When can you use 'Whomever'?

As far back as I can recall –- and that means the 1940’s –- countless people have been wrestling with four words that start with W: who, whom, whoever, and whomever. They still are. Because how to use them has remained a mystery for so many for so long, this column will once again attempt to lessen the misery.

What makes this four W’s problem perhaps even more vexing are those purists who playfully poke fun at writers who try to use these pronouns correctly –-but often don’t. Along these lines, I quote from Roy H. Copperud’s “A Dictionary of Usage and Style”:

“Kyle Crichton, associate editor of Collier’s, commented: ‘The most loathsome word (to me at least) is whom. You can always tell a half-educated buffoon by the care he takes in working the word in. When he starts it, I know I am faced with a pompous illiterate who is not going to have me long as company.”

And another critic, George Ade, wrote, “‘Whom are you?’ he asked, for he had been to night school.”

Even though Copperud injects such sly humor into his treatment, he devotes far more space to encourage readers to keep trying. His dictionary offers a wealth of useful instruction on how to apply these words correctly. I will try to do the same.

Question: How can we tell which of these pronouns is needed?

Answer: Determining which pronoun is needed depends upon the specific purpose of each in a sentence. Precisely how do they function? To decide, ask yourself: Does the sentence require a subject or an object?

In the Grammarly column titled “Your writing at its best,” the author explains that ”who” and “whoever” are subject pronouns. “In sentences, they function the same way as the pronouns I, he, she, we, and they. That is to say, they are “pronouns that refer to the person or thing that is performing the action of a verb.” Examples of subject pronouns follow:

“Who (subject) opened the door to see if it was still raining?”

“Whoever (subject) brought these brownies to the party should be commended!”

“In contrast, “whom” and “whomever” are object pronouns. They function the same way as the pronouns me, him, her, us, and them. These object pronouns can serve in two ways: as the direct object of a verb or as the object of a preposition.”

“Whom (direct object) did you meet at the party?” (You is the implied subject)

“I will buy a present for whomever (object of preposition) I was assigned in the gift exchange program.”

Question: Some writers are likely to be more skittish about using whoever and whomever, rather than the more familiar who and whom. Can you provide more details about how to differentiate between and use the first two?

Answer: Certainly. Begin by recalling that whoever is a subject pronoun and whomever, an object pronoun. Use whoever when referring to a person or thing performing the action of a verb. Use whomever to identify a person or thing receiving, such an action.

Examples of whoever: “Whoever wrote this poem should win a prize.” “Give this book to whoever calls for it.”

Examples of whomever: “Pierre, you can eat with whomever you want.” “Wherever she went and whomever she was speaking to, she felt his eyes upon her.”

Question: I have trouble deciding between “who” and “that.” Help me decide which is needed.

Answer: Here’s some advice from Patricia T. O’Conner from her book “Woe Is I.” In a section titled “Who’s that?”, she asks readers to choose between “The girl that married dear old dad” and “The girl who married dear old dad.”

She continues: “If both sound right, it’s because both are right. A person can be either a that or a who. A thing, on the other hand, is always a that.”

But she makes an exception when it comes to animals “who aren’t people but they aren’t quite things.” She explains: “If the animal is anonymous or we don’t use its name, it’s a ‘that’: “There’s the dog that won the Frisbee competition.” If the animal has a name, he or she is a ‘who’: “Morris is a cat who knows what he likes.”

In his “The Writer’s Art” column, noted author James J. Kilpatrick offers the following: “First, the General Rule: Use ‘who’ for human beings and exceptional dogs:

“Lassie was a collie who responded. . .”

He goes on to say, “Use ‘that’ for inanimate objects: “The book that most influenced Jellicoe was Mahan’s “The Influence of Sea Power Upon History.”

Indulging in a bit of humor (I think) Kilpatrick added: “Use ‘which’ when you have used so many ‘that’s’ that the repetition gets irksome.”

Will ‘Whomever” Survive?

My research suggests that while ‘whomever’ faces a dim future, it probably will survive. Probably “probably” is an understatement. Go to “Google Search” on your computer and enter ”Jokes about Whomever.” You will come upon five pages listing the titles of documents dealing with this subject alone.

Ernie Mazzatenta, a Hendersonville resident, has been providing Times-News readers with a monthly grammar column since the mid-1990’s He can be reached at joern@morrisbb.net.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Grammar tips for Hendersonville Times-News readers.