I fell in love this weekend. It wasn’t an adorable English accent or a set of mesmerizing blue eyes that got me; it was his perfect command of the use of who vs. whom. Each time he said “for whom” or “to whom,” I could not contain my smile.
It’s a grammar lesson that’s taught time and again, but for some reason, it needs to be reiterated once more.
Who refers to a subject. Whom refers to an object.
If that doesn’t mean anything to you, maybe this will help.
He is a subject. Him is an object.
Ask yourself a who/whom question. If you can answer it with a “he,” you should have used “who.” If you can answer it with a “him,” you should have used “whom.”
Who ate my bacon? He ate your bacon! Not a lot of people mess this one up.
From whom did you get that watch? I got it from him. I realize not that many people actually talk like this, but I assure you, it’s the grammatically correct way.
I sent the text to Alex last night. To whom? To him. “To who?” is incorrect, just as “to he” would be. “For who?” is incorrect. “From who?” is incorrect.
Whom did I fall in love with? I fell in love with him, the dude who knows his “who’s” from “whom’s.” Who knows his “who’s” from “whom’s?” He does!