TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Who or Whom? From:David Dvorkin <dvorkin -at- BOLIX -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:08:25 -0700
>He was at the store.
>Who was at the store?
>
>It was him at the store.
>It was whom at the store?
Eek! Wrong, I'm afraid. Should be, "It was he at the store.
And, "It was who at the store?"
BTW, a common error is to think that the pronoun is the
object of a preposition when in fact it's the subject of a
clause, and the clause is the object of the preposition.
E.g., "Give the book to whomever answers the door." is
wrong. It should be "Give the book to whoever answers
the door."
This seems to be a frequent source of confusion.
David Dvorkin
Qualix Group, Inc., Boulder Development Center
2955 Valmont Rd., Ste. 310 * Boulder, Colorado 80301 mailto:dvorkin -at- qualix -dot- com * 303-247-1439
