whom

/huːm/ (bre, ipa) · /huːm/ (ame, ipa)

whom — 代名詞

1. the correct form of 'who' to employ when the person receives the action rather t

1.代名詞B2
釋義

誰（受格）

代替 who，用作動詞或介係詞的受詞

the correct form of 'who' to employ when the person receives the action rather than performing it; in formal contexts, use it after prepositions like 'to', 'for', or 'with', and when the person is the one being acted upon by a verb.

例句

The woman whom I spoke to on the phone was very helpful.

我在電話中與之交談的那位女士非常樂於助人。

whom as object of phrasal verb (spoke to)

Andrei is a close friend whom I have known since primary school.

Andrei 是我從國小就認識的摯友。

whom in defining relative clause

同義詞
  • who

    informal equivalent; 'who' is widely used in everyday speech and informal writing where 'whom' would be the formal choice

文法句型

preposition + whom

whom as object of verb

whom in non-defining relative clause

whom in defining relative clause

用法筆記

Frequently replaced by 'who' in informal English, especially in spoken contexts. In formal writing — academic papers, official documents, business correspondence — 'whom' is expected after prepositions (to whom, for whom, with whom) and as the object of a verb. When 'whom' begins a question with a fronted preposition, the structure is noticeably formal: To whom should I address this letter? vs. the informal alternative Who should I address this letter to?

常見錯誤

❌The woman who I met yesterday is my new neighbour.' (informally acceptable, but formally incorrect when the person is the object)
✅The woman whom I met yesterday is my new neighbour.
💡In formal English, 'whom' is the object form of 'who'.
❌To who did you give the report?
✅To whom did you give the report?
💡After a preposition ('to', 'for', 'with', 'of'), the formal rule requires 'whom' instead of 'who'.