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Shcho23 Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

"which" or "whom"?

I've read a sentence: Each team had twenty-seven players, five of which were goalkeepers!

I'm wondering: shouldn't "five of whom" be used instead of "five of which"?

And one more question: In the expression "the same can be said for ~", can I use "of" or "about" instead of "for"?

Thank you very much!
  

Top answer

shcho23 I'm wondering: shouldn't "five of whom" be used instead of "five of which"? "Whom" is definitely better. shcho23 "the same can be said for ~", can I use "of" or "about" instead of "for"?

— AlpheccaStars

  • shcho23 I'm wondering: shouldn't "five of whom" be used instead of "five of which"?
  • "Whom" is definitely better.
  • shcho23 "the same can be said for ~", can I use "of" or "about" instead of "for"?
  • Yes, in the appropriate context.
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8 Answers
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shcho23I'm wondering: shouldn't "five of whom" be used instead of "five of which"?
"Whom" is definitely better.
shcho23"the same can be said for ~", can I use "of" or "about" instead of "for"?
Yes, in the appropriate context.
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Thank you so much for your reply.

Regarding my first question, can "which" then be used at all? Is it not grammatically incorrect?

I have one more question: (The article I'm reading has a few confusing areas...)

It says: It was decided that eleven players per team was the right amount.

Shouldn't "number" be used instead of "amount"?

Thank you again, I r
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In my opinion, ‘number’ of players is preferred to ‘amount’ (which is used for non countable nouns).
Regarding ‘whom’ versus ‘which’ – ‘whom’ is preferred for people/persons. However, when the occupation/title of a group of persons is used, ‘which’ can be used. e.g.: …the attendees, six of which were players and two were their horses, …
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Again, thank you so much for your kind replies.

I think I now see that "which" can be used in this context, (though not preferred) as occupation or title.

Regarding my second question though, I think I have to ask once again:

You said "number" is preferred to "amount". Then can "amount" be used at all? Is is also not grammatically incorrect?

And if so, in
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A company advertises a position available. They may be surprised by the ‘amount of interest’ and by the ‘number of applications’. ‘interest in the position’ here is not countable even though it has the same meaning as ‘applications’ for the position.
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shcho23It says: It was decided that eleven players per team was the right amount.Shouldn't "number" be used instead of "amount"?
Yes, "number" should be used.
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Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. 'The "amount" of players' just doesn't make sense.

But, my original sentence is from the textbook for EFL students.

I can't help thinking that there has to be a reason why they chose "amount" for that sentence.

Can there be any explanation for that, or is the sentence plain wrong?

Thanks a lot!
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shcho23But, my original sentence is from the textbook for EFL students.
Maybe the book was not written by a native speaker.
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