Who, whom, and what are interrogative and relative pronouns used to ask questions or connect clauses in English grammar. Here's a breakdown of how to use each:
Who
* Interrogative Pronoun: Used to ask questions about the subject (the person performing the action) of a verb.
* Who is at the door? (We expect the answer to be a person who is doing the action of being at the door).
* Who wants pizza? (We expect the answer to be a person who wants pizza).
* Relative Pronoun: Used to introduce a relative clause that provides more information about a person and acts as the subject of the verb in that clause.
* The woman who lives next door is a doctor. (Who is the subject of the verb lives and refers to the woman).
* I know someone who can help you. (Who is the subject of the verb can help and refers to someone).
Tip: If you can replace "who" with "he," "she," or "they" in the sentence and it still makes sense, then "who" is likely the correct pronoun.
Whom
* Interrogative Pronoun: Used to ask questions about the object (the person receiving the action) of a verb or the object of a preposition.
* Whom did you see? (We expect the answer to be a person who was seen by you - the object of the verb did see).
* To whom did you give the book? (We expect the answer to be a person who received the book - the object of the preposition to).
* Relative Pronoun: Used to introduce a relative clause that provides more information about a person and acts as the object of a verb or a preposition in that clause.
* The man whom I saw yesterday is my teacher. (Whom is the object of the verb saw).
* This is the colleague with whom I worked on the project. (Whom is the object of the preposition with).
Tip: If you can replace "whom" with "him," "her," or "them" in the sentence and it still makes sense, then "whom" is likely the correct pronoun.
Note: In modern informal English, "who" is often used in place of "whom," especially at the beginning of questions. However, "whom" is still considered grammatically correct and is more common in formal writing.
What
* Interrogative Pronoun: Used to ask questions about things, ideas, or actions.
* What is your name? (asking about a thing - a name).
* What are you thinking? (asking about an idea).
* What happened? (asking about an action or event).
* Relative Pronoun: Used to introduce a relative clause that provides more information about a thing, idea, or action and acts as the subject or object of the verb in that clause.
* This is what I wanted. (What is the object of the verb is and refers to a thing).
* I don't know what to do. (What is the object of the verb to do and refers to an action).
* The movie what we watched last night was interesting. (What is the object of the verb watched).
In summary:
* Use who when referring to people as the subject of a verb.
* Use whom when referring to people as the object of a verb or a preposition (more formal).
* Use what when referring to things, ideas, or actions, as either the subject or object.
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