and useful English!
Victoria Tetkina
One of the most common questions among people who have decided seriously is when to use whom And who.
In fact, the difference in the use of these two pronouns is quite obvious, and it is not even entirely clear why students ask this question so often. If you still belong to those who find these pronouns difficult, then continue reading this article. We'll figure it out together.
Who And whoever- This subject pronouns, A whom And whoever— object. By the way, the site has already published an article touching on the topic of subjective and object pronouns: when “me” and “I” are used. The situation with “whom” and “who” is almost the same.
Just in case, let's remember once again what subjective and object pronouns. These words play completely different roles in a sentence.
Who- this is the subject of the action, i.e. it is this pronoun that acts, it acts as the subject.
Whom is the object of action. In a sentence, this pronoun is an object.
Here's a simplified diagram:
Who = He / She
Whom = Him/Her
If you doubt the correctness and appropriateness uses of who or whom, try to mentally replace them with these words. If he/she will find themselves in this proposal“on topic”, then it’s worth putting who, and if in in this case obviously sound better him/her, then put whom .
By the way, you can also add an analogy here: I = who, me = whom. Therefore, if you have already read the previously mentioned article about, then it will be much easier for you to understand the differences between relative “who” and “whom”.
Let's back up the theory with practice. A few examples:
Alexa is the girl who got the job in New York = She got the job in New York
Alexa is the girl who got the job in New York = She got the job in New York.
To whom should I complain about the service? = You should complain to him.
Who should I complain to about the service? = You should complain to him.
It's important to note that whom- more formal and not used as often in spoken English. In everyday conversation, most English speakers are more likely to say: “who should I complain?”
And here is a comic on the topic . The same rules, but in English and in pictures. It will help you consolidate the material you have covered and better understand the theory learned in this lesson.
Any communication involves the exchange of information. If you want to learn something specific from your interlocutor, you need to ask an informational question and do it correctly. In order for the interlocutor to understand what information they want to receive from him, it is important to choose the right question word. At the same time, in the information issue it should come first.
In English, all question words except How begin with the letters Wh, which is why information questions are often called Wh-Questions. For better absorption, you should get acquainted with question words gradually, so let's start with the words who, whom and whose.
Questions with who differ from the universal word order in English. The proposal is structured according to the following scheme:
Who + main verb (in the 3rd person singular and definite tense) + other parts of the sentence
The word Who is used in questions exclusively about a person. Its translation depends on what part of speech the noun is expressed in (subject or object). It can be translated not only as “Who”, but also “Whom”, “To whom”, “By whom”. A question with the word who is usually asked when we want to know the person's name in response or information about who the person is.
To better understand the above, we present several examples.
- Who is it, I don’t know him? - Who is this, I don’t know him?
- Who will tell you about it? - Who will tell you about this?
- Who did you see at the party? -Who did you see at the party?
- Who did they walk with in the park? —Who did they walk with in the park?
Depending on what information we want to obtain, the structure of the question changes.
- Who wrote you? - Who wrote to you? (question to the subject).
- Who did you write? - Who did you write to? (question for addition).
Whom - Whom? By whom? To whom?
The sound of the question word whom is very similar to the word who, even translated the same way, but it is used less often than who, since it is more typical of the formal style and is not often found in modern colloquial speech. The difference is that who is used in a question to the subject (Who?), and whom - only in a question to the complement: Whom? To whom?
- Whom did you find yesterday in the bar? —Who did you find in the bar yesterday?
- Whom is he calling? -Who is he calling?
It is necessary to remember that the word whom is often used in questions with verbs give, speak, talk, buy, send and many others, requiring after themselves the preposition to, for, with, etc. Therefore, questions starting with whom can end with one or another preposition.
- Who (m) did you talk to? - With whom did you talk?
- Who (m) did he sing it for? — Who/for whom did he sing it?
- Who (m) did you send the message to? — Who did you send the message to?
In all the above examples, as you can see, who can be replaced with whom. If you have a very formal tone, then the preposition can come before whom, at the very beginning of the sentence.
- To whom did you talk? -Who did you talk to?
- With whom will you celebrate Christmas? —Who will you celebrate Christmas with?
Whose? - Whose?
When asking who owns this or that item, you should use the question word whose. It is most often used with a noun. If we're talking about about the object (whose object?) to which you are pointing, then the noun can be missed.
- Whose (pen) is this? - Whose is this pen?
- Whose (books) are those? - Whose books?
In Russian, in any such situation they usually ask: “Whose is this?” In English, when asking a question and pointing to an object, you need to use demonstrative pronouns.
Attention! If we are talking about people, in this case the noun following whose cannot be removed.
- Whose uncle is he? - Whose uncle is he?
- Whose sons are they? - Whose sons are these?
The subject to which the question is asked can also be placed at the end of the sentence. The auxiliary verb is then used after the question word whose.
- Whose is this article? - Whose article is this?
- Whose are those shoes? - Whose shoes?
- Whose are these children? - Whose children are these?
Since the owners of something, as a rule, are people, in response we hear either the person’s name in the possessive case, or a possessive pronoun (My or mine).
- Whose book is this?/This is Ann’s book./This is my book./This is mine.
Whose can also be used with prepositions that are placed both at the very beginning of the question (more formal option) and at the end of it (less formal option).
- With whose point of view do you agree? —Whose point of view do you agree with?
- In whose house did you stay? —Whose house did you stay at?
How not to confuse whose and who’s
Many people confuse the question word whose with who’s, and it is no coincidence, because they sound exactly the same. To avoid making such mistakes, you need to know that who’s is a shortened form of the construction who is or who has, so after it you will not see an auxiliary verb (it is shortened), but after whose there is always an unabridged auxiliary verb.
- Who's this? / Who is this? - Who is this?
- Who's got a pen? / Who has got a pen? - Who has a pen?
- Who's done that? / Who has done that? - Who did it?
- Whose is this? - Whose is this?