Who vs. Whom

A common source of confusion when writing and speaking is usage of the words “who” and “whom.” Do you understand the correct usage of these words?

“Who” is always the subject of a sentence, and “whom” is always the object.

• For example: Who is going to lunch with Sarah?
• “Who” is the word that is performing the action. "Who" = the person who is going to lunch.
  
• Now, let’s examine this sentence: With whom is Sarah going to lunch?
• “Whom” is the word that receives the action. "Whom" = the person who Sarah is going to lunch with.

A simple trick is to rewrite your questionable sentence using the words “he” or “him” instead of “who” or “whom.” Using this trick, “he” represents “who,” and “him” represents “whom.”

• For example: Who/whom did you tell about your vacation?
• The sentence could be rewritten like this: I told him about my vacation.
• Therefore, the sentence that you began with would be correct when written: Whom did you tell about your vacation?
  
• Let’s try one more: I’m not sure who/whom visited my mother last night.
• The sentence could be rewritten like this: He visited my mother last night.
• Therefore, the sentence that you began with would be correct when written: I’m not sure who visited my mother last night.