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From Strunk & White, Elements of Grammar, 3rd Ed., p.11: "When who introduces a subordinate clause, its case depends on its function in that clause." They then give four examples without explaining which, if any, is incorrect. They give no further comment on the four examples which are:

  1. "Virgil Soames is the candidate whom we think will win."
  2. "Virgil Soames is the candidate who we think will win."
  3. "Virgil Soames is the candidate whom we hope to elect."
  4. "Virgil Soames is the candidate who we hope to elect."

It seems to me that 2 and 3 are correct (since we think he will win, and we hope to elect him). Is this what Strunk and White are driving at, or am I missing something more complicated?

Specifically I would like to reconcile number 2 with an explanation in A Grammar Book for You and I ... Ooops Me by C. Edward Good. It says (p.138) to use whom for a clause that already has a subject. It looks to me like number 2 above has a subject, we, and should therefore, according to Good, take whom as the relative pronoun. Which is correct, Good or S&W?

Drew
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    Please search for previous answers. S & W is not considered a reliable authority on this issue by most regular members here. 'Who' (and often 'that' or zero relative) have largely replaced 'whom'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 23 '16 at 23:37
  • I know the older question is not an exact duplicate; but in its essence, the OP is asking "how" the pronouns, who and whom, should be used. – Mari-Lou A Jan 25 '16 at 09:07
  • There are already more than 60 questions and answers tagged with 'whom'. Which of those have you read? – GoDucks Jan 25 '16 at 15:27

1 Answers1

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You've got it right. When in doubt, try substituting "her" and "she," and, depending on which one fits, use "whom" (for "her") and "who" (for "she").

Ricky
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    In this case, the purportedly more sexist "he" and "him" actually makes sound mnemonic sense, as "whom/him" and "who/he" are much easier pairs to associate than "whom/her" and "who/she". – Hellion Jan 23 '16 at 23:53
  • @Hellion: Sometimes you need to get away from mnemonics and allow the contrast to do the job. – Ricky Jan 24 '16 at 00:22