Is the pronoun a subject or an object?
Look at the clause following who or whoever and
whom or whomever and how the pronoun is
used.
- Use who or whoever when it
functions as the subject of a sentence or
clause.
- Use whom or whomever when it
functions as the object of a verb or a
preposition.
Can you substitute he/she or him/her?
- Use who or whoever if you can
substitute it with he or she.
- Use whom or whomever if you
can substitute it with him or her.
| Example
#1 |
We will choose
whoever is the most qualified person to chair
the committee.
In the sentence above, whoever serves as
the subject of the clause is the most qualified
person to chair the committee.
To verify this usage is correct, rewrite the sentence
substituting he or she:
She is the most qualified person to chair the
committee.
|
| Example
#2 |
With whom is David
speaking on the phone?
In the sentence above whom is the object
of the preposition with.
To verify this usage is correct, rewrite the sentence
using him or her:
David is speaking with him on the phone.
|
Note: Although in the first
example,
whoever is the object of the verb
choose, it functions as the subject of
the
verb is, which is why you would write
whoever
instead of whomever.
Here are a few more examples with possible
substitutions:
- We have not decided who should
cook dinner. (He should cook dinner.)
- Whom did the students vote for
prom queen? (They voted for her.)
- Frank has lunch with whomever he
pleases. (Frank has lunch with her.)
- Elaine will ask whoever is a Rolling
Stones fan to join her at the concert. (He is
a Rolling Stones fan.)
So, if we ask, “Whom did Horton hear?” We
could answer, “He heard whoever made up
that speck of dust—the Whos of Who-ville.”
