I have a simple who/whom question.

Question

The sentence: " Who are you voting for in 2012."My friend corrected me saying it's "whom." I still think it's "who."Could somebody please explain who is right and why?

Avangi · Accepted Answer

AnonymousWho are you voting for in 2012?

"Whom" is correct.

You are voting for whom.

"Whom" is object of the preposition.

The subject of the clause is "you."

There's only one verb in the sentence. That is to say, there's no "relative clause" involved.

Give these flyers to whoever is voting.

In this case, "whoever" is subject of the relative clause,

and the whole relative clause is object of the preposition "to."

There are two verbs, "give" and "is," one for each clause.

The subject of the main clause is "you" understood (imperative sentence).

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you very much for clearing that up.
I'd be lying if I said I completely understood who/whom usage.

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousWho(m) are you voting for in 2012?

Both are correct. whom in this position is extremely formal. It is normal and correct to use who instead when it's a question word at the beginning of a clause.

If you don't strand the preposition, however, you should definitely use whom. This is even more formal.

For whom are you voting ...?

In short, you have three choices:

For whom are you ...? Very formal.

Whom are you ...? Formal.

Who are you ...? Ordinary. Conversational.

CJ

Avangi · Answer

AnonymousThank you very much for clearing that up.I'd be lying if I said I completely understood who/whom usage.

Cheer up! I don't think anyone does.

It's a work in progress. When enough people use it, it's acceptable.

I have a simple who/whom question.

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