The usage of the indefinite relative pronouns "whoever" and "whomever" can be confusing, especially in sentences in which one of these pronouns is part of the object of a preposition. When you are determining which pronoun to use in a sentence, remember that "whoever" is in the subjective case and "whomever" is in the objective case.
Should the pronoun in the following sentence be "whoever" or "whomever"?
He will give his extra ticket to [whoever/whomever] I choose.
This sentence contains a prepositional phrase: "to [whoever/whomever] I choose." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "[whoever/whomever] I choose."
These are the components of the noun clause:
- subject: "I"
- verb: "choose"
- direct object: "[whoever/whomever]"
Follow these steps to determine which pronoun to use:
1. Rearrange the words so that the subject is at the beginning of the clause.
- I choose [whoever/whomever]
2. Replace the subjective relative pronoun "whoever" with the subjective personal pronoun "he" and the objective relative pronoun "whomever" with the objective personal pronoun "him."(It is helpful to use "he" and "him" even if the person is female or the gender is unknown because both "him" and "whomever" contain "m" and both of these pronouns are objective.)
- I choose [he/him]
3. Recognize that "I choose him" makes sense because the objective personal pronoun "him" is the direct object in this clause.
4. Replace the objective personal pronoun "him" with the objective relative pronoun "whomever" and return the words to their original order.
- whomever I choose
He will give his extra ticket to whomever I choose.
Remember: the object of the preposition is not just the relative pronoun "whomever." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "whomever I choose."
Should the pronoun in the following sentence be "whoever" or "whomever"?
He will give his extra ticket to [whoever/whomever] wants it.
This sentence contains a prepositional phrase: "to [whoever/whomever] can drive him to the show." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "[whoever/whomever] wants it."
These are the components of the noun clause:
- subject: "[whoever/whomever]"
- verb: "wants"
- direct object: "it"
Follow these steps to determine which pronoun to use:
1. Replace the subjective relative pronoun "whoever" with the subjective personal pronoun "he" and the objective relative pronoun "whomever" with the objective personal pronoun "him."
- [he/him] wants it
3. Recognize that "he wants it" makes sense because the subjective personal pronoun "he" is the subject in this clause.
4. Replace the subjective personal pronoun "he" with the subjective relative pronoun "whoever."
- whoever wants it
He will give his extra ticket to whoever wants it.
Remember: the object of the preposition is not just the relative pronoun "whoever." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "whoever wants it."
Should the pronoun in the following sentence be "whoever" or "whomever"?
He will give his extra ticket to [whoever/whomever] I think should go.
This sentence contains a prepositional phrase: "to [whoever/whomever] I think should go." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "[whoever/whomever] I think should go."
These are the components of the noun clause:
- subject: "[whoever/whomever]"
- verb: "should go"
The clause "I think" functions as an adjective modifying the noun clause "[whoever/whomever] should go." Ignore this type of clause when you are determining which pronoun to use in a sentence. Similar adjective clauses that you may encounter in other sentences include "we believe," "you feel," and "he considers."
Follow these steps to determine which pronoun to use:
1. Replace the subjective relative pronoun "whoever" with the subjective personal pronoun "he" and the objective relative pronoun "whomever" with the objective personal pronoun "him."
- [he/him] should go
3. Recognize that "he should go" makes sense because the subjective personal pronoun "he" is the subject in this clause.
4. Replace the subjective personal pronoun "he" with the subjective relative pronoun "whoever" and insert the adjective clause "I think."
- whoever I think should go
He will give his extra ticket to whoever can go.
Remember: the object of the preposition is not just the relative pronoun "whoever." The object of the preposition is the entire noun clause "whoever I think should go."
- Read Celebrity Quotes that contain "whoever" and "whomever."
