The following example fails the he/him test for whoever/whomever: Please give the key to whoever needs to open that cabinet. Give the key to him or he? Give the key to him. However, when asking who opened that cabinet, he works instead. So the question, then, is which part of the sentence do we perform … Read more
I think I noticed a mistake in Ready Player One: In the OASIS, you could become whomever and whatever you wanted to be, without ever revealing your true identity, because your anonymity was guaranteed. It’s supposed to be whoever right? Answer It’s not actually clear whether “whomever” is a mistake here. The relevant matrix clause … Read more
Which of these is grammatically correct?? “Whomever’s application is denied will wish to re-register next year.” “Whoever’s application is denied will wish to re-register next year.” The first half of the sentence makes “whomever” appropriate, but then the second half leans toward use of “whoever”. Your thoughts would be appreciated! Answer [Who(m)ever’s application is denied] … Read more
I am unable to understand which one is the correct? Answer The choice between who[ever]/whom[ever] comes down to the role of the relative pronoun in the subordinate clause. In this case, it will be nominative rather than oblique since who is linked to he by was. Now, for whoever vs who, whoever implies an indefiniteness … Read more
I know that who is used when asking about a subject (Who is at the door?) and whom is used when asking about an object (By whom was the door opened?). How do you determine which one to use when the object becomes the subject of another clause? For example, take the sentence: I gave … Read more
He created it. Put me in touch with him. So which is correct and why: Put me in touch with whomever created it. Put me in touch with whoever created it. Answer Put me in touch with whoever/whomever created it. Your example involves a fused relative construction. In this construction, the antecedent and the relativized … Read more
So sad to lose you, yet happy for whomever has the pleasure of working with you next. Answer No, that is wrong. It should be whoever, because it is the subject of whoever has the pleasure. Don’t be distracted by the for: it’s just a decoy, for the entire clause is its object, not just … Read more
I know that “its” is the possessive form of “it”, but does this rule apply to the possessive form of phrases ending in “it”? Should I say, “the program runs on whomever runs its computer” or “the program runs on whomever runs it’s computer” (also I hope I’m right that that should be “whomever” and … Read more
On the subject of “whoever” and “whomever”, I was reading this but I am still confused: http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/whoever.asp What is the correct use of whoever/whomever in the following sentence? I like your copy, congratulations, whoever is writing it. Whoever? Whomever? Is there a difference between US and UK English? Answer The answer is that it has … Read more
I take pride in my ability to deliver a warm and friendly welcome to whomever I meet. My reasoning is that I am doing the meeting and the object is merely being met, hence whomever. Answer If you’re asking if it’s grammatical, it is. It is, however, a painfully formal way of putting it. Whoever … Read more
