Grammar
Phrases Tips
Subjects, Objects and Possessive Forms
To understand how to use "who," "whom," and "whose," you first have to understand the difference between subjects, objects, and possessive forms.
Subjects do an action:
- He loves movies.
- She goes to school.
- We enjoy Chinese food.
Objects receive an action:
- The teachers like him.
- Thomas knows her.
- The actor smiled at us.
Possessive forms tell us the person something belongs to:
- His bike is broken.
- I like her new book.
- The teacher graded our homework.
- The children received their presents.
Who/Whom/Whose
"Who" is a Subject Pronoun
"Who" is a subject pronoun like "he," "she" and "we" in the examples above. We use "who" to ask which person does an action or which person is a certain way.
Examples:
Who made the birthday cake?
Who is in the kitchen?
Who is going to do the dishes?
"Whom" is an Object Pronoun
"Whom" is an object pronoun like "him," "her" and "us." We use "whom" to ask which person receives an action.
Examples:
Whom are you going to invite?
Whom did he blame for the accident?
Whom did he hire to do the job?
"Whose" is a Possessive Pronoun
"Whose" is a possessive pronoun like "his," "her" and "our." We use "whose" to find out which person something belongs to.
Examples:
Whose camera is this?
Whose dog is barking outside?
Whose cell phone keeps ringing?
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Indirect Questions
The sentence below contains an example of an indirect question:
I don't know whom he invited.
Such sentences usually start with a phrase such as: "I am not sure" or "He doesn't know" or "We don't care." Just ignore the first part of the sentence and look at the indirect question when deciding whether to use "who," "whom" or "whose." Ask yourself if the indirect question requires a subject, object, or possessive form.
Examples:
He doesn't know who the boss of the company is. subject of the indirect question
I don't care whom you invite. object of the indirect question
She isn't sure whose car that is. "Whose" shows possession of car.
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Adjective Clauses
The sentence below contains an example of an adjective clause:
I know the man who won the contest.
Adjective clauses are used to describe a noun in the main sentence. In the example above, the adjective clause tells us about "the man." Just ignore the main sentence and look at the adjective clause when deciding whether to use "who," "whom" or "whose." Ask yourself if the adjective clause requires a subject, object, or possessive form.
Examples:
We knew the actress who starred in the movie. subject of adjective clause
They hired the man whom we interviewed last week. object of adjective clause
She knew the family whose house we bought. "Whose" shows possession of house.
"Whom" Less Common
The form "whom" is becoming less and less common in English. Many native English speakers think "whom" sounds outdated or strange. This trend is particularly common in the United States. Especially when combined with prepositions, most people prefer to use "who" as the object pronoun. To most native English speakers, the examples below sound quite natural.
Examples:
Who did you come to the party with?
I don't know who he gave the book to.
That is the woman who I was talking to.
Who did you get that from?
Do you have any idea who he sold his car to?
That is the person who I got the information from.
More about Who, Whom, Whose
Subjects, Objects and Possessive Forms
To understand how to use "who," "whom," and "whose," you first have to understand the difference between subjects, objects, and possessive forms.
Subjects do an action:
He loves movies.
She goes to school.
We enjoy Chinese food.
Objects receive an action:
The teachers like him.
Thomas knows her.
The actor smiled at us.
Possessive forms tell us the person something belongs to:
His bike is broken.
I like her new book.
The teacher graded our homework.
"Who" is a Subject Pronoun
"Who" is a subject pronoun like "he," "she" and "we" in the examples above. We use "who" to ask which person does an action or which person is a certain way.
Examples:
Who made the birthday cake?
Who is in the kitchen?
Who is going to do the dishes?
"Whom" is an Object Pronoun
"Whom" is an object pronoun like "him," "her" and "us." We use "whom" to ask which person receives an action.
Examples:
Whom are you going to invite?
Whom did he blame for the accident?
Whom did he hire to do the job?
"Whose" is a Possessive Pronoun
"Whose" is a possessive pronoun like "his," "her" and "our." We use "whose" to find out which person something belongs to.
Examples:
Whose camera is this?
Whose dog is barking outside?
Whose cell phone keeps ringing?
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Indirect Questions
The sentence below contains an example of an indirect question:
I don't know whom he invited.
Such sentences usually start with a phrase such as: "I am not sure" or "He doesn't know" or "We don't care." Just ignore the first part of the sentence and look at the indirect question when deciding whether to use "who," "whom" or "whose." Ask yourself if the indirect question requires a subject, object, or possessive form.
Examples:
He doesn't know who the boss of the company is. subject of the indirect question
I don't care whom you invite. object of the indirect question
She isn't sure whose car that is. "Whose" shows possession of car.
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Adjective Clauses
The sentence below contains an example of an adjective clause:
I know the man who won the contest.
Adjective clauses are used to describe a noun in the main sentence. In the example above, the adjective clause tells us about "the man." Just ignore the main sentence and look at the adjective clause when deciding whether to use "who," "whom" or "whose." Ask yourself if the adjective clause requires a subject, object, or possessive form.
Examples:
We knew the actress who starred in the movie. subject of adjective clause
They hired the man whom we interviewed last week. object of adjective clause
She knew the family whose house we bought. "Whose" shows possession of house.
"Whom" Less Common
The form "whom" is becoming less and less common in English. Many native English speakers think "whom" sounds outdated or strange. This trend is particularly common in the United States. Especially when combined with prepositions, most people prefer to use "who" as the object pronoun. To most native English speakers, the examples below sound quite natural.
Examples:
Who did you come to the party with?
I don't know who he gave the book to.
That is the woman who I was talking to.
Who did you get that from?
Do you have any idea who he sold his car to?
That is the person who I got the information from.
Linking words / Connectives
The main linking words and phrases are grouped below according to the similarity of their meaning to
the three basic connectives and, or, but. Some can be used to link paragraphs and others can only be
used to link ideas within a paragraph.
Listing
Enumeration
first --> furthermore --> finally
one --> a second... --> a third ---> etc
firstly --> secondly --> thirdly --> etc
to begin/start with --> in the second place --> moreover --> to conclude
above all
last but not least
first and foremost
first and most importantly
Addition
reinforcement
above all
actually
additionally
again
also
as well (as)
besides
especially
further
furthermore
what is more
indeed
in addition
moreover
not only...but also...
notably
obviously
particularly
specifically
then
too
Comparison
also
both...and...
correspondingly
equally
in the same way
likewise
similarly
too
Transition
can lead to a new stage in the sequence of thought
now
regarding
turning to
with respect/regard to
as for
as to
Summary
a generalisation or summing up of what has preceded
altogether
hence
in brief
in conclusion
in short
overall
then
therefore
thus
to conclude
to sum up
to summarise
Reference
refers back to previous sentences
and
as follows
chiefly
for instance
for example
in other words
in particular
including
mainly
mostly
namely
notably
or
particularly
such as
that is
Example
for example
for instance
such as
to illustrate
as an illustration
to demonstrate
Result
expresses the consequence or result from what is implicit in the preceding sentence or sentences
accordingly
as a result
as a consequence
consequently
for this/that reason
hence
in order that
now
so
so that
the consequence is
the result is
then
therefore
thus
Place
above
adjacent
at the side
behind
below
elsewhere
here
in front
in the background
in the foreground
there
to the left/right
Time
after a while
afterwards
at last
at that time
at the same time
before
currently
earlier
eventually
finally
formerly
in the meantime
in the past
initially
later
meanwhile
now
once
presently
previously
shortly
simultaneously
since
soon
subsequently
then
thereafter
until
until now
whenever
while
Reformulation
expresses something in another way
in other words
in that case
or rather
that is
that is to say
to put it (more) simply
Replacement
expresses an alternative to what has preceded
again
alternatively
another possibility would be
better/worse still
on the other hand
rather
the alternative is
Contrast
by (way of) contrast
conversely
in comparison
in fact
in reality
instead
on the contrary
on the one hand...on the other hand
then
Concession
admittedly
after all
all the same
although
although this may be true
at the same time
besides
despite
doubtless
even if/though
in spite of
naturally
nevertheless
no doubt
notwithstanding
only
still
under certain circumstances
up to a point
even so
however
while
yet