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Charchar Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Whomever v Whoever
Should I say "To whomever gave me this gift: thank you" OR "to whoever gave me this gift: thank you"
Top answer
'Whomever' is formally correct (as the object of the preposition 'to'), but many native speakers say 'whoever' informally.
- 'Whomever' is formally correct (as the object of the preposition 'to'), but many native speakers say 'whoever' informally.
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6 Answers
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'Whomever' is formally correct (as the object of the preposition 'to'), but many native speakers say 'whoever' informally.
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Mr. Micawber:
I am NOT disputing your answer.
I was just wondering, however, whether the "correct" word is, in fact, "whoever."
It appears that the subject of "gave" is "whoever." The phrase "Whoever (the person who) gave me this gift" seems to be the object of the preposition.
In other words: I want to extend my thanks to whoever gave me this
I am NOT disputing your answer.
I was just wondering, however, whether the "correct" word is, in fact, "whoever."
It appears that the subject of "gave" is "whoever." The phrase "Whoever (the person who) gave me this gift" seems to be the object of the preposition.
In other words: I want to extend my thanks to whoever gave me this
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You are quite right, James—I overlooked the fact that it is the whole clause that is the object of the preposition, and that 'whoever' is the rightful subject of 'gave'. My answer was wrong.
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To whoever gave me this gift, I would like to say, "Thank you."
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What exactly is your point, Skype? Do you find anything wrong with the original poster's sentence? If so, could you explain it for us?
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"To whoever gave me this gift: thank you" is correct.
If anyone's interested, the grammar works like this:
"Whoever gave me this gift" is a fused relative construction. "Whoever" is called a 'fused' relative word because the antecedent and the relative word are fused together instead of being expressed separately as in simpler constructions.
"Whoever" is thus simu
If anyone's interested, the grammar works like this:
"Whoever gave me this gift" is a fused relative construction. "Whoever" is called a 'fused' relative word because the antecedent and the relative word are fused together instead of being expressed separately as in simpler constructions.
"Whoever" is thus simu
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