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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Can someone explain why "who" is correct in this sentence?
"The man who she thought was still alive had in fact already died."
The way I would parse that sentence is "___ she thought" is a noun clause collectively acting as the subject of the verb "was." Within that clause, "she" acts as a subject, "thought" a verb, and the relative pronoun its object, thus "whom she thought." But apparently, the relative pronoun alone is the subject of "was," and therefore necessarily must be "who," not "whom." If that is indeed the case, then what role or function does "she thought" play in this sentence? Is it a relative clause lacking an object? Can someone perhaps breakdown this sentence in greater detail for me? I am somewhat confused.
The way I would parse that sentence is "___ she thought" is a noun clause collectively acting as the subject of the verb "was." Within that clause, "she" acts as a subject, "thought" a verb, and the relative pronoun its object, thus "whom she thought." But apparently, the relative pronoun alone is the subject of "was," and therefore necessarily must be "who," not "whom." If that is indeed the case, then what role or function does "she thought" play in this sentence? Is it a relative clause lacking an object? Can someone perhaps breakdown this sentence in greater detail for me? I am somewhat confused.
Top answer
Hi, An easy way to remember whether to use who or whom is to apply the rule of he/she versus him/her. If the meaning of the sentence requires the use of he or she you use WHO. If it requires the use of him or her you use WHOM.
- Hi, An easy way to remember whether to use who or whom is to apply the rule of he/she versus him/her.
- If the meaning of the sentence requires the use of he or she you use WHO.
- If it requires the use of him or her you use WHOM.
- For example: It was James WHOM Anna really loved (Anna really loved HIM) Joanna was the one WHO got promoted (SHE got promoted) So in your case, The man who she thought was still alive had in fact already died (She thought HE was still alove but HE had already died).
- Hope that helps, Monty.
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2 Answers
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Hi,
An easy way to remember whether to use who or whom is to apply the rule of he/she versus him/her.
If the meaning of the sentence requires the use of he or she you use WHO.
If it requires the use of him or her you use WHOM.
For example:
It was James WHOM Anna really loved (Anna really loved HIM)
Joanna was the one WHO got promoted (SHE got promoted)
An easy way to remember whether to use who or whom is to apply the rule of he/she versus him/her.
If the meaning of the sentence requires the use of he or she you use WHO.
If it requires the use of him or her you use WHOM.
For example:
It was James WHOM Anna really loved (Anna really loved HIM)
Joanna was the one WHO got promoted (SHE got promoted)
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The usual explanation: "she thought" is parenthetical and can be disregarded in parsing -- The man who (she thought) was alive had already died. "Who" clearly is the subject of "was." Nevertheless, I agree with you that the words "she thought" are important if we are to understand the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, this sentence probably should have been written as The man WHOM she though
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