Who, whom and the correct usage of prepositions

[brainofck]

SO, AOL has a headline: "Whom to give to, and how much."

Correct usage of whom, with a freakin' dangling preposition. Hating them.

While hating them, I go to look up the usage of who and whom, and find this helpful webpage.

They offer an excellent tool to help those who can't tell a subjective noun from an objective one.

As a ready check in such sentences, simply substitute the personal pronoun “he/him” or “she/her” for “who/whom.” If he or she would be the correct form, the proper choice is who.” If “him” or “her” would be correct, use “whom.”

This technique of substituting a personal pronoun for the relative pronoun works nicely whenever you have difficulty deciding whether to use “who” or “whom,” assuming that you have no difficulty using the proper form of personal pronouns.

Happily, most people can use him and her just fine so yay!

But then, I read more examples, and I find this MONSTROSITY:

Jones is the man whom I went fishing with last spring. (I went fishing with him.)

*howls in frustration*

Jones is the man with whom I went fishing last spring!!!!!!! Jeebus help me!!!!!

Crossposting to my writing journal, because I am in Henry Higgins mode right now!

Comments

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

OK, fellow grammar geek and all but I have to say that there are times when the dangling participle is the way to go. It's not correct but the "with whom" and "in which" and "from whence" sort of construction tends to sound horribly prissy and over-formal. Certainly in dialogue it's rarely appropriate, unless you're writing a historical or the character speaking is meant to come across as an elderly English professor or just someone weird, but even in narrative it often sounds awkward and out of place. It's so unfamiliar that it makes most readers pause and do a sort of literary double-take which can interrupt the flow of the sentence or underscore something you didn't want emphasized.

That said, though, I agree that in an article on proper grammar they should've done it correctly. [wry smile]

Angie

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing. They used WHOM. They used it correctly. Then they screwed up the rest of the sentence. I swear, if they had said WHO to give to, I probably would not have bothered to comment. But they said WHOM to give to. All snooty nosed and correct and retarded, all in one sentence!

Ahem.

Sorry. :D

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

I'll often use "whom" correctly but dangle a participle in the same sentence. [duck] But like I said, I agree that an article on proper grammar should use grammar properly. :P

Angie

[brainofck.livejournal.com]

I'll often use "whom" correctly but dangle a participle in the same sentence.

*thumps you*

Pick your style, chica! Go with casual spoken English or correct written!

:p

Sorry for the lateness of this riposte. I was ill the last few days...

[angiepen.livejournal.com]

LOL! The problem is that I like to write fiction in tight third, which means even the narrative should be in the "voice" of the POV character. And most people don't bother about snugging participles up in the beginning of a phrase where they belong, even if they know the difference between "who" and "whom." Using participles correctly makes a sentence sound stiff and stuffy, correct or not, and if that's not the tone you want then it doesn't work. Getting across what you're trying to communicate, connotation as well as denotation, trumps grammatical correctness in my book -- that's the whole point of learning the rules and then learning when to break them.

Angie, ducking thumps