ABCcount

who vs. whom

Someone will tell you "whom" is dead. In speech they are very nearly right — nobody says "whom did you call" outside a costume drama. In writing it is alive, and using it wrongly is worse than not using it at all. A misplaced "whom" reads as someone reaching for a formality they have not quite got hold of, which is a more conspicuous error than simply writing "who" throughout.

who

The subject form. Use it when the word is doing the action.

  • Who signed the agreement?
  • The partner who reviewed it had concerns.
  • Who wants to take this one?
  • I need to know who approved the change and when.

whom

The object form. Use it when the word is receiving the action, or after a preposition.

  • To whom should I address the invoice?
  • The client whom we met last week has questions.
  • Whom did the committee select?
  • For whom is this being prepared? (Formal, and the preposition makes "whom" mandatory rather than optional.)

Quick way to remember

Answer the question with "he" or "him." If "he" fits, use "who" — both end in a vowel sound. If "him" fits, use "whom" — both end in "m." "Who called?" — "He called." "You called whom?" — "You called him." It works every time, including in the middle of a sentence.