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Ea.cool Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Who or Whom?

Hi everyone!



I want to know which one of these two words - who & whom- best fit in these sentences:


  1. “Who have you been talking to?” Or “Whom have you been talking to?”
  2. “You don’t know who you are dealing with.” Or, “You don’t know whom you are dealing with.”






Thanks.



  

Top answer

If you want to sound natural in everyday speech and writing, you should use the the sentences with 'who' -- even though the traditional "prescriptive" grammar would require the use of 'whom'.

— Yankee

  • If you want to sound natural in everyday speech and writing, you should use the the sentences with 'who' -- even though the traditional "prescriptive" grammar would require the use of 'whom'.
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5 Answers
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If you want to sound natural in everyday speech and writing, you should use the the sentences with 'who' -- even though the traditional "prescriptive" grammar would require the use of 'whom'.
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YankeeIf you want to sound natural in everyday speech and writing, you should use the the sentences with 'who' -- even though the traditional "prescriptive" grammar would require the use of 'whom'.

I would add that a person who uses 'whom' and still puts the preposition at the end of the sentence (rather than before 'whom') sounds a bit pretentious:
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Ah, okay. Thanks a lot guys.
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Eh, this is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.
smiles
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AnonymousEh, this is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put.
smiles
I've always liked the concept of two- and three-word verbal expressions. 'Put up with' (=tolerate) is one of them. I do not see either 'up' or 'with' as a preposition after the verb 'put'; I see them as part of an expression that need not be separated by those who
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