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Is it grammatically correct to say

"One of the disadvantages of chatrooms is that you do not know the people with whom you are talking"?

I think it is better to say "the people you are talking with" but I do not know if the first option would be possible.

Noah
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Noemi Rodríguez
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  • Both are correct, and there is no change in meaning. This is an example of Pied-piping, which is characteristic of a more formal style. Which may or may not be appropriate for a chat room. – John Lawler Apr 06 '13 at 17:35
  • Related (in numeric not relateness order though): http://english.stackexchange.com/q/16 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/3910 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/19020 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/20417 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/45401 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/51667 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/71866 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/96822 http://english.stackexchange.com/q/102256 – tchrist Apr 06 '13 at 18:20
  • Saying "the people you are talking to" would be the best way. – Tristan Apr 06 '13 at 18:47
  • Even better the people you're talking to. That's what would be said; Pronoun + be is almost always contracted in speech. And often in chat rooms, where the contractions often surface as unapostrophicated Im, im, your, youre, hes, shes, were, there, theyre, their. Clearly leading inevitably to the breakdown of Western Civilization. – John Lawler Apr 06 '13 at 20:16

1 Answers1

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‘The people with whom you are talking’ is formal bordering on the pompous. Your alternative is more appropriate for most occasions, but speakers of British English, at least, would be more likely to say ‘. . . is that you don’t know who you’re talking to’.

Barrie England
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