Who Cares?
Ready for a little grammar? Don’t worry, no one ever cheers after that question.
I teach a business writing class at night and we often indulge in just “a little grammar.” (The word “little” is key, since grammar is rarely seen as fun these days.) Our 
topic last night was “who” and “whom.” It’s almost a universal struggle to differentiate between the two. The fault lies with “whom.”
The trouble is, “whom” has fallen out of favor. Many people consider it…well, pretentious. When was the last time you heard someone say “Whom did you date last night?” Yes, “whom” is correct, but I can bet you they’re not saying that at Riverdale High.
If you really want to know, the rule holds that “who” is the subject of a sentence. (“Who is the king of this town?”) Whom is used as the object of a verb (“The man whom I greeted yesterday at the train station.) When in doubt, try substituting “he” and “him” for the word in question. “He” would substitute for “who” and “him” for “whom.”
Confused? Don’t worry. “Whom” is so rarely used anymore. To paraphrase Hemingway, for “whom” does the bell toll? It tolls for “whom.”
