Whoever Would Use Whomever: Read On
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Whoever Would Use Whomever: Read On
Two weeks ago we discussed Americans’ odd fondness for whom. It’s a word that few really understand, but it just sounds so darned cosmopolitan.
If we’re infatuated with whom, we’re over the moon about whomever. You hear it everywhere. People love saying it—right or wrong.
Just recently, a major American newspaper ran a headline that said “… whomever that may be.” When the story jumped to a second page, the headline changed to “… whomever it is.” Horrors! In both cases, this was first-degree whomever abuse.
Like that errant headline writer, too many of us think that whoever and whomever mean the same thing—and that whomever is the sexier choice.
To determine whether to use whoever or whomever, our shorthand rule for who and whom applies: he = whoever and him = whomever. Whoever is always a subject; whomever is always an object. That’s why whomever it is and whomever that may be could never be correct. We say he is, not him is, so we must say whoever it is and whoever that may be.
The presence of whoever or whomever indicates a dependent clause, as in this sentence: Give it to whoever asks for it first. (The dependent clause is whoever asks for it first.) You might think the correct word should be whomever, an object pronoun, since you’d say Give it to her or Give it to them. But here is the rule: Always use whoever or whomever to agree with the verb (asks) in that dependent clause, regardless of the rest of the sentence.
I ask for it, he or she asks for it, we or they ask for it. I, he, she, we, and they are subject pronouns. Therefore, Give it to whoever asks for it first.
On the other hand: We will hire whoever/whomever you recommend. Since you recommend me (or him, her, us, them), the right answer is whomever, the object of recommend, the verb in the dependent clause.
So the key is the verb in that dependent clause. Remember that, and may all your whomevers be winners.
Pop Quiz
1. Choose whoever/whomever you prefer.
2. Choose whoever/whomever you think will win.
3. Whoever/whomever is chosen, we must pick wisely.
4. We discussed it with whoever/whomever we figured might be interested.
5. Make sure whoever/whomever you hire turns out to be qualified.
6. Make sure you hire whoever/whomever turns out to be qualified.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Choose whomever you prefer. (you prefer him)
2. Choose whoever you think will win. (you think I will win)
3. Whoever is chosen, we must pick wisely. (he is chosen)
4. We discussed it with whoever we figured might be interested. (we figured they might be interested)
5. Make sure whomever you hire turns out to be qualified. (you hire him)
6. Make sure you hire whoever turns out to be qualified. (she turns out to be qualified)
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Thank you for this review. Please consider one on the constant misuse of using ”I” in the object case. This abuse is rampant in everyday conversations, the written word, news broadcasts, TV shows, and movies!
We agree with you regarding this improper usage. Please see our posts I vs. Me and I vs. Me (Review).