Who, Whom, Whose, and To Whom — Interactive Grammar Lesson
Grammar Cheatsheet • Lesson • Matching A/B • MCQ • Dropdowns • Error Fix • Formal vs Informal • Writing
Level 3–5
Grammar Cheatsheet
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Correct: 0
who = subject The person does the action.
The teacher who helped me was kind.
whom = object The action happens to the person.
The teacher whom I thanked smiled.
whose = possession It shows ownership.
The student whose book is missing is upset.
to whom = formal Very common in formal writing after a preposition.
The woman to whom I spoke was helpful.
Fast test: If you can say he / she, use who. If you can say him / her, use whom.
Formal vs informal: In real conversation, people often say who I talked to instead of to whom I talked. Both matter. Students should recognize the formal version and understand the informal one.
Mini note: who is more common in everyday speech. whom sounds more formal. whose is easy and useful, so it belongs in this lesson.
Read the Lesson

This lesson teaches the full system: who, whom, whose, and formal phrases like to whom.

Use who when the person does the action. In the sentence “The woman who called me is my neighbor,” the woman is the subject. She called.

Use whom when the person receives the action. In the sentence “The woman whom I called is my neighbor,” I am the subject, and the woman is the object.

Use whose to show possession. In the sentence “The student whose phone rang looked embarrassed,” the phone belongs to the student.

After a preposition, formal English often uses whom: “The teacher to whom I wrote answered quickly.” In everyday English, many people prefer: “The teacher who I wrote to answered quickly.”

For students, the key is not memorizing dozens of rules. The key is noticing the job of the word. Is it the subject? Use who. Is it the object? Use whom. Does it show possession? Use whose.

Four strong examples:
  • The man who lives next door is friendly.
  • The man whom I met yesterday is friendly.
  • The girl whose backpack is blue is absent.
  • The person to whom I sent the email replied.
Real English:
  • Formal: The person to whom I spoke
  • Common speech: The person who I spoke to
Very useful contrast:
  • The teacher who praised me smiled.
  • The teacher whom I praised smiled.
Vocabulary — Matching A
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Correct: 0/4

Click one item on the left, then click its match on the right.

A. Terms

who
whom
whose
to whom

B. Meanings

shows possession
subject form for people
formal object form after a preposition
object form for people
Vocabulary — Matching B
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Correct: 0/4

Match the grammar form to the example.

A. Grammar Form

who = subject
whom = object
whose = possession
to whom = formal preposition phrase

B. Example

The nurse whom I thanked smiled.
The manager to whom I wrote answered quickly.
The nurse who helped me smiled.
The nurse whose desk is near the window smiled.
Comprehension — Multiple Choice
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1. The teacher ________ gave us the homework is absent today.
2. The teacher ________ I thanked smiled.
3. The student ________ backpack is on the floor is looking for it.
4. The woman ________ called me left a message.
5. The man to ________ I gave the key is my uncle.
6. The woman ________ car was stolen called the police.
7. The waiter ________ served us was very friendly.
8. The waiter ________ we called came quickly.
9. The person with ________ I spoke was very polite.
10. The boy ________ lives next door plays the guitar.
Vocabulary in Context — Dropdowns
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Correct: 0/10
1. The woman teaches my class is from Peru.
2. The woman I called was busy.
3. The student notebook is on the desk is absent.
4. The teacher to I sent the email replied quickly.
5. The man fixed my bike is very skilled.
6. The man I saw at the store waved at me.
7. The girl phone rang looked embarrassed.
8. The neighbor with we spoke was very helpful.
9. The athlete won the race trained every day.
10. The athlete the coach praised smiled proudly.
Cloze / Error Fix — Correct the Sentence
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Correct: 0/8
1. The man who I saw yesterday was laughing.
2. The girl who jacket is red is my cousin.
3. The person to who I gave the ticket was very happy.
4. The woman whom lives upstairs is a nurse.
5. The teacher who the students respect is very calm.
6. The student whom answer was correct smiled.
7. The waiter to who we spoke brought more water.
8. The doctor whom treated me was kind.
Formal and Informal — Rewrite the Sentence
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Correct: 0/6

Use the formal version when the sentence begins with a preposition phrase like to whom, with whom, or for whom.

1. Rewrite in formal English:
The teacher who I wrote to answered quickly.
2. Rewrite in formal English:
The woman who I spoke with was very patient.
3. Rewrite in formal English:
The man who she works for is demanding.
4. Rewrite in everyday English:
The nurse to whom I spoke was very kind.
5. Rewrite in everyday English:
The student to whom I gave the paper was absent.
6. Rewrite in everyday English:
The friend with whom I traveled was funny.
True / False Style — Choose the Better Sentence
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Correct: 0/8
1. Which sentence is better for formal English?
2. Which sentence is correct?
3. Which sentence uses who correctly?
4. Which sentence uses whom correctly?
5. Which sentence is better for everyday speech?
6. Which sentence is correct?
7. Which sentence is correct?
8. Which sentence is more formal?
Discussion / Writing
Free writing
Use at least 3 target forms

Write 4–6 sentences about people in your life. Use:

  • one sentence with who
  • one sentence with whom or an informal version with who
  • one sentence with whose
  • one sentence with to whom or another formal preposition phrase
Answer Key

Matching A — who → subject form for people; whom → object form for people; whose → shows possession; to whom → formal object form after a preposition.

Matching B — who = subject → The nurse who helped me smiled.; whom = object → The nurse whom I thanked smiled.; whose = possession → The nurse whose desk is near the window smiled.; to whom = formal preposition phrase → The manager to whom I wrote answered quickly.

Multiple Choice — 1 who, 2 whom, 3 whose, 4 who, 5 whom, 6 whose, 7 who, 8 whom, 9 whom, 10 who.

Dropdowns — 1 who, 2 whom, 3 whose, 4 whom, 5 who, 6 whom, 7 whose, 8 whom, 9 who, 10 whom.

Error Fix — as written in each item’s data-answer.

Formal / Informal Rewrites — as written in each item’s data-answer.

Choose the Better Sentence — 1 first, 2 first, 3 first, 4 second, 5 second, 6 first, 7 first, 8 first.

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