Another who/whom question

Question

Suppose a friend once told me the name of the person who invented the Slinky toy. Now, I can't remember the name. I call up my friend and say ...
I was trying to remember who you said invented the Slinky.

I was trying to remember whom you said invented the Slinky.
Which is correct, and why?

The man who you said is a billionaire just left the room.
The man whom you said is a billionaire just left the room.
Which is correct, and why?

Thank you.

Kooyeen · Accepted Answer

ScribblerSuppose a friend once told me the name of the person who invented the Slinky toy. Now, I can't remember the name. I call up my friend and say ...
I was trying to remember who you said invented the Slinky.
or
I was trying to remember whom you said invented the Slinky.
Which is correct, and why?

Hi,
I'd say "who" is the correct choice, because "whom" is overly formal nowadays and since you said you would say that to a friend... I can't imagine someone using "whom" while talking to a friend on the phone.
If you want to know how to use "whom" in a formal way, you could try to search this forum, I know there are lots of threads on this. I'm sorry I can't help you about that, but I really have no idea how "whom" should be used, since I was told I really don't need it in modern English. I think "whom" even sounds kind of literary, rather than formal, because I think "who" is more likely to be used in formal English too (like in newspapers).

Yoong Liat · Answer

ScribblerSuppose a friend once told me the name of the person who invented the Slinky toy. Now, I can't remember the name. I call up my friend and say ...
I was trying to remember who you said invented the Slinky. ( I was trying to remember who (you said) invented the Slinky. If you enclose 'you said', it is clear 'who' should be the choice.)
I was trying to remember whom you said invented the Slinky. (incorrect)
Which is correct, and why?

Here's another example:
The man who you said is a billionaire just left the room. (Again enclose 'you said' with brackets and it is clear that 'who' is the correct word.)

aThe man whom you said is a billionaire just left the room. (incorrect)
Which is correct, and why?

Thank you.

Anonymous · Answer

Whom means 2 or more people who just means one.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Anonymous
Whom means 2 or more people who just means one.

Anon, I'm not sure if you're teasing or if you are really that confused about the usage, but please look up the difference between who and whom and realize that your differentiation is 100% wrong.

CalifJim · Answer

I was trying to remember who you said invented the Slinky.
The man who you said is a billionaire just left the room.
Ignore the 'you said'. It's basically parenthetical.
The first comes from "Who invented the Slinky?"
The second comes from "Who is a billionaire?"
In both cases who is a subject. You can't use whom in subject position, so forget about whom. It won't work in these sentences.
CJ

Another who/whom question

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