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• 03 January 2010

  WHO vs WHOM

  Dear Reader,
  Welcome to PEDANTS PURGATORY.
  
  My name is Mike Teacher.
  
  The purpose of this column is to examine which words and expressions are acceptable for use in today’s modern world as distinct from yesterday’s modern world.
  In the concurrent page What a Whopper!!! I introduce words and expressions that are actually mistakes, some of them being unforgiveable grammar errors which are make by (ahem) so called highly respectable people. We’re gonna have some fun there, you’ll see.
  
  I said my surname was Teacher but I’m also a teacher by profession. – a grammar teacher, that is. Now, let me ask you something.
  What is the worst thing you think that somebody could call me?. Maybe a f***ing pedant, a stupid pendant, a bloody pedant, perhaps just an old pedant…
  No, the worst thing they could call me is a pedant. Yes, a pedant without any adjective at all. So I’m going to try and steer away from anything which smacks of pedantry. My philosophy is simple: if I’m walking down the street and I suddenly see a huge group of  people coming towards me, all running the other way, there’s I’m going to turn round and start running with them.
  
  Yes, it’s true that I’ll have to examine why I’ve joined the group and I won’t say that I  thought they were hundreds, but now I see they’re thousands and even millions.
  
  By the way, this group of people has a name. It’s called Vox Populi.
  
  But let’s concentrate for now on what we should say, according to the grammarians, especially the old school.
  
  Whom did you see at the party?
  
  This is correct English and of course I would teach it in written English. But you’ll never hear me say it.
  Why not?
  Well, there are several reasons:
  The fires is that nobody uses it anymore is speech unless it is a very formal affair
  The second is that the M sound in whom has to be forced out and it sort of breaks up the natural flow of the words
  And the third, which maybe should be the first is that….they’s start calling me the thing I`d least to be called. And worst of all, without an adjective!

  see details

  

  sent by Mike Teacher at 15:31h 0 comment

  tags: who vs whom,who,whom