SAT Reading & Writing: Who vs. Whom
15+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
"Who" is a subject pronoun (like he, she, they). Use it when the pronoun is performing the action in its clause.
- 2
"Whom" is an object pronoun (like him, her, them). Use it when the pronoun is the receiver of the action or the object of a preposition.
- 3
To test: substitute "he/she" or "him/her" into the clause. If "he" works, use "who". If "him" works, use "whom".
- 4
Always determine the role of the pronoun in its own specific clause, regardless of its role in the rest of the sentence.
- 5
After prepositions (to, for, with, about), the correct choice is almost always "whom" (e.g., "to whom it may concern").
- ✗ Using "whom" just because it sounds more formal, even when it is the subject of the verb.
- ✗ Looking at the main clause instead of the dependent clause. In "Give it to whoever asks," "whoever" is the subject of "asks," even though the whole clause is the object of "to."
SAT-style practice
The manager decided to promote Sarah, _____ he considered the most reliable employee.
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