{"id":897,"date":"2021-09-28T16:03:29","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T16:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/?p=897"},"modified":"2021-10-11T15:08:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T15:08:13","slug":"when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/","title":{"rendered":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#1_Questions\" >1. Questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#2_In_Sayings_and_Expressions\" >2. In Sayings and Expressions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#3_In_Adjective_Clauses\" >3. In Adjective Clauses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#4_If_You_Dont_Know_How_to_Use_It\" >4. If You Don\u2019t Know How to Use It<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>As far as I'm concerned, 'whom' is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.<\/p><cite>American writer Calvin Trillin<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>While this <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/17\/when-english-speakers-actually-say-whom\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">quote isn\u2019t entirely true<\/a>, using \u201cwhom\u201d in many cases will make you sound overly formal. Yes, even in formal situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So today, let\u2019s look at when you really don\u2019t need to use \u201cwhom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Questions\"><\/span>1. Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhom\u201d is uncommon in questions even in formal settings. For example, if you call a company\u2019s customer service department, you might hear the agent ask something like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Whom<\/strong> do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you are more likely to hear \u201cWho do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And even in formal professional environments, you would not hear people using \u201cwhom\u201d in questions. An example is this meeting by the Board of England\u2019s National Health Service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video-responsive\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"26 March 2015 - NHS England Board Meeting - Item 7\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5a0NmccN72w?start=933&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll notice that at 15:48, one of the board members asks the question \u201cWho are we seeking to affect?\u201d \u2013 not \u201cWhom are we seeking to affect?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_In_Sayings_and_Expressions\"><\/span>2. In Sayings and Expressions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some English sayings and expressions use \u201cwho\u201d as an object.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It\u2019s not what you know. It\u2019s <strong>who<\/strong> you know.<\/li><li>It depends on <strong>who<\/strong> you ask.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You might wonder if you should say \u201cIt\u2019s whom you know\u201d or \u201cIt depends on whom you ask\u201d in formal settings. Based on our research, the answer is \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For speaking, we found many examples of people saying \u201cIt\u2019s who you know\u201d in formal situations, such as this <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1DmzZh9mdbc?t=2312\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meeting at the White House<\/a>, and this <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/YSCHtO5wiZE?t=532\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">business school lecture<\/a>. We were not able to find any examples of people saying \u201cIt\u2019s whom you know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And in writing, we found that it is also uncommon to switch to \u201cwhom.\u201d For example, a search for \u201cdepends on whom you ask\u201d and \u201cdepends on who you ask\u201d in major news websites across six English-speaking countries show that even in formal news writing, the \u201cwho\u201d version is preferred by all news sites except the <em>New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28081852\/image-1024x593.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-898\" title=\"Points scored\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28081852\/image-1024x593.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28081852\/image-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28081852\/image-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28081852\/image-293x171.png 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, you wouldn\u2019t want to switch the \u201cwho\u2019s\u201d in the following expressions with \u201cwhom\u2019s,\u201d no matter how formal the situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Who<\/strong> are you kidding?<\/li><li><strong>Who<\/strong> does he think he is?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_In_Adjective_Clauses\"><\/span>3. In Adjective Clauses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your English textbooks may have contained sentences like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sarah is the woman <strong>whom<\/strong> I lent my umbrella to.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhom I have lent my umbrella to\u201d is an adjective clause which describes the subject of the sentence. (You can review adjective clauses in our lessons on <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-this-is-the-kitchen-where-i-cook\/HtPF3mV1EeeAvWfF5ZXneg?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cwhere,\u201d \u201cwhen,\u201d \u201cwhy\u201d<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-this-is-the-woman-who-teaches-me-to-cook\/uQI-UGVsEeeHB4MHSYxy9A?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cwho\u201d and \u201cwhich,\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/app\/lessons\/grammar-grammar-he-is-a-chef-whose-cookbook-i-bought\/A7Ql1J96EeeXHZM0K4r7Hg?category_id=6r1fXsYHEeimuzOlcF_9gA&amp;course_id=1llXaMYPEeiWI9-YoYwf4A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cwhose\u201d and \u201cwhom.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In normal English, we\u2019d simply say one of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Sarah is the woman who I lent my umbrella to.<\/li><li>Sarah is the woman that I lent my umbrella to.<\/li><li>Sarah is the woman I lent my umbrella to.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, people normally opt for a simpler pronoun&nbsp; (i.e. \u201cwho\u201d or \u201cthat\u201d) or no pronoun at all. So if you intentionally use a pronoun and then choose \u201cwhom,\u201d you could sound pretty butler-like!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what about formal English? Using \u201cwhom\u201d in adjective clauses is acceptable in academia, journalism, and government. For example, here it is in a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/speeches\/pm-press-conference-with-australian-pm-malcolm-turnbull-10-july-2017\" target=\"_blank\">speech<\/a> by a former British prime minister:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I am pleased to be hosting Prime Minister Turnbull \u2013 <strong>whom<\/strong> I have known for many years \u2013 on his first visit to Downing Street.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, using \u201cwhom\u201d is still more standard in written English than in spoken English, so when speaking at formal events, many people in these fields will simply use \u201cwho.\u201d For example, here\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/dVhJ9viIqgY?t=358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">video of a senior advisor<\/a> to a former US president and a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/O8pfo0IZYYU?t=920\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">video of a British law professor<\/a> both saying \u201cwho I have known.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it\u2019s a good idea to use \u201cwhom\u201d in adjective clauses in academic papers, but don\u2019t feel pressured to use it in speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_If_You_Dont_Know_How_to_Use_It\"><\/span>4. If You Don\u2019t Know How to Use It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our final piece of advice is that if you aren\u2019t sure whether you should use \u201cwhom,\u201d simply don\u2019t. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/guardian-observer-style-guide-w#:~:text=Use%20of,known%20better\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">style guide of <em>The Guardian<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>agrees:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If you are not sure, it is much better to use \u201cwho\u201d when \u201cwhom\u201d would traditionally have been required than to use \u201cwhom\u201d incorrectly for \u201cwho.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Also keep in mind that people have been misusing \u201cwhom\u201d for centuries. The Oxford English Dictionary records examples of people misusing \u201cwhom\u201d as early as the year <a href=\"https:\/\/quod.lib.umich.edu\/c\/cme\/ACA1723.0001.001\/1:91?rgn=div1;view=fulltext#:~:text=i%20schall%20se%20both%20yow%20and%20my%20nawnt%20with%20godes%20grase%2C%20whome%20evyr%20preserve%20yow%20and%20yowrs%20for%20his%20mersy.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1467<\/a>. In addition,&nbsp; <a href=\"http:\/\/shakespeare.mit.edu\/tempest\/tempest.3.3.html#:~:text=young%20ferdinand%2C%20whom%20they%20suppose%20is%20drown'd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shakespeare<\/a> made this mistake, as do many respected writers today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what should you do on standardized tests like the TOEFL or the IELTS? It\u2019s unlikely tests like these will penalize you for using \u201cwho\u201d instead of \u201cwhom\u201d or vice versa, because these are mistakes educated native speakers make too. For example, to get the highest score on the IELTS speaking test, you\u2019re allowed to make \u201c\u2018slips\u2019 characteristic of native speaker speech.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So just learn these three cases where \u201cwhom\u201d is used and use \u201cwho\u201d for everything else! This way, you can focus on more important things like becoming fluent in English, improving your reading and listening comprehension, and building meaningful relationships with your English skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of which, did you know that you could do all of that on Engoo? <a href=\"http:\/\/engoo.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Register today!<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As far as I'm concerned, 'whom' is a word that was invented to make everyone sound like a butler.American writer Calvin Trillin While this quote isn\u2019t entirely true, using \u201cwhom\u201d in many cases will make...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":905,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When Not to Use &quot;Whom&quot; \u2013 Even in Formal Situations<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Not to Use &quot;Whom&quot; \u2013 Even in Formal Situations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engoo Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28160251\/no-whom-formal-EN_page-0001.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Engoo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Engoo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Engoo\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e9dfcd49dbf44f24a07101345514eec2\"},\"headline\":\"When Not to Use \\\"Whom\\\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\"},\"wordCount\":893,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Language Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\",\"name\":\"When Not to Use \\\"Whom\\\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Engoo\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Language Tips\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/category\/language-tips\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"When Not to Use \\\"Whom\\\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Engoo Blog\",\"description\":\"Tips for English Learners\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Engoo\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/30111438\/engoo-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/30111438\/engoo-logo.svg\",\"width\":1,\"height\":1,\"caption\":\"Engoo\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e9dfcd49dbf44f24a07101345514eec2\",\"name\":\"Engoo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/698489651dc22ff906ed664cf6e7edc7ad204493a22054c3bce6d0d659c6315c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/698489651dc22ff906ed664cf6e7edc7ad204493a22054c3bce6d0d659c6315c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Engoo\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/author\/olgazlo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations","description":"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations","og_description":"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?","og_url":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/","og_site_name":"Engoo Blog","article_published_time":"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28160251\/no-whom-formal-EN_page-0001.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Engoo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Engoo","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/"},"author":{"name":"Engoo","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e9dfcd49dbf44f24a07101345514eec2"},"headline":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations","datePublished":"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/"},"wordCount":893,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg","articleSection":["Language Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/","url":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/","name":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-28T16:03:29+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-11T15:08:13+00:00","description":"Many learners mistakenly think that \u201cwhom\u201d is the formal version of \u201cwho.\u201d But did you know that \u2013 even in formal settings \u2013 native English speakers often won\u2019t use the word \u201cwhom\u201d?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/09\/28155924\/Blog-post-09-28-2021.jpg","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/language-tips\/when-not-to-use-whom-even-in-formal-situations\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Engoo","item":"https:\/\/engoo.com"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Language Tips","item":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/category\/language-tips\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"When Not to Use \"Whom\" \u2013 Even in Formal Situations"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/","name":"Engoo Blog","description":"Tips for English Learners","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Engoo","url":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/30111438\/engoo-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/04\/30111438\/engoo-logo.svg","width":1,"height":1,"caption":"Engoo"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e9dfcd49dbf44f24a07101345514eec2","name":"Engoo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/698489651dc22ff906ed664cf6e7edc7ad204493a22054c3bce6d0d659c6315c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/698489651dc22ff906ed664cf6e7edc7ad204493a22054c3bce6d0d659c6315c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Engoo"},"url":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/author\/olgazlo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":958,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions\/958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}