Whoever vs. Whomever Revisited
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Whoever vs. Whomever Revisited
In the “English Rules” section of our website, GrammarBook.com, you will find our simple explanation for determining whether to use who or whom.
Briefly, this is the trick:
who = he (subject pronouns)
whom = him (object pronouns)
Example: Who/Whom is at the door?
He is at the door.
Example: For who/whom should I vote?
Should I vote for him?
To determine whether to use whoever or whomever, the he/him trick still applies:
he (subject case) = whoever
him (object case) = whomever
Rule 1: In the objective case, the use of whoever or whomever is determined by the pronoun’s position in the object.
Examples:
Give it to whoever/whomever asks for it first.
Whoever is correct because it is the subject of the independent clause whoever asks for it first. This entire independent clause is the object of the preposition to.
We will hire whoever/whomever you recommend.
Whomever is correct because it is the object of you recommend. The independent clause whomever you recommend is the direct object of will hire.
We will hire whoever/whomever is most qualified.
Whoever is correct because it is the subject of the independent clause whoever is most qualified. This entire independent clause is the direct object of will hire.
Rule 2: In the subjective case, the use of whoever or whomever is determined by the pronoun’s position in the subject.
Examples:
Whoever/Whomever is elected will serve a four-year term.
Whoever is correct because it is the subject of the independent clause Whoever is elected, which is the subject of the sentence.
Whoever/Whomever you elect will serve a four-year term.
Whomever is correct because it is the object of you elect. Whomever you elect is the subject of the sentence.
Pop Quiz
- Omar will talk about his girlfriend with whoever/whomever asks him.
- Kimiko donates her time to whoever/whomever needs it most.
- Quinton will work on the project with whoever/whomever you suggest.
- Whoever/Whomever wins the lottery will become a millionaire.
Pop Quiz Answers
- Omar will talk about his girlfriend with whoever asks him.
- Kimiko donates her time to whoever needs it most.
- Quinton will work on the project with whomever you suggest.
- Whoever wins the lottery will become a millionaire.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I understand WHO is a subject and WHOM is an object. I got all the quiz answers, both on this site and in the Blue Book I have at home, correct. I thought I had it down cold until I came across this type of sentence:
I have five cats, most of whom are male. (Which is true.)
WHOM is the object of the preposition OF so obviously WHOM is correct. But if I use the HE/HIM test (that has not failed me thus far), it fails me on this.
WHO are male? THEY (HE – subject) are male. So I think to use WHO.
I know that you can stop at cats as a complete sentence.
I have five cats. Most of THEM are male. THEM (HIM) is the object, which would make it WHOM. So I think to use WHOM.
Can you please clarify this for me?
The pronouns who and whom refer to people. Which refers to animals, groups, or things. Therefore, write “I have five cats, most of which are male.” OR “I have five cats. Most of them are male.” Please see our posts Who vs. That and That vs. Which for more information.
“We will hire whoever/whomever you recommend.
Whomever is correct because it is the object of you recommend.”
I am unable to understand how the object of you is coming before it. Would it be possible for you to elaborate the explanation a bit more to help me understand better please?
If you change the word order to “you recommend whomever,” perhaps it will make it easier to see how whomever is the object of you. To determine whether to use whoever or whomever, the he/him rule applies (he=whoever, him=whomever). You recommend him.
Please advise—what pronoun is correct in the following sentence and why…
Praising He/Him Who answers prayers.
I am confused about the subjective/objective pronoun use in this sentence!
We would write “praising Him who answers prayers.” “Him” is in the objective case, and “who answers prayers” is a relative clause modifying that objective word. The objective position of “Him” doesn’t influence the case of the relative clause, which is an independent unit.
Which is correct and why?
1. We would like to thank whomever sent them.
2. We would like to thank whoever sent them.
The first makes sense to me because whomever is the object of thank.
The second makes sense to me because whoever is the subject of sent.
My ears tell me the second sounds correct.
In a similar manner to the third example under Rule 1 of this post:
Whoever is correct because it is the subject of the independent clause whoever sent them. This entire independent clause is the direct object of to thank.
I don’t understand how clauses such as “whoever sent them” and “whomever you recommend” can be called independent clauses. In your Whoever vs Whomever English Rules section you state: Rule 1. The presence of whoever or whomever indicates a dependent clause. This I understand, but now I wonder if I am missing something. Would you please be able to clarify this for me? Thank you.
An independent clause (also referred to as a main clause) is one that may stand alone. In this context, both “whoever sent them” and “whomever you recommend” qualify as independent clauses because each has a subject, a verb, and an object. A more-accurate explanation of whoever vs. whomever would be that the proper choice is determined by the pronoun’s function within its grammatical unit (e.g., direct object, object of a prepositional phrase, subject of an independent clause operating as a sentence subject).
Dear GrammarBook, a dependent clause also has a subject and verb (and sometimes, unless the verb is intransitive, also an object or a complement (for linking verbs). The “who” and “whom” clauses you mention in response to Sylvia are not independent at all but dependent–specifically, they are either relative (adjectival) clauses or nominals (noun clauses).
I landed on your site in search of an example of a clause in which “whoever” is the object of a preposition. Every time I try to write one, the pronoun ends up being either the subject or object of it’s own clause, not the object of the preposition, and the entire noun clause is the object of the preposition, not the single word “whomever.” Thoughts?
We understand the questions this subject can raise because the distinctions are so subtle. You are correct that in many if not most cases, whoever and whomever will appear within dependent clauses. However, they do contain the elements of an independent clause (subject and verb and sometimes an object), and determining independence would require a closer look at the context.
For the clause whoever sent them, if for example we present it as a question, we have an independent clause: Whoever sent them?
For the clause whomever you recommend, if we arrange the sentence with the pronoun at the end, we have you recommend whomever, an independent clause.
We agree with your implied observation that if the clause is a response to another statement, and it includes omitted, understood information, it would usually be dependent:
Q: Who will receive the responses to these letters?
A: Whoever sent them (will receive the responses to these letters).
Q: Who should be in charge of planning the party?
A: Whomever you recommend (should be in charge of planning the party).
I have a question regarding one of your examples for correct use of “whomever”:
“Whomever you elect will serve a four-year term.”
Knowing that an adjective clause can have an understood “that” led me to believe that the example sentence could be interpreted as being “Whoever (that) you elect will serve a four-year term,” with the clause now an adjective clause rather than a noun clause. Why is my interpretation not accurate?
In our view, “whoever that you elect” would be nonstandard English that complicates rather than simplifies the expression. Inserting the relative pronoun that creates unnecessary distance between the pronoun in question and the other elements (you elect). It would also modify a pronoun used for people (whoever) with a pronoun (that) typically used for animals and things.