Who, Me?
Archives: Copywriting
One of the most frequent misuses is “who” for “whom.” Many people are unable to get it right in everyday speech. But the error is also unforgivably common in major publications that have copy editors and proofreaders on staff.
Here are a few examples, all found in respected newspapers and magazines:
• “On your own, you may not know who you need to contact, while a recruiter has access to the decision makers.”
• “Not only do you have to know who you are talking to, you need to know how they listen.”
• “In China, as in combat, the agonizing choice of deciding who to save – or ignore… .”
Although the mistake is usually the use of “who” where “whom” is correct, as in the above three cases, sometimes it’s the other way around. The writer thinks he’s following the rules but still gets it wrong – a phenomenon called “hypercorrection.” Example: “Cellphones may make it easier for people to reach each other, yet Americans are very guarded about whom they want calling them.” It should be “who.”
Except in occasional tricky cases, it’s not difficult to avoid this error. When the referent is the object of the action, use “whom.” When the subject is the actor, it’s “who.”
Tip: If a preposition such as “to” or “for” is part of the construction, it’s “whom.” If not, “who” is most likely right. After all, no one would ever say “for who the bell tolls.”
The following sentence uses both who and whom correctly: “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is embroiled in a messy fight with a security engineer whom it fired last month – but who it now fears left with information about a secret plan to boost the giant retailer’s lagging stock price.”
This passage also shows us how to avoid a common trap. You might assume that the second use should be “whom.” But the interpolated phrase “it now fears” can be misleading. Grammatically, it could be deleted, making it clear that “who… left with” is correct. When in doubt about “who” versus “whom” in a complicated sentence, try that quick test.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
Excellent advice and recommendatons to live a successful life. Helping oth4ers is the wey to a satisfied contented life. Keep up the good work.
I pray oth4rs will take this into consideration and use it in their life.